This Is the Finest Solution to Reheat Steak, In response to My Assessments

I spend most of my days cooking and testing meal kits, grocery supply companies and meat subscriptions, which suggests a fridge perpetually stuffed with leftovers. Due to that, I’ve honed some expertise in not simply cooking meals but in addition reheating it the following day. 

On this complete information, you will discover the greatest solution to reheat most forms of takeout. However what about final evening’s ribeye steak that you just grilled on the Weber or seared over blazing forged iron? Nothing beats a very good steak, however as anybody who’s tried is aware of, it may be tough to reheat it with out overcooking.

I attempted three strategies for reheating steak: In a cast-iron skillet, in an air fryer and in an air fryer wrapped in aluminum foil to see which one turned out the tastiest meat.

However first…

How lengthy is cooked steak good for within the fridge?

The USDA recommends consuming cooked beef inside three to 4 days so long as it is stored refrigerated at 40 levels or much less. Sadly, steak begins to lose moisture and taste after even a day, so the earlier the higher. 

If you would like good leftover steak, cook dinner it proper the primary time

Cooking steak appropriately the primary time will go a good distance towards tasty beef after a reheat. For leftover steak, the no. 1 concern is overcooking. Should you’ve overcooked it on the primary run, reheating it’s only going to make issues worse. 

Should you suspect you are going to have leftover steak, you may take into account cooking a few of it lower than you usually would. Instance: Prepare dinner a number of items of beef uncommon as a substitute of medium uncommon or medium uncommon as a substitute of medium. This apply gives you extra wiggle room on the reheat.

To nail the doneness of your ribeye, skirt steak or New York strip on the primary cook dinner, use this sneaky trick that skilled cooks use to find out when a steak is cooked to their liking. Spoiler alert: It would not require any devices; simply your arms and slightly know-how. Should you do find yourself overcooking it, attempt slicing it particularly skinny with a brilliant sharp knife (throughout the grain, in fact). That ought to mitigate among the stringiness. 

For the reheat take a look at, I used a roughly 1-inch thick grass-fed ribeye steak that I had cooked medium uncommon the evening earlier than utilizing a cast-iron skillet. I portioned the day-old cooked steak into even thirds and used three strategies to reheat the meat.

It is best to let it come to room temperature earlier than reheating, regardless of which technique you utilize to reheat steak. Try this, and the steak will heat by way of sooner with out having to cook dinner for as lengthy which lowers the chance of drying it out. 

Finest methods to reheat steak

Methodology 1: Forged-iron skillet

The primary technique I attempted to reheat my ribeye was just about the identical approach I cooked it.

• Step 1: Take away the steak from the fridge and permit it to come back to room temperature.
• Step 2: Put your cast-iron skillet over excessive warmth with a drizzle of cooking oil that has a excessive smoke level, akin to flaxseed or peanut.
• Step 3: Gently place the leftover steak into the skillet.
• Step 4: Prepare dinner for about two minutes on both sides to heat the steak by way of. Watch fastidiously to verify the steak isn’t cooking a lot within the center.
• Step 5: Take away the steak and let it relaxation for 2 minutes earlier than slicing and serving.

This technique for reheating steak labored extraordinarily nicely. The steak emerged from the pan an ideal medium uncommon, identical to it was after I first cooked it. There was no dryness or toughness, and the meat was heated by way of fully. As a bonus, the steak’s crust grew to become much more pronounced.

Methodology 2: Air fryer, uncovered

On this try, I used the air fryer rather than the big oven. One cause is that an air fryer or countertop oven preheats a lot sooner than a regular oven. For such a fast activity, I wasn’t considering ready for the oven to preheat. 

An air fryer is actually a small convection oven, however as a result of we need to reheat the steak gently, I selected my air fryer’s “bake” mode as a substitute of precise air-frying. Air frying makes use of sooner, extra intense warmth that might danger drying out the meat, which is famously temperamental. 

• Step 1: Let the steak come to room temperature.
• Step 2: Preheat the air fryer or toaster to 250 levels F on its bake or heat setting (not air fry).
• Step 3: Place the steak on high of the cooking rack or in an air fryer basket.
• Step 4: Warmth for 10 minutes, checking each jiffy to make sure the center of the meat would not overcook.
• Step 5: Take away from the oven, slice and serve. 

This try rendered my leftover steak simply as tender and juicy because the forged iron above. The steak was cooked by way of with no indicators of toughness. The one distinction between this steak and the one warmed in a skillet is that there was no enhanced crust.

Methodology 3: Air fryer, wrapped in foil

This technique is actually the identical because the earlier one however with the steak wrapped in aluminum foil. Oblique warmth is commonly an environment friendly solution to reheat meals with out overcooking it. However, as you will see, reheating steak is slightly completely different from warming different meals.

• Step 1: Let the steak come to room temperature.
• Step: 2 Wrap the meat in aluminum foil.
• Step 3: Preheat the air fryer to 250 levels F on bake or heat setting (not air fry).
• Step 4: Warmth for quarter-hour.
• Step 5: Take away from the air fryer, slice and serve.

This technique labored OK, however there was a noticeable toughness to the steak that wasn’t there earlier than. The crust had additionally been diminished, possible because of a little bit of steam that constructed up contained in the foil. It additionally takes the longest of the three strategies I attempted. 

Takeaways

A cast-iron skillet is the easiest way to reheat steak

Reheating beef — or any reduce of meat — the identical approach you cooked it initially is probably going going to web the perfect, juiciest outcomes. For steaks, utilizing a cast-iron skillet or a sizzling grill or griddle high is favorable, because it reinvigorates the crust and heats the within with out overcooking the steak. 

When using this technique, you’ll want to watch fastidiously to make sure the meat would not cook dinner a lot within the heart. You should utilize a nonstick pan, however the floor will not ever get as sizzling as forged iron so do not count on a lot in the best way of enhanced crust.

An air fryer or toaster is the cleanest solution to reheat steak

Whereas the cast-iron skillet proved the easiest way to reheat steak, it was additionally the messiest. Utilizing an air fryer means solely having to provide a fast rinse to the nonstick basket afterward. Cooking steak in a cast-iron skillet required me to scrub a pan that could not be put within the dishwasher. Whereas we’re on the matter, this is the greatest solution to clear cast-iron cookware.

For me, having to scrub one pan is value it for a greater reheated steak with an invigorated crust. 

Do not ever use a microwave to reheat steak

Keep away from reheating steak within the microwave in any respect prices. Even the juiciest beef with dense fats marbling will dry out when confronted with these electromagnetic waves. Microwaves additionally warmth meals erratically, and fatty meats akin to steak and pork typically explode, making a greasy mess contained in the equipment.