Recently got into cooking steak at home and overall been enjoying the results 🙂
That being said, it seems like my pan always smokes quite a bit and the oil looks to be burnt. I'm using refined avocado oil which has a high smoking point of 500F and a cast iron pan.
I was wondering if anyone could provide some tips to prevent the oil burning and control the pan temp. If I lower the heat I no longer hear a sizzle. Also perhaps the pan needs to be smaller to fit the steak?
Best Answer
If you are asking how to prevent the oil from smoking while making a good steak: you can't. The pan for proper searing of steak has to go hotter than the smoking point of any cooking oil. So, if you don't want to consume oil which has been taken above its smoking point, you cannot eat seared steak. You can make steak in a coldish pan (not hearing a sizzle will be a good thing then, or better, use an infrared thermometer to make sure your pan stays at low temperatures), or in the oven, or try some method which uses no oil - typically grilling, but the salt alternative in elbrant's answer is also interesting.
If you dislike the crust on the steak on your picture: this is a well seared steak, and it is how most people like their steak to be. If you don't like it this way and want it less crusty, then you should not be following typical steak guides, since they are trying to produce what you got. Instead, try lower temperature methods, such as the oven, or sous vide without a finishing sear.
If you like the taste of your steak, but are afraid that you broke some important cooking rule: you didn't. And there is no cooking police which will come for you if you don't follow some common piece of advice or other, even if sometimes online discussions make it seem that way. Continue making steaks the same way as this one.