How to cook a steak for two without setting off the smoke alarm

Most of the steaks I've eaten in people's homes were good meat cooked with a little too much fear. The pan wasn't hot enough because someone was worried about smoke. The steak got flipped every thirty seconds because someone was worried about burning it. Then it got cut right away because everyone was hungry, and the juice ran across the board instead of staying in the meat.

None of that is a skill problem. It's a confidence problem, and confidence comes from knowing what each step is for.

Buy the right steak

For two people, one thick steak beats two thin ones. A strip or ribeye about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half thick gives you time to build a real crust before the middle overcooks. Thin steaks go from raw to gray before they've browned. Ask the butcher to cut it for you if the case only has thin ones; they will.

Salt it early, then leave it alone

Salt the steak at least an hour ahead, or the night before, and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge. At first the salt pulls moisture to the surface. Give it time and that moisture is drawn back in, seasoning the meat deeper, while the surface dries. A dry surface browns. A wet one steams.

The pan and the smoke

You need a heavy pan, stainless or cast iron, and you need it hotter than feels comfortable. There will be some smoke. Here's how to keep it to some:

• Use a high smoke-point oil, like grapeseed or canola, for the sear. Save the butter for later.
• Use just enough oil to film the pan. A pool of oil is what smokes.
• Turn on the hood fan before the pan goes on, not after the alarm.
• Pat the steak dry once more right before it goes in.

Lay the steak in, away from you, and don't touch it for two to three minutes. Then flip it once. Every time you move a steak, you interrupt the crust.

Every time you move a steak, you interrupt the crust.

Butter at the end, and a thermometer

Once both sides are browned, turn the heat down to medium, add butter, smashed garlic, and a sprig of thyme, and spoon the foaming butter over the steak for a minute or two. This is the restaurant move, and its job is flavor, not cooking.

Then use an instant-read thermometer. I've cooked thousands of steaks and I still use one. Pull it at 125°F in the center for medium-rare. It will keep rising as it rests.

The ten minutes that matter most

Rest the steak for eight to ten minutes on a rack. This is not a myth. The muscle fibers relax, the juices settle, and when you slice it, they stay put. This is also exactly how long it takes to make a red wine sauce in the pan you just used, which is not a coincidence. Restaurant menus are built around the rest.

Slice against the grain, salt the cut faces with a little flaky salt, and put it on warm plates. That's a steak dinner.

The February 8 class is this whole menu for two: the steak, the red wine reduction, a potato purée, and a dessert you finish while the pan rests. It's the week before Valentine's Day on purpose.