Cooking steak is no easy feat; ask even a pro chef and they'll tell you of the intricacies required to obtain the perfect steak. They'll also tell you that butter is an essential if you want to make restaurant-worthy steak. But, is it really right for everyone? Read on for why butter is great on steak as well as how it might not be the right thing for you.
Most people assume that the level of doneness is the most important aspect of cooking steak but that is all for naught if you don't use the right ingredients i.e. butter!
Adding butter to steak is completely based on your personal preference but here are a few reasons that professional chefs approve of doing so:
Overall, adding butter to steak will add the wow factor that 5-star restaurants are known for.
Although there are numerous advantages to adding butter to steak, it would be wrong to ignore the cons of doing so. Here are two reasons you might decide to avoid adding butter to your steak:
Overall, when adding butter to steak, make sure you know how to do it right to avoid burning the steak.
Butter should always be used towards the end of the cooking process because of its low smoke point. Don't forget that steak needs to be cooked at incredibly high temperatures, between 425 and 500 degrees F, to get that nice sear. Unfortunately, butter can start to burn between 300 and 350 degrees.
Therefore, keep your butter until the end. Add a small chunk of butter or as much as needed to the steak while it rests after removal from the heat. Go for unsalted butter to lessen the risks of over-salting the steak. If it's compound butter, which contains a mix of herbs and aromatics, then you'll enjoy the steak even better!
Unlike butter, many oils have higher smoke points, making them the better option for cooking steak. Furthermore, there are some oils e.g. olive oil or grape seed oil that are healthier alternatives to butter.
However, don't expect oil to taste better than butter. According to experts, there is no substitute for butter when it comes to enhancing the flavors of steak.
Enjoy!