When pan-searing steaks, choosing the wrong cut can lead to a disaster. Beef tenderloin, strip steak, and ribeye are three of the best cuts for pan-searing.

A tenderloin, in particular, works best as it's smaller, does well when basted with butter, and can easily be moved around your pan. It stays tender and absorbs seasonings well.

When you cook straight from the fridge instead of letting it come to room temperature first, the pan’s heat will hit the cold meat, sizzle, and then sizzle out.

Plus, most of the heat will be spent warming the exterior. With almost no heat getting inside, you’ll be left with a crusty exterior and an extremely undercooked and rare interior.

Patting a steak dry with a paper towel before cooking is crucial for the Maillard reaction to occur, which adds new flavors to the meat and enhances its savoriness.

Drying the steak ensures the heat isn't wasted on evaporating the moisture left clinging to the surface of the meat so that the Maillard reaction can start happening faster.

A lack of seasoning or salt can affect both how the steak cooks and its final taste. Be sure to season it with lots of coarse salt and cracked black pepper.

Seasoning a steak enhances its overall taste, dries it out to aid in the Maillard reaction, locks in moisture while the meat cooks and gets crusty, and brings out its richness.

A nonstick skillet, cheap stainless steel, or aluminum pan is best left in the cabinet when making pan-seared steak, as they don't conduct or retain heat as needed.

Conversely, heat can be diffused well across a cast iron skillet. Its metal holds the heat, can be moved from the stovetop to the oven, and is naturally nonstick if seasoned well.