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My home cooking changed forever when I found this quick Air Fryer Steak method that gives wonderfully tender, beautifully browned meat in under 20 minutes flat. Using an air fryer creates this amazing outer texture while keeping everything inside moist and succulent - something I thought only fancy restaurants could manage.
I've tried tons of ways to cook steak at home, and surprisingly, this straightforward approach actually works better than many complicated techniques I've attempted.
Key Components and Shopping Guidance
- Striploin Steak: Pick pieces that have nice fat streaks throughout and measure about 1-inch thick. These fat streaks help keep everything juicy as it cooks
- Canola Oil: Stick with neutral oils that handle high heat well. Don't pick olive oil as it might smoke up your air fryer
- Fresh Garlic: When making your butter mixture, grab firm bulbs without any green shoots
- Quality Butter: Go for the unsalted type so you can add exactly how much salt you want
- Fresh Parsley: Gives a fresh kick to your butter blend and looks great on top
Simple Process Walkthrough
- Getting Started Right:
- Take steaks out 15 minutes before cooking time. Wipe them completely dry using paper towels. Cut off extra fat if you want, but leave a bit for flavor. Coat each piece thoroughly with canola oil. Sprinkle plenty of salt and pepper all over. Let them sit while your air fryer warms up.
- Nail the Cooking Process:
- Get your air fryer hot at 400°F. Put steaks in without cramming them together. Make sure they're not touching for good air flow. Shut the basket and set your timer based on how you like your steak. Try not to keep opening it to check.
After cooking dozens of steaks this way, I've found that where you put it in the basket really matters. Center placement gives the most even results. Nobody in my house believed this would work at first, but now my family constantly asks when we're having air fryer steaks again.
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Getting Your Preferred Doneness
I've tested and tweaked the timing until I got it just right: for steaks about an inch thick, 10 minutes gives you that perfect medium-rare with a warm red middle. If you want medium with pink inside, go for 12 minutes. For just a hint of pink (medium-well), cook it for 14 minutes. You'll need to adjust these times if your steaks are thicker or thinner.
What Makes Garlic Butter Special
While your steak rests, I mix up the garlic butter that takes everything to the next level. As the hot steak sits, it slowly melts this butter into an amazing sauce that spreads across your plate. We love it so much I now keep batches of flavored butter in my freezer ready to go.
Putting Together a Full Dinner
Getting everything ready at once is actually pretty easy. When your steak is warming up to room temp, you can prep potatoes to go in the air fryer (they'll cook during the steak's rest time) and throw together a quick salad. It's all about getting the timing flow right for everything to finish together.
Since finding this air fryer approach, our everyday meals have totally changed. What we used to save for birthdays or eating out has become something we can enjoy any night we want. The mix of perfectly cooked meat and that rich garlic butter gives us restaurant quality results without any complicated steps.
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What I love most is how you can tweak this to fit your own taste while sticking to the basic method that makes it work so well. It shows that sometimes the easiest approaches give you the most impressive results.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Why bring steak to room temperature?
- Warming up the meat from the fridge lets it cook more evenly inside and out. Just leave it out for 10-15 minutes before cooking.
- → How do I know when my steak is done?
- Cook for 10 minutes if you want medium-rare, 12 for medium, or 14 for medium-well. Remember it'll keep cooking a bit during rest time.
- → Can I use different cuts of steak?
- Sure, but go with 1-inch thick options like ribeye or sirloin. You'll need to tweak the time for steaks that are thinner or thicker.
- → Do I need to flip the steak?
- Don't worry about flipping - the air fryer's heat circulation cooks both sides at once.
- → How long should steaks rest?
- Wait 5-10 minutes before cutting into them so all those tasty juices stay in the meat instead of on your plate.
- → Can I make the garlic butter ahead?
- You can prep it up to 3 days early and keep it in the fridge. Just let it soften before putting it on your steak.