Chef Mike Reid reveals essential techniques to cook the perfect steak, regardless of the cut—from sirloin to premium wagyu. Preparation plays a crucial role alongside timing for desired doneness.
The Essential Pre-Cooking Rule
Chefs universally agree: never cook steak directly from the fridge. Doing so burns the exterior before the center warms properly. At a recent Aussie Beef and Lamb event at Fortnum & Mason, Reid stressed, “Never cook steak straight from the fridge. You’ll burn the outside before the centre has a chance to warm through.”
For smaller steaks like fillet, sirloin, or ribeye (200–250 g/7–9 oz), allow 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature. Larger cuts, such as thick ribeye, wagyu, or tomahawk (400 g+/14 oz+), need 45 to 60 minutes.
Tailored Tips for Each Steak Cut
Sirloin: High Heat and Confidence
Sirloin offers a balanced tenderness and flavor, enhanced by its fat cap that bastes during cooking. Reid, who operates restaurants including London’s Chop House and Tavern across the UK, Australia, Dubai, Beirut, and Amsterdam, recommends: “High heat and confidence—get your pan properly hot, season generously with sea salt, and don’t keep turning it. Let it develop a crust.”
For medium doneness, remove at medium-rare and rest; carryover cooking perfects it.
Fillet: Preserve Tenderness
Known for butter-soft texture, fillet remains very lean with about four percent fat, lacking ribeye’s depth but excelling in melt-in-mouth quality. “Because it’s lean, you need to respect it. Don’t overcook it and don’t cook it straight from the fridge. Let it come to room temperature first so you can heat the centre without drying it out,” Reid explains.
Ribeye: Embrace the Flavor
Ribeye delights flavor enthusiasts with marbling that renders and bastes internally for rich, beefy taste. “Don’t be afraid of the fat—that’s where the magic is. Cook it hard and fast to build colour, and rest it properly,” Reid advises.
Wagyu: Cook with Care
Premium wagyu demands precision to retain marbling and tenderness. Overcooking shrinks it dramatically—a 200g steak cooked well-done yields just 90g. Reid urges limiting to medium: “No more than 54°C, that will give you a nice pink; less is better with wagyu. I personally would cook it rare.”
Leave wagyu out for several hours beforehand. “It’s really nice and soft, and you want it warm in the middle but you’re never going to achieve that if you bring it out right up until the cooking point,” he notes.
