Tips for Cooking a Great Steak

From Debbie's Kitchen:

1. Decide before you start cooking on how you want the steak done. A few people like "blue" steaks but most tend to prefer their steaks from medium rare to well-done. If you decide in advance, you're more likely to pay attention to it and remove the meat in time. A meat thermometer is one of the best kitchen tools for us omnivores.
   
2. Give your meat time to come to room temp. When the meat hits the pan you don't what it to have cook longer to overcome the cold from the fridge.
3. Dry the surface of the meat well with paper towels. Again, you don't want the oil in the pan to cool down from the moisture on the surface of the meat.
4. Try to avoid turning the meat too many times. Ideally, you should have one flip — two at most. Resist the temptation to touch the meat too much.
5. Use a set of tongs to turn the steak. Poking it with a fork puts holes in it and allows the juice to seep out — and then you're just asking for dry beef.
6. Don't mash on the steak with your tongs. That's just as bad as poking it with a fork, and presses out all the juices. If you're testing for doneness, just gently press with the flat part of your tongs. The harder the meat is, the drier it will be.
7. Give your steak at least 10 minutes rest before cutting. Put it on a plate or rack, tent it with foil and let it rest for a few minutes. You'll notice that a lovely juice oozes out as it settles which I like to use in my pan sauces.