Ever wondered how the pros order their steaks? When celebrity chefs sit down at a restaurant, they bring years of culinary expertise to their personal choices.
From rare to well-done and everything in between, these cooking superstars have strong opinions about the perfect steak temperature, cut, and preparation.
Gordon Ramsay's Fiery Medium Rare
The famously hot-tempered British chef insists on medium rare for his ribeye. Ramsay believes anything more done is sacrilege to good beef.
He pairs his perfectly pink steak with minimal seasoning—just salt, pepper, and a touch of butter. No fancy sauces allowed to mask the meat's natural flavour!
Ina Garten's Elegant Filet Mignon
The Barefoot Contessa opts for filet mignon cooked to medium, believing this temperature brings out the cut's buttery texture without sacrificing flavour.
Ina enhances her steak with compound butter featuring fresh herbs from her garden. Her dinner party trick? Finishing the steak in the oven after a quick sear.
Bobby Flay's Smoky Southwest Style
Master of the grill Bobby Flay prefers a New York strip with a spicy southwestern rub. He cooks it medium rare plus—just past medium rare but not quite medium.
Smoke plays a crucial role in his technique. Flay often uses mesquite chips to infuse his steaks with that signature southwestern char before topping with chile-lime butter.
Nigella Lawson's Indulgent Rib-Eye
Britain's domestic goddess favours a well-marbled rib-eye, cooked rare to preserve its juiciness. Nigella's approach is wonderfully simple—room temperature meat, blazing hot pan.
She recommends salting the steak generously an hour before cooking. Her signature finish? A knob of anchovy butter that melts seductively over the hot meat.
Jamie Oliver's Rustic T-Bone
The cheeky British chef goes for a massive T-bone, celebrating both tender fillet and flavourful sirloin in one cut.
Oliver cooks his steak medium, turning every minute for even cooking. Jamie's secret weapon is a scorching cast iron pan. He finishes with a handful of fresh herbs tossed directly into the pan with garlic and olive oil.
Emeril Lagasse's Cajun Kick
BAM! Emeril kicks his ribeye up a notch with his signature Cajun seasoning. He prefers medium-rare plus, allowing the spices to form a flavourful crust without burning.
Lagasse's technique involves butter basting with garlic and rosemary. The New Orleans influence shines through with a side of his famous Worcestershire-based sauce that complements rather than overwhelms.
Giada De Laurentiis' Italian Bistecca
The Italian-American chef channels her heritage with Bistecca alla Fiorentina—a thick-cut T-bone seasoned simply with olive oil, lemon, and rosemary. Giada insists on rare for this traditional preparation.
She recommends a proper rest after cooking. Her Italian twist? A drizzle of high-quality olive oil and sea salt flakes just before serving, never sauce.
Anthony Bourdain's No-Nonsense Approach
The late culinary explorer preferred his steak simple—a good quality ribeye, seasoned only with salt and pepper, cooked rare to medium-rare. Bourdain believed good meat speaks for itself.
His technique was straightforward: scorching hot pan, minimal flipping. Anthony's advice was to never cut into the steak to check doneness—learn to feel it instead.
Heston Blumenthal's Scientific Perfection
The molecular gastronomy pioneer approaches steak with scientific precision. Blumenthal favours reverse-searing his thick ribeyes—slow cooking followed by a quick sear for perfect medium-rare.
He insists on aging his beef for at least 28 days. Heston's laboratory-like attention to detail extends to resting his steak for exactly half the cooking time before serving.
