Cooking Right: 9 Foolproof Healthy Cooking Tips

How to Cook Steak

"When I cook steak on the stove, it never tastes right."

Often people don't start with a high enough heat, and that leads to overcooked meat. "The key is having an even, high heat to caramelize the steak through searing," explains Tyler Florence, host of Tyler's Ultimate and several other Food Network shows. He recommends choosing a thick cut of meat for juiciness -- like a one-and-a-half-inch New York strip steak -- and using a cast-iron pan or ovenproof skillet. First, dry the surface of the meat (excess water leads to stewing instead of searing) and season with salt and black pepper. Pour a little canola oil in the pan and turn the heat to high. Once the pan is hot, cook the steak for six minutes on each side. Then put the pan into the oven at 375 degrees for about five minutes.

For a thinner cut (less than one and a half inches), the final step in the oven isn't necessary, Izard says. Just make sure the pan is hot, sear the meat for a minute, turn the heat down to medium high and cook for two to three minutes more. Then peek at the underside; once it's brown, flip it over and cook for a couple of minutes more. "A classic mistake is flipping too often, which can make the meat stick or develop an odd color," Izard says. "Two to three minutes a side is all it takes."