Why You Can (and Should) Cook a Frozen Steak

With steak prices more expensive than ever, buying steak ahead of time either in bulk or on sale, and freezing it for a later date is an appealing option. 

But sometimes you're facing unexpected dinner guests or simply forgot to thaw your steak dinner in advance. What do you do?

There’s no need for alarm. Our tests proved that you can skip the thawing step altogether and cook the meat directly from the freezer. The steak will turn out juicy, tender, and delicious. Not only that, it will taste even better than a frozen steak you took the time to thaw first.  

You read that right. Cooking steak from frozen is not only possible but actually preferable to letting it thaw beforehand. But for the best results, you need to use the right method. 

HOW WE TESTED COOKING FROZEN STEAK

To put conventional wisdom that steak should be thawed cooking to the test, here’s what we did:  

First, we cut a strip loin into eight steaks, cut each steak in half crosswise, put the pieces in vacuum-sealed bags, and froze them. 

Them, we thawed each steak half in the refrigerator overnight and kept the other half frozen. 

Finally, we seared both sets of steaks in a hot skillet for 90 seconds per side and then transferred them to a 275-degree oven until they reached 125 degrees, or medium-rare, on an instant-read thermometer. 

To track moisture loss, we weighed each steak before and after cooking.

COOKING FROZEN STEAK RESULTS

Not surprisingly, the frozen steaks took longer to finish cooking through in the oven (18 to 22 minutes versus 10 to 15 minutes for the thawed steaks). 

What was surprising was that the frozen steaks actually browned in the skillet just as well as, and in the same amount of time as, the thawed steaks. 

Furthermore, they had thinner bands of gray, overcooked meat directly under the crust than the thawed steaks had. We also found that these steaks lost on average 9 percent less moisture during cooking than the thawed steaks did. 

Sampling the steaks side by side, tasters unanimously preferred the cooked-from-frozen steaks to their thawed counterparts.

WHY FROZEN STEAKS COOK BETTER THAN THAWED STEAKS

Because a frozen steak is so cold, as long as the pan is very hot, its surface can reach the high temperatures necessary for browning reactions before the interior overcooks. 

As for the difference in moisture loss, we know that when meat is cooked to temperatures higher than 140 degrees, its muscle fibers begin to squeeze out a significant amount of moisture. As its slightly thicker gray band indicated, the steak that had been thawed had more overcooking around the edge, so it made sense that it also had greater moisture loss.

OUR RECOMMENDATION: While we prefer to start with steak that’s never been frozen for the best texture, if we do have frozen steaks on hand, from now on we’ll cook them straight from the freezer instead of defrosting them first. 

3 WAYS TO COOK A FROZEN STEAK

The best method for cooking a frozen steak is to place it in a super-hot skillet to brown it quickly, then let its interior slowly finish cooking in a low oven. We also add a lot of oil to the pan, which ensures that the stiff frozen meat, which can’t mold to the pan bottom like fresh steak, makes contact with the hot oil and cooks evenly across its surface. 

1. Pour vegetable oil into 12-inch skillet until it measures 1/8 inch deep. Heat oil until shimmering. 
2. Carefully add frozen steaks to skillet (oil will splatter). Cook steak on both sides until brown, 90 seconds per side.
3. Transfer skillet to 275-degree oven and cook until steaks register 125 degrees for medium-rare, 18 to 22 minutes. Let steaks rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Make sure to add any oil, stock, butter, herbs, or spices that your recipe requires when portioning and vacuum-sealing your steaks in sous vide bags for freezing. That way, the bag is good to go right from the freezer.

1. Most sous vide steak recipes give a range for the cooking time, so simply increase the recipe’s minimum time by 25 percent to allow for ample thawing time. For example, if the recipe’s range for cooking non-frozen steak is from 90 minutes to 3 hours, you should cook the frozen steaks for a minimum of 115 minutes. 
2. After sous viding, transfer steaks to paper towel–lined plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. 
3. Sear steaks, about 1 minute per side, until well browned. Transfer to cutting board and slice into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve.

We started the steaks over a hot fire to develop a well-browned crust on both sides, and then slid them to the cooler side of the grill to cook until they reached the desired internal temperature. 

1. If using a charcoal grill, open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2. If using a gas grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
3. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steaks on hotter side of grill and cook until browned and charred on first side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip steaks, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned and charred on second side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip steaks, season with salt and pepper, and move to cooler side of grill.
4. Continue to cook until meat registers 115 to 120 degrees for rare or 120 to 125 degrees for medium-rare, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer steaks to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

1. Go thick, not thin : When cooking steak from frozen, it’s best to choose thick steaks such as rib-eye or strip steaks. They are less vulnerable to overcooking due to their increased thickness. We tried thinner steaks (flank and skirt) but they overcooked easily when cooked from frozen.
2. Freeze the meat properly : You want your steaks to freeze flat, so they sit as flat as possible when you cook them. You also don’t want any freezer burn. The best way to achieve both things is to freeze the steaks uncovered on a rimmed baking sheet before wrapping them and returning them to the freezer in a sealed zipperlock bag. For more detailed information, check out our technique here.

HOW LONG IS FROZEN STEAK GOOD FOR?

To enjoy a high-quality frozen steak, we do not recommend keeping it longer than 12 months (assuming it is wrapped well and stored properly). According to the USDA, because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only, not safety.