I started cooking my steak before adding seasoning, how can I save my meal?
I was having a busy day yesterday and wanted to cook a small sirloin steak. I preheated and oiled the skillet, patted dry my steak, got distracted by my dog, and put the steak in the skillet, unseasoned.
After searing I went to flip the meat and realized my error. In a panic I added my seasoning, flipped the steak over and went to season the now-seared side. It didn't stick to the meat well and in the end I ate a pretty bland steak.
If this happens again what can I do to recover from my error and save my meal?
Best Answer
Many people don't season their steaks before cooking and they still get tasty meat by seasoning it after. Salting beforehand helps release juices and gets a bit of flavor penetration, but it won't ruin it if you skip that step. Peppering before cooking is a bad idea anyway as the pepper will burn and turn bitter, so you should always pepper the steak straight after you take it off the pan.
Next time just finish cooking it and sprinkle some salt and pepper on it straight after cooking.
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Can I season steak after cooking?
If you have a really good cut, you might not even need a lot of seasoning-- you can go ahead and sear the steak without salting it at all beforehand. Then, if you like, you can season to taste with salt and pepper after grilling.Can you add seasoning after cooking?
Herbs may be added near the end of cooking for more distinct flavor, or at the beginning for more blended flavors. Ground spices and herbs release their flavors readily. In long cooking dishes, such as stews, add these near the end of the cooking time to minimize the \u201ccooking off\u201d of its flavors.Do you add steak seasoning before or after cooking?
Moral of the story: If you've got the time, salt your meat for at least 40 minutes and up to overnight before cooking. If you haven't got 40 minutes, it's better to season immediately before cooking. Cooking the steak anywhere between three and 40 minutes after salting is the worst way to do it.Can you season steak in advance?
Don't season your steak too soon\u2014yes, that's a thing. "If you do not have an hour to temper and season ahead of time, season immediately before grilling, anything shorter than 40 minutes will only pull moisture out of the steak and not let the outside get those beautiful grill marks and crust."Anthony Bourdain on the worst mistake when cooking steak
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