JUICY Air Fryer Steak - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook a steak in an air fryer without it drying out? ›

The best way to ensure a juicy steak is to use high heat to cook the steak quickly, which will bring it to the proper temperature without drying it out. Remember to rest your steak after air frying to allow the meat to reabsorb juices and complete its cooking time without direct heat.

Preheat a 3.5-quart air fryer to 400 degrees F. Season the steak on both sides with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Place the steak in the center of the air fryer basket and cook until desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium-rare, 12 minutes for medium and 14 minutes for medium-well.

No. You don't need to sear your steak before putting it in the air fryer. The air fryer will take care of the good sear on your steak. While cooking an air fryer steak, you just need to prepare your steak according to your recipe, rubbing or marinating, and preheat the air fryer.

Your steak will cook through, if left on just one side. However, because flipping can place a different part of the steak closer to the heating element (for an air fryer, this is at the top), a steak will cook more evenly if flipped halfway through.

Another tip that can help keep meats from losing moisture is to protect them with a physical barrier from the dry heat of the air fryer. Using tinfoil helps keep moisture locked in and around the meat, preventing over-evaporation.

Air fryers are known for producing delicious, crispy food. Using an air fryer to cook your steak will give you a nice sear on the outside while keeping the inside juicy and tender.

Thin steaks are prone to overcooking quickly and becoming chewy. To enjoy the best flavor and texture, allow the steaks to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking them in the air fryer.

An air fryer will brown, but it will take longer and therefore will be more likely to dry the meat. A quick sear in a hot pan does a better job, and does it more expediently, which is key, as it is much less likely to dry out.

Pat steaks dry with a paper towel. Rub with oil and season both sides of steak with crushed peppercorns and salt. Place steaks in air fryer basket so that they are not touching and there is plenty of room for the air to circulate between them.

When cooking steak on a pan, oil and fat splatter all around, which can be a pain to clean. The air fryer contains all of the splatter within the device. So, for less experienced cooks, the air fryer perfectly crisps the outside of the steak, which is sometimes more difficult to achieve on the pan or grill.

How to season steak? ›

How do you prepare and season steak? The best way to season steak is to add a generous amount of salt to both sides about 45 minutes before cooking. Then, just before cooking, add your other spices, like black pepper and garlic powder, ensuring that you cover both sides of the steak.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Cook steaks in the preheated air fryer for 7 minutes, flip, and cook about 7 minutes more for medium-rare. For a medium, cook 8 minutes per side. Let steaks sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

As with all dry-heat cooker methods (grilling, broiling, pan frying and oven roasting), tender beef cuts perform best in the air fryer. Those cuts include Top Sirloin, KC Strip, Ribeye, Tenderloin and Tri Tip. Ground beef also can be easily prepared in an air fryer.

High heat is the best for cooking steak, because the less time it spends cooking, the more tender it will be. That makes the air fryer GREAT for cooking steak (and Air Fryer Hamburgers).

Make your chicken breasts in the air fryer for juicy results. The air fryer yields a much juicier chicken breast than either the oven or the stovetop, according to Dang. "Due to the compact design of an air fryer, there's not as much room for the juices to evaporate like they sometimes do in other methods," Dang said.

Rub with oil and season both sides of steak with crushed peppercorns and salt. Place steaks in air fryer basket so that they are not touching and there is plenty of room for the air to circulate between them. If you're using a larger cut (like ribeye), you might have to cook one at a time.

Food Network suggests that thicker cuts of steak, like sirloins, fare best in the air fryer because they get nice and brown on the outside, but remain tender inside. I grabbed a couple of top sirloins from Trader Joe's that were each a couple inches thick.