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The Biggest Mistake You Can Make When Searing A Steak By Joe Hoeffner Aug. 12, 2025 4:00 pm EST

There's nothing like a ripping hot cast iron skillet to give a steak a good sear. Sure, cooking your steak out on the grill is sometimes easier (and in any case won't make your kitchen feel like it's come straight out of "Backdraft"), but even if you have a grill, which is hardly a given these days, it's not always the right weather to cook outside. How can you give your steak a reliable sear without accidentally ruining an excellent cut of beef? The Takeout spoke exclusively with Douglas Keane, the head chef and co-owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Cyrus based in Geyserville, California, and he told us the long and short of it: make sure the pan gets hot enough.

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