As for buying, we’ve already covered all the basics Here’s a quick recap of what you are looking for: • Well-marbled meat If you buy conventional meat, look for Prime or at the very least Choice grade If you prefer Organic or Grass-Fed, look for plenty of intramuscular fat • Fresh meat that’s been cleanly butchered If the display case thats in front of the customers looks messy, imagine what it looks like back in the meat-cutting room ã Aged steaks, if you can afford them Unless you like your meat well-done, youre also best off buying thick-cut steaksthat is, at least 1ẵ inches thickso that you have plenty of time to develop a nice sear on the outside before the interior has a chance to overcook It’s better to buy one bigger thick-cut steak and serve two people perfectly cooked meat than to buy two thinner steaks and serve two people overcooked meat Congratulations—now that you’ve got a great steak in your kitchen, you’ve won 80 percent of the battle The only thing left to do is not mess it up Here are some commonly asked questions about cooking steak and the answers Q: When should I salt my steak? Read a half dozen cookbooks or listen to a half dozen celebrity chefs, and you’re likely to hear at least as many different responses about when you should salt your meat Some claim that salting immediately before putting it in the pan is best Others opt not to salt the meat at all, instead salting the pan and placing the meat on top of the salt Still others insist on salting up to a few days in advance Who’s right? To test this, I bought myself six thick-cut bone-in rib-eyes (I love the smile butchers get in their eyes when you do this) and salted them at different 10-minute intervals before searing them one at a time in a hot skillet—so the last steak went into the pan immediately after salting, while the first steak went in a full 50 minutes after salting All of the steaks were allowed to stand at room temperature for the full 50 minutes, ensuring that they were all at the same starting temperature when cooking began The results? The steak that was salted immediately before cooking and those that were salted 40 or 50 minutes ahead turned out far better than those that were salted at any point in between What was up with those steaks? Here’s what happens: ... Some claim that salting immediately before putting it in the pan is best Others opt not to salt the meat at all, instead salting the pan and placing the meat on top of the salt Still others insist on salting up to a few days in advance... To test this, I bought myself six thick-cut bone-in rib-eyes (I love the smile butchers get in their eyes when you do this) and salted them at different 10-minute intervals before searing them one at a time in a hot skillet—so the last steak... the full 50 minutes, ensuring that they were all at the same starting temperature when cooking began The results? The steak that was salted immediately before cooking and those that were salted