If you’re looking for the best frying pan for steak, there is definitely one very important thing to keep in mind.
If you want to make restaurant grade delicious steak at home, you should only ever use a cast-iron skillet. And a small one. Read on to find out why and to see our recommended frying pans!
The Advantages Of Cast Iron For Making Steaks
The main advantage of cast iron, when making a steak, is that it has very high volumetric heat capacity. What it means is once it’s hot, it stays hot. This is vitally important when searing meat.
Cast iron also expels a lot of heat energy from its surface in the form of radiation. When you’re cooking in a cast iron pan, you’re not just cooking the surface in contact with the metal, but you’re cooking a good deal of your steak above it as well.
Another advantage is that you can easily put your cast iron frying pan in the oven. Although not all steak cooking methods involve the use of an oven, this is definitely something that you should take advantage of sometimes.
Why use a small frying pan?
Although cast iron is great because of its heat capacity (see above), when you place your meat in the pan it will still loose some of its heat. So the more cold materials (i.e. meat, in this case cold means room temperature) is added, the more of it’s heat should be lost.
So use smaller pans for your steak, preferably frying one or maybe two steaks at a time. If you want to cook for a larger group of people, you should use more pans.
Now check out our recommendations below for the best frying pans for making steak at home:
Best Frying Pan For Steak #1: Lodge Pre-Seasoned Square Grill Pan
It is not by accident that Lodge’s pre-seasoned 10.5 inch cast iron grill pan is a #1 bestseller (according to Amazon.com, as of June 2016). This heavy duty pan is a must for everyone who wants to make any kind of steak at home.
Its ribbed bottom makes it a good choice for low-fat cooking. It also helps you to form those fancy stripes on your meat, looking like it’s been seared over a real charcoal grill.
I’ve actually had this same pan for 12 years now, and it’s working like a charm. Look at those juicy and good-looking burgers I made in this pan:
Best Frying Pan For Steak #2: Victoria 10″ Cast Iron Pan
Another great option for frying the perfect steak.
This cast iron skillet has the additional advantage of two side lips. This makes it easier to pour out the juices and the residual oil or fat, which is a great advantage if you want to fry more than one steak in a row.
Best Frying Pan For Steak #3: A1 Chef Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Skillet – 10.25 Inch 
Not everyone likes the ridges in their cask iron pan. If you prefer an even surface, this deep cast iron pan might be the right choice for you.
The big grip opposite the handle makes it much easier to use it in the oven. This skillet is very heavy, weighing just over 5lbs. This means that it can absorb and distribute even more heat, which is essential when making a great steak.
Source: Serious Eats