Comment on How to Cook a Steak Perfectly Every Time by Jeff.
Making (keeping) a steak tasting great is something that everyone should know how to do. And that includes the selection and purchase of one too! This is a great primmer on getting people to that point but I do take exception to one of the steps:
Heat the pan until the oil just starts to smoke. Turn on your hood vent, open a window, and bury your smoke detector under a few pillows. Place your steak, seasoned side-down, on the hot pan, and leave it alone
Heating an oil past its smoke point causes it to breakdown, oxidize, release free radicals and cause other less-than-healthy results. Since we are using an application that it going to use a very high heat (500degF), we are going to be very limited to what oils we can (should) use; for most of us, we are essentially left with two (2) choices:
1.) Safflower Oil (Smoke Point: 510degF) or
2.) Refined Avocado Oil (Smoke Point: 520degF)
Safflower oil contains an inordinate amount of omega 6 linoleic acid (which causes inflammation in the body) so personally, i would opt for the refined avocado oil which is a much better choice in my opinion. Otherwise, I agree with everything else… this is the best way to cook a [good] steak.
