I've tried to pan-cook steak several times now, using various Googled recipes, on a cheap electric apartment kitchen stovetop.
Every single time when the meat hits the pan it generates so much smoke I'm afraid I'm going to set of the smoke alarm. I open the sliding door and turn on the fans but it still seems like far too much smoke for what's supposed to be a stove-top operation.
What am I doing wrong?
It's supposed to do that
>>7481535
your doing it right... lots of smoke if your super heating the skillet before you start cooking
Might be using an oil with too low of a smoke point. Also, proper overhead ventilation helps a bunch.
>>7481547
I've used olive oil and cheap-o vegetable oil. I can't do much about ventilation in my apartment. The ventilation with a fan and an open patio door has worked so far, in that I haven't set off the alarm. But I'm more concerned about the smoke coming off the pan.
According to >>7481540 and >>7481542 I'm doing it right though so I guess I should stop being a baby.
>>7481542
>>7481547
This.
Smoke point of oil is too low, heat is too high, shitty ventilation.
It sounds like you have the pan at too high a temperature. /CK/ will tell you to turn the pan all the way up to 9000 suns heat. While you do want the heat very high, it shouldn't scare you. Also you should only sear the steak in the pan on both sides and then put the pan on the oven to bring the internal temperature up to 'done-ness.'
>>7481558
Open whatever door/window is as close to a straight shot from your patio door as well. Instead of you just trying to push out the smoke this will help give a flow of air through your apartment and do a better job carrying out the smoke. You can use the fan to help push the smoke towards which ever door/window the air is exiting your apartment from.
>>7481535
Just start with a low heat to cook the middle. Then turn the heat up to crisp the outside. Not sure where all your smoke is coming from.
>>7481618
Don't do this. Your steak will suck. Just don't use olive oil ever for searing meats.
I sear for a minute on both sides on high heat then transfer to another pan I have on medium heat and cook for another 2 minutes
is this wrong
>>7481576
>put the pan on the oven
>on the oven
>on
>>7481665
Ideally, I would imagine you would want a more neutral oil than olive oil as well.
>>7481558
Canola will do just fine for searing. If you can spare some cash, get something like safflower or grapeseed which have really high smoke points. If you exclusively use it for searing things and seasoning your cast iron it should last you quite a while.
>>7481687
"o" and "i" are adjacent keys, better than something like typing "to" when you mean "no" or vice versa.
>>7481687
My mistake. This is /ck/ and not /b/ or /r9k/. No reason to be that autistic anon.
>>7481687
he means in, like
>i'm in your mom every night, faggot
Pan seared steak makes a lot of smoke, and the longer you have it in the pan, the more smoke it's going to create. This is because the fat and protein liquid that comes out of the surface of the steak creates a fond on the surface of the pan, and burns.
The easiest method to minimize smoke in my opinion is to do a reverse sear. The only unusual item you'll need is a digital thermometer (stand-in or instant read).
The idea is pretty simple. You cook the steak in the oven at a low temperature, around 250F, until the internal temperature is just under final doneness (120 for rare, 130, for medium). Then, you heat up a pan to medium high, sear the outside of the steak, and it's done.
Because the steak is already warm on the inside and dry on the outside, it'll sear very quickly. There won't be as much time for the fond to burn in the pan. When the cooking done, you can pour out the grease and add water to the pan to cool it and stop the smoke.
>>7481710
>When the cooking done, you can pour out the grease and add water to the pan to cool it and stop the smoke.
Also a good time to make simple pan sauce, or just use as little water as possible and pour straight on the steak.
>>7481710
>(120 for rare, 130, for medium)
I do this method exclusively and stop at 110-115 for rare. Don't forget to rest the steak after oven but before searing so the heat transfer can complete and crest you up to rare.
>>7481535
you can't pan-sear without some smoke
If the room is filling with smoke, you're doing something wrong
If the room is not filled with smoke but it's setting the smoke alarm off, you're dumb for having your smoke alarm that close to the one place in your house where smoke isn't a sign of danger
>>7481710
Not OP, but thanks for this, I normally do the sear-then-oven. I'll test this out to see how it comes out.
How long does it take in the oven, on average?
>>7481710
I think the reverse sear will be the next thing I try, I do have a nice digital thermometer.
What about seasoning? I usually rub on some oil, salt, and ground pepper - can I still do this before putting the steak in the oven?
>>7481742
Lots of house fires start in the kitchen.
>>7481750
yeah, but a lot of useless smoke is in the kitchen as well, the fire alarm shouldn't be in the kitchen it should be close, but not too close for everything to set it off. the hallway or something.
>>7481758
Sadly, mine are wired into the house itself with the batteries only serving as backups. And they aren't a separate breaker or anything. Found this out when cooking burgers in my cast iron a couple weeks ago. Sucks.
>>7481750
it shouldn't be so close that frying a steak sets it off man
>>7481772
>installing smoke alarms that stop you from making burgers
how un-American
>>7481710
This is good advice. Also, most of you should know by now that the whole "searing to seal in juices" is just complete bull shit.
>>7481692
t and n are adjacent in Dvorak
OP why are you using oil anyways?
>>7481791
because my Googled recipes said to use oil
>>7481772
you can pull them out of the wall and they'll operate on only battery power. that's what I do
We have a heat alarm in the kitchen. Seared steak or burned toast won't set it off but something dangerorus like an oil fire will.
