Some devout meat worshippers say they don't mind how their meat gets cooked, as long as it's not raw. But for the rest of us, it does matter. There are several ways of perfectly cooking a steak. You can barbeque it over a pit of coals, or you can use the intense heat of a grilled pan to broil it. You could grill it directly over a hot flame, or you can griddle it over a heated flat metal surface. But the perfect way to cook a steak is in an oven as it imparts a delicious flavor to the meat. Let us learn the way to cook a delicious steak with only an oven. Along with this, we'll share some useful tips.

A Guide on Cooking a Steak in the Oven

Let us start off by explaining what you need to buy, how to prepare the steak, and how to properly cook the meat.

1. What to arm yourself with?

When you cook a steak in an oven, you need very little in terms of ingredients. Butter or oil along with flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper is all you need. Additionally, you'll need:

• Skillets
• Meat tongs
• Meat thermometer
• Casserole

2. Steps for the preparation, before you begin

• Before you worry about cooking a steak with only your oven, you need to select the right cut of meat.

• Just ensure your meat is well marbled all over.

• While you are getting your steak out, you can start to preheat the oven as well, preferably half an hour before you start to cook. Usually, 400°F is the right temperature for the average-sized steak.

• Before putting the steak in, it's best to wipe it dry with a paper towel. Season the dry steak with salt, pepper, and other condiments of your choice.

• The skillet needs to be well heated before putting a tablespoon of oil on it.

• Now the skillet is ready to sear the steak. Searing the steak will give a great, burnt look to the outsides of the steak, after which the steak can be baked.

• You need to sear each side of the steak for a minute, using the meat tongs to turn it over.

3. Ready to cook? Follow the step-by-step instructions

You need to follow different timings and methods for different styles of steaks. Let us begin by talking about how to cook a tender steak in the oven.

• Stick in a meat thermometer into the steak so that you can get the exact timing right.

• The skillet with the steak in its center should be placed in the oven and cooked without cover until the center of the steak is at 130°F (or 140°F for medium).

• Move it on to the serving plate and let it cool for ten minutes before serving.

• If you are wet cooking a tough steak, start by transferring the seared steak to the casserole.

• Submerge the steak in vegetable broth, tomato sauce, soup, or wine/beer.

• Cook the meat for up to 2 hours until it becomes tender enough, ensuring that the liquid you used didn't dry up (replenish it if it did).

• As the liquid begins to boil, slowly add the cornstarch solution into the water, and your steak is ready to serve.

• If you are using sirloin or flank, then you should know how to cook marinated steak in the oven. In that case, you could either grill or broil it.

• You need to remove the steak from the marinating paste before cooking it, but you should continue to brush your steak with the marinating paste every time the steak is turned.

• You can also watch this video of Chef Karl Marsh and see how he tells to cook a steak in the Oven

Some Useful Tips You Could Use

Now that you have found an easy way to cook a steak in the oven, it's important to know and follow some useful tips to get the best possible result.

• The importance of temperature

At every stage of cooking a steak perfectly, the temperature at which you do it is as important as knowing the steps to cook a perfect steak in your oven. If you are taking the meat out of your freezer, you need to give it at least 40 minutes to reach room temperature. If you can't spare 40 minutes, use 5-6 cycles (one on each side) of 3-5 second heating (not cooking) in your microwave.

• Size and thickness do matter

If your stick is too thin, you risk heating it up to a crispy ending which is not at all appetizing. Also, having chosen a humongous cut might end up having the steak cooked unevenly. The ideal cut should be at least an inch thick, but not more than 2 inches.

• Rest and relaxation

As the steak is being cooked, its moisture moves slowly inwards, leaving the outer crust dry. But once it's taken off from heat, the moisture slowly seeps back towards the outer edges and might make the outsides soggy. That's why it's important to rest the steak by covering it in foil and keeping it for some time before serving.

Other Ways to Cook Perfect Steak

Cooking in an oven is not the only way to cook your steak. There are other methods:

• Without adding any fat while cooking, you can cook your steak over high heat to caramelize the outer surface of your steak. This is called pan searing, and it can be done by using just a few drops of olive oil.

• You can also braise your steak if you select certain cuts like sirloins or flanks. The steak is cooked in braising liquid until tender, preventing the steak from becoming too tough. No fats are added!

• Broiling is another healthy way to get a juicy steak without adding any fat. You need to do this in an oven and heat the steak until the insides of the steak reach 145°F.