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How to pan-sear a steak

Salt the steak at least 40 minutes ahead, pat it dry, and sear it in a smoking-hot cast iron skillet, flipping every 30 to 60 seconds. Baste with butter near the end and pull it about 5°F below your target, or 5 to 10°F below for a thick steak, then rest it 5 to 10 minutes.

By Gene · Updated November 6, 2026

Illustration of a seared steak in a cast iron skillet with butter, garlic and thyme

What do you need?

Ingredients

  • 1 steak, about ¾″ to 1½″ thick
  • Kosher salt
  • High-smoke-point oil, such as canola or avocado
  • Butter
  • Garlic cloves, crushed
  • Fresh thyme

Equipment

  • Cast iron or carbon steel skillet
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Tongs
  • Paper towels

Not sure what temperature to aim for? See the steak doneness chart and how to take a steak's temperature, or plan your exact steak below.

Step by step

  1. Salt ahead. Salt the steak at least 40 to 45 minutes before cooking, or up to overnight uncovered in the fridge. If you are short on time, salt it right before it goes in the pan instead.
  2. Dry the surface. Pat every surface dry with paper towels. Moisture has to boil off before the crust can form.
  3. Heat the pan. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat with a thin film of high-smoke-point oil until it just starts to smoke.
  4. Sear and flip often. Lay the steak in the pan and flip it every 30 to 60 seconds. Frequent flipping cooks it faster and more evenly.
  5. Baste. When the center is within about 10 to 15°F of your pull temperature, add butter, crushed garlic and thyme, tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steak.
  6. Pull and rest. Pull the steak about 5°F below your target, or 5 to 10°F below for a thick steak, and rest it 5 to 10 minutes before slicing across the grain.

Why does a dry surface matter?

A wet surface cannot get hotter than 212°F (100°C) until the water evaporates, so a damp steak steams before it browns. Browning gets going in earnest at around 300°F (150°C). That is why salting early (or right before cooking, never in between) and patting the steak dry make such a difference. Salt it at least 40 to 45 minutes ahead, or up to overnight.

Why flip a steak so often?

Flipping every 30 to 60 seconds cooks a steak roughly a quarter to a third faster than flipping once. Each side spends less time cooling off the heat, so the steak heats more evenly from both sides and you get less overcooked meat under the crust.

When should you take the steak off the heat?

The center keeps rising after the steak leaves the pan: about 3 to 5°F for thin steaks and 5 to 10°F or more for thick ones. So pull it about 5°F below your target, or 5 to 10°F below for thick steaks cooked hot. For a 1½-inch medium-rare steak, that means pulling at 120 to 125°F for a final 130°F.

When to take the steak off the heat for each doneness
DonenessFinal tempPull: thin steakPull: thick steak, high heat
Rare125°F (52°C)120°F (49°C)115 to 120°F (46 to 49°C)
Medium-rare130°F (54°C)125°F (52°C)120 to 125°F (49 to 52°C)
Medium140°F (60°C)135°F (57°C)130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C)
Medium-well150°F (66°C)145°F (63°C)140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C)
Well done160°F (71°C)155°F (68°C)150 to 155°F (66 to 68°C)

How long should a pan-seared steak rest?

Rest it 5 to 10 minutes. Resting lets carryover cooking finish. Controlled tests found that rested and unrested steaks sliced at the same internal temperature lose about the same amount of juice, so there is no need to wait longer than that.

When is pan-searing the wrong choice?

For steaks much thicker than 1½ inches, a hard sear alone builds a wide band of grey, overcooked meat before the center is done. For those, use a reverse sear or sous vide.

Plan your steak

Preset to pan-sear. Pick your cut, thickness and doneness to see the pull temperature and every step.

Pull at
120 to 125°F
Final center
130°F
Rest
5 to 10 min
Cut
1½″
Doneness

Warm red-pink center. Juicy and tender, the classic steakhouse order.

Method

Watch it cook

About 8 to 14 minutes in the pan for a 1½″ steak (America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats).

The animation is a heat-transfer simulation of the inside of the steak, not a timer. Stoves and grills vary, so cook to temperature: check the center with an instant-read thermometer.

    Common questions

    How long do you pan-sear a steak?

    A 1½-inch steak takes about 8 to 14 minutes in a hot pan with frequent flipping to reach a medium-rare pull of 120 to 125°F. Thinner steaks take less. Always go by an instant-read thermometer, not the clock.

    Should you flip a steak only once?

    No. Flipping every 30 to 60 seconds cooks a steak roughly a quarter to a third faster than flipping once, with a more even interior and a thinner grey band, and the crust browns just as well.

    Do you need to let a steak come to room temperature first?

    No. An hour on the counter warms the center only about 9 to 12°F, and in side-by-side tests tempered steaks cooked in nearly the same time as fridge-cold ones.

    Keep reading

    Sources

    Every fact on this page is checked against at least two independent sources. How we check facts.

    Show all 36 sources
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    2. America's Test Kitchen, The Problem with Thick-Cut Steaks
    3. America's Test Kitchen, How to Grill Steak Without a Recipe
    4. America's Test Kitchen, How to Season Steak for the Best Flavor
    5. America's Test Kitchen, The Easiest Way to Make Steak Taste Even Better: Salt Twice
    6. America's Test Kitchen, The Effect of Flipping on a Crisp Burger and Steak Crust
    7. America's Test Kitchen, Sear Any Steak to Perfection on the Stovetop
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