There are plenty of great chefs, cooks, and internet resources to pull from if you want to go about cooking steaks on the stove in a way that is going to guarantee success. Personally, I am a great fan of Alton Brown, and were I to ever to rely on instructions for how to cook steak on stove top vs. the grill, I would follow his instructions to the letter. However, not everyone appreciates the scientific breakdown that Alton Brown gives when he explains how to cook something. Some people would rather just have some simple steak cooking tips.

So here they are. Rounded up from various experts and professional chefs, you can take any of these cooking steak tips and run with them depending upon the kind of steak that you have, the equipment in your kitchen, and what sounds most delicious to you.

1. Treatment

Some people like to tenderize their steak before they cook it, others season it liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and some people prefer marinated steak. You could even dry age the meat in the fridge for a few days. There is no 100 percent right way to prepare the meat. The best that you can do is decide what fits your cooking style, what sounds tasty, and try it.

2. Equipment

Cast iron skillet, heavy frying pan, or saute pan, when you cook steak on stove tops almost every source will insist that you get the cooking equipment very hot so that you can sear the outside of the steak and caramelize it. You could even start with a sear on the stove top, and then finish it in the oven.

3. Time

Timing is always tricky when cooking meat. If your steak is about an inch thick then it will take four minutes to cook it until it is rare, and 10 minutes to get it well done. Thicker steaks take longer, and you can test how done a steak is by lightly pressing on its center. If it is really squishy, then you can bet that the inside is still rare. Firm? Your steak is well done. Do not be afraid to poke your steak throughout the process to get an idea of how the center changes over time.

4. Finish

Cracked black pepper, blue cheese sauce, butter, or an herbed butter, in my opinion steak is more delicious with a topping. Most everyone will agree that you should let the meat rest for about eight minutes to let the juices resettle, so that when you cut it open all of the good juice does not escape.

Hopefully, with a little experimentation you will find that to cook steak on stove top or even in the oven is simple, and will result in a delicious meal that you can be proud to have prepared yourself.