4 guides
Each guide answers one question: what to buy, why, and how to use it. You do not have to read them in order.
Searing means cooking a dry-surfaced steak at least 1 inch thick in a fully preheated pan without moving it, then deciding when to pull it using an internal thermometer.
Salt meat either immediately before it goes in the pan or at least 40 minutes ahead; in the window between, the surface stays wet and no crust can form.
For most beginners the right choice is a 10–12 inch cast iron skillet with a base at least 4 mm thick: it stores heat, holds temperature when meat goes in, and can move to the oven.
Most home kitchens need only an 8-inch chef’s knife, a small paring knife and a serrated bread knife; what keeps them sharp is a honing rod, the right board and hand washing.