You can know when fried steak is done by doing a touch test and comparing the fried steak's firmness to your palm.
You will also notice that the fried steak when done will feel firmer and might push out some red juices and the muscle fibers in the fried steak will contract.
Using a meat thermometer to check the thickest part of the steak for 165 F for rare done or 130 F to 135 F for medium rare indicates that the fried steak is done cooking.
To check if the fried steak is done, using the touch test, gently press the thickest part of the fried steak with your finger.
Then compare the firmness of the fried steak with different parts of your palm.
When a fried steak is well done it will be quite firm, like your palm when your thumb and pinky finger touch.
When the fried steak is medium done, the steak will be even firmer and similar to the palm with your thumb and ring finger touching.
And when the fried steak is medium rare, it will be a bit firmer, like the same palm are when your thumb and middle finger touching.
And when the fried steak is rare it should be soft and squishy, like the fleshy area at the base of your thumb when your thumb and index finger touch.
The best oil for fried steak is a high smoke point like and neutral flavored oils like algae cooking oil, safflower oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil and even avocado oil.
These cooking oils will prevent burning of the steak at high searing temperatures, which is also necessary for developing a good crust on the steak and it also allows the natural flavor of the steak to also shine through.
Searing steaks require high heat and using an oil with a high smoke point is crucial to prevent burning and producing of unpleasant flavors or smoke.
A neutral flavor of the cooking oil when cooking or searing steak also will not overpower the natural taste of the steak.
You fry steak on high heat to initially create a crust and then you reduce the heat to medium or medium-low heat to finish the cooking of the steak to how well done you desire your steak to be.
The high heat searing of pan frying steak, quickly sears the steaks exterior and builds flavor and texture and the lower heat then allows the steaks inside to cook through more evenly and prevents the crust of the steak from burning.
Another method of cooking steaks is the 3-3-3 rule for steaks which is a cooking guideline which involves the searing of each side of a 1 inch thick steak for 3 minutes over high heat and then you cook each side of the 1 inch thick steak for another 3 minutes over lower and indirect heat, for a total of 12 minutes of cooking time before a mandatory rest of the steak.
The 3-3-3 rule for cooking steaks creates a nice flavorful crust on the steak, from the high heat sear and finishes the interior to a medium-rare doneness without burning the outside of the steak.
When grilling steaks using the 3-3-3 rule set up one zone on the grill for high, direct heat and another zone for lower and indirect heat.
Then place your steak over the high heat for 3 minutes to allow it to develop a crust.
Then flip the steak and sear it for another 3 minutes on the high heat side of the grill.
Next transfer the steak to the lower, indirect heat zone and cook the steak for another 3 minutes on one side and then flip and cook the steak for another and final 3 minutes.
Then you let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes to 10 minutes before you slice the steak to ensure the steak has evenly cooked and is juicy.
The 3-3-3 rule for cooking steaks works due to the high heat causing the Maillard reaction, which creates a flavorful, brown crust on the exterior of the steak.
And moving the steak to indirect heat from the direct heat allows the interior of the steak to cook through gently and evenly without burning the exterior of the steak.
The 3-3-3 rule method for cooking steaks is designed to yield a perfectly medium-rare steak, although you can also adjust the indirect heat timing for more well done results of your steak.
the 3-3-3 rule for steaks works best for steaks around 1 inch to 1.5 inch thick.