How Gordon Ramsay Cooks A Delectable Steak In The Air Fryer

When it comes to steak, it goes without saying that Gordon Ramsay is an expert. Not only is he a Michelin-starred chef, but he's also opened steakhouses all across the U.S. You might assume, therefore, that a professional like Ramsay would dismiss the use of air fryers for cooking steak, but the celebrity chef actually recommends them to home cooks. Though unconventional, Ramsay claims it produces steak that rivals ones cooked on a grill.

To make his air fried steak, he starts off by generously seasoning a ribeye with a dry rub made with coffee grounds and Aleppo pepper. As he demonstrates on a video posted to his YouTube channel, he uses a grill attachment in his air fryer, and makes sure to preheat it to 390 degrees Fahrenheit for at least three minutes before putting the steak in. The steak finishes cooking within eight to 10 minutes, and after it rests, Ramsay serves it with roasted potatoes.

Though air fryers are normally advertised as an alternative to deep frying, they actually replicate the effects of grilling or pan frying a steak just as well. This is due to how they distribute heat. Unlike the traditional method of cooking steak through the direct heat of a hot pan or an open flame, an air fryer achieves this by blasting it with hot air. This air is not only kept at a consistent temperature but is also circulated around the steak, which causes the exterior to develop a crust, much like the sear you'd get on a pan or grill.

Gordon Ramsay says that this method also tends to contribute to better flavor. When you cook steak in a pan or on the grill, it's usually uncovered, but with an air fryer, everything is trapped inside, including the flavor. "It's like being cooked in oil but it locks in the juice and the flavor is extraordinary," Ramsay says in the video. The technique is so effective that you can even cook it straight from frozen.

Though Gordon Ramsay is clearly a fan of using an air fryer to cook steak, at his restaurants, his go-to method involves using a pan instead. Because you can only cook steak one or two at a time in them, an air fryer isn't the best option if you're feeding a crowd. Trying to overcrowd your air fryer isn't a good idea because heat circulation is what creates the sear on the steak, and there won't be as much if your air fryer is packed.

However if you're only making steak for a couple of people, using an air fryer might serve you better than the grill or stove. In addition to producing reliable results in an efficient manner, cooking a steak in an air fryer also makes cleanup easier, especially if you don't want to deal with cleaning a whole grill or any oil splatters on your stove.