The way to Reheat Steak So It Would not Dry Out

I spend most of my days cooking and testing meal kits, grocery delivery services and meat subscriptions, which suggests a fridge perpetually crammed with leftovers. Due to that, I’ve honed some abilities in not simply cooking meals but additionally reheating it the subsequent day. 

To heat up cooked noodles, rice or pizza, these are the best ways to reheat every type of takeout. However what about final evening’s rib eye steak that you simply grilled over charcoal or seared in blazing forged iron? Nothing beats a high quality steak, however as anybody who’s tried is aware of, it may be difficult 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 Fahrenheit or much less. Sadly, steak begins to lose moisture and taste after even a day, so the earlier the higher. 

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

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

For those who suspect you are going to have leftover steak, you may think about cooking a few of it lower than you usually would. Instance: Cook dinner a number of items of beef uncommon as a substitute of medium uncommon or medium uncommon as a substitute of medium. This apply provides you with extra wiggle room on the reheat.

To nail the doneness of your rib eye, skirt steak or New York strip on the primary cook dinner, use this sneaky trick that skilled cooks use to inform when a steak is cooked to their liking. Spoiler alert: It does not require any devices; simply your palms and slightly know-how. For those who do find yourself overcooking it, strive slicing it particularly skinny with an excellent sharp knife (throughout the grain, in fact). That ought to mitigate a number of the stringiness. 

For the reheat take a look at, I used a roughly 1-inch thick grass-fed rib eye 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, irrespective of which technique you utilize to reheat steak. Try this, and the steak will heat via sooner with out having to cook dinner for as lengthy which lowers the chance of drying it out. 

Greatest methods to reheat steak

Technique 1: Forged-iron skillet

The primary technique I attempted to reheat my rib eye was just about the identical method I cooked it.

• Step 1: Take away the steak from the fridge and permit it to return 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, comparable to flaxseed or peanut.
• Step 3: Gently place the leftover steak into the skillet.
• Step 4: Cook dinner for about two minutes on both sides to heat the steak via. Watch rigorously to verify the steak will not be 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 properly. The steak emerged from the pan an ideal medium uncommon, identical to it was once I first cooked it. There was no dryness or toughness, and the meat was heated via utterly. As a bonus, the steak’s crust grew to become much more pronounced.

Technique 2: Air fryer, uncovered

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

An air fryer is basically a small convection oven, however as a result of we wish 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 would threat 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 couple of minutes to make sure the center of the meat does 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 via 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.

Technique 3: Air fryer, wrapped in foil

This technique is basically the identical because the earlier one however with the steak wrapped in aluminum foil. Oblique warmth is commonly an environment friendly option to reheat meals with out overcooking it. However, as you may 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 on account 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 lower of meat — the identical method you cooked it initially is probably going going to web the most effective, 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 should definitely watch rigorously to make sure the meat does not cook dinner a lot within the middle. You need to use a nonstick pan, however the floor will not ever get as sizzling as forged iron so do not anticipate a lot in the best way of enhanced crust.

An air fryer or toaster is the cleanest option 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 offer a fast rinse to the nonstick basket afterward. Cooking steak in a cast-iron skillet required me to wash a pan that could not be put within the dishwasher. Whereas we’re on the matter, here is the best way to clean cast-iron cookware.

For me, having to wash one pan is price 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 comparable to steak and pork typically explode, making a greasy mess contained in the equipment.