While cooking steak on the grill might come naturally, transitioning indoors might have your internet search full of queries like how long to cook steak in the oven at 400 degrees or cook steak in the oven. Don’t stress too much about this change since it’s really quite easy to get the perfect steak in the oven using a simple oven recipe and an oven safe skillet.
How To Prepare Steak
Before you even think about putting your steak in the oven, you should let the steak sit at room temperature to ensure it responds properly to the heat. You can use this time to preheat the oven and gather any ingredients or supplies you might need for your recipe. Before searing, use a paper towel to pat the steak dry and remove any residual moisture. This will help it heat up evenly.
You can use any hot pan to make a steak in the oven, but a cast iron skillet is one of the best options since it will allow you to sear the steak first and then transfer it to a sheet pan halfway through the cooking process, if desired. Searing helps lock in the moisture and ensure that you have a tender, juicy steak.
Remember to heat the cast iron pan either in the oven while it’s preheating or on the stove. Next, it’s time to add olive oil or butter to the meat along with any seasonings like salt or pressed garlic. You should season generously for maximum flavor, and make sure you use high-quality olive oil if you choose to use olive oil during this step.
How To Cook Steak In The Oven
Sear the steak until it’s brown and sizzling. This should only take a couple of minutes on each side at most. Once your sear is complete, you can place the entire skillet into the preheated oven if you’re not moving it to another pan.
For thinner cuts, you can skip the sear entirely if you plan to broil steak instead. This will avoid cooking the meat too much, and the high heat of the broiler will produce the same seared effect. You can also skip the sear on thicker steaks, but it may dry out the meat and fail to produce the same texture as a pan sear.
How Long To Cook Steak In Oven
Larger or thicker cuts like ribeye steak can take up to 10 minutes to cook at 400 degrees (after searing them first.) Thinner cuts like flank steak can take 6 or 7 minutes. The exact time you should cook steak will also vary depending on the desired doneness since, for example, medium well will obviously take longer than medium rare.
You should have some idea of how you prefer to cook steak in terms of the doneness. If you’re worried about it being overcooked for your tastes, then rare or medium rare can be a safe bet. You can also think of cooking steak in terms of color, such as medium well having a slightly pink center.
While the steak cooks, you should use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s reached a safe internal temperature. Medium rare will be around 130-140 degrees F, and medium well is approximately 150-160 degrees F. Once the steak has reached the desired temperature, remove the steak from the oven and let the meat rest. If you like, you can add steak sauce or additional seasoning before enjoying your delicious home-cooked meal.
Different Types Of Steak
If you’re worried about picking the best steaks, a lot will come down to the cut. Different steaks will have their own unique qualities, which can affect the ideal cooking time and how they cook in general. Some recipes might name a certain cut of steak, while other recipes are more open ended. Here are some popular kinds of steaks:
- Ribeye steaks are known for having a rich flavor and marbled fat that makes the ribeye cut particularly tender. They can range from an inch thick to 2 inches.
- Flank steak is thinner and popular for stir fry or any other meal that requires steak in strips. It tends to be chewier compared to other cuts.
- Filet mignon is a thicker steak made of tenderloin. It’s usually more expensive than other steaks but high quality and tender.
- New York strip steaks don’t have bones and come from the short loin.
All of these can be delicious when cooked in the oven as long as you’re mindful of the cooking time and internal temperature of the meat. Even if a steak isn’t ideal, a generous amount of seasoning can greatly improve the overall flavor.
The Best Steak Recipes
The best recipes will depend on your personal tastes, so it’s important to keep an eye on the latest recipes to see if anything looks tempting. Some common toppings for steak include mushrooms, onions, and shrimp. If you’re cooking steaks for guests or a whole family, you can even make these on the side so that everyone can have what they want.
If you don’t plan on adding anything to the steak itself, consider the sides that would go well with your steak dinner. Potatoes are a popular option that can be cooked in garlic butter or other seasonings to add a more complex flavor. Macaroni and cheese, carrots, or a fresh salad are also great pairings for steak.
Trying New Recipes
When you’re trying out a new recipe, pay attention to the fine details to make sure you’re correctly following what the cookbook author intended. If it says to use a skillet, then it’s better to follow that recommendation than to substitute a pan and realize that you made a mistake later.
Check the recipe to find out the prep time, ingredients, and any seasonings you might need to buy in advance. You should also find out if the recipe was designed with a particular cut of meat in mind. This will allow you to make adjustments to the cooking temperature or cook time if you’re using a thinner or thicker steak.
Final Thoughts
So, now you know how to get the perfect steak in the oven with just a cast iron skillet, regardless of whether you love a medium rare or medium well steak. Just think through the basic steps to make sure you don’t miss anything. Get a large skillet. Preheat oven temperature. Generously season. Place steak in the oven. It’s really that simple.
If you’re not sure how long to cook a particular cut, monitor the steak closely for signs that it’s overcooking. A meat thermometer can easily detect the internal temperature and doneness of your steak to avoid accidentally ending up with a well-done steak when you were aiming for medium rare. Once you’ve learned the best way to cook steak in the oven, you can experiment by adjusting temperatures, adding different ingredients, or using the broiler instead of a cast iron skillet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
How Long to Bake Filet Mignon at 400 Degrees?
If you’re searing the steaks in a pan before placing them in the oven, then you’ll need to let them cook for up to 10 or 15 minutes. If you’re broiling instead of using a pan, you may need anywhere from 8 to 14 minutes in the oven.
How Long to Cook Ribeye Steak in Oven at 400 Degrees?
Since a ribeye steak isn’t quite as thick as filet mignon, it should cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes in the oven after searing. Add 2 or 3 minutes to that estimate if you intend to use a broiler, but be cautious when broiling thinner steaks since it can dry out the meat.
How Long to Cook London Broil in Oven at 400 Degrees?
London broil comes in a range of thicknesses, so it may only need 2 or 3 minutes in the oven after searing on the low end or up to 6 or 7 minutes on the high end. When exclusively broiling the meat, add 2 or 3 minutes and check often to ensure that it isn’t drying out.
Can You Reheat Steak in the Oven?
Even though cooking steak in the oven works amazingly well, reheating leftovers later doesn’t follow the same process. Since the meat is already cooked at that point, 400 degrees can be excessively high. Instead, it’s better to slowly reheat the steak at a lower temperature such as 275 degrees over a longer period of time.
This will help the meat retain its moisture and keep the steak from getting tough or chewy. While it might be tempting to use the microwave and have your meal done faster, that will sacrifice the quality of the steak and could result in a disappointing dinner.
