You Can Cook A Steak Using An Iron (Yes, You Read That Right)

While there are probably several different appliances in your kitchen whose primary purpose is cooking — range, microwave, toaster oven, air fryer, etc. — every once in a while someone gets a wild hair and decides to try cooking something like a steak using a non-cooking specific appliance instead. While dishwasher-cooked steak can be quite tasty, using a toaster is more of a fire hazard and is not recommended. What you can use, however, is an iron. Yes, the kind that's pressed into service whenever you've got wrinkly clothes. (See what we did there?)

As to how you iron a steak, you simply wrap it in foil, although you might want to season it first. Heat up the iron; and, once it's hot, press it down on the foil packet to sear the steak on both sides.

When one TikToker tried the steak-ironing hack, they found the steak to be "delicious!" As a bonus, it was also smooth and wrinkle-free. 

If you're wondering when, where, and why you might want to try such a hack yourself — if you're not aspiring to a career as an influencer — it actually does have a practical application. Irons, as it happens, often come as standard equipment in many hotel and motel rooms.

You might think that there's only one type of steak that would take well to the ironing technique, but you would be wrong there. Sure, you may not want to try ironing anything super thick as the outside might burn before the inside got hot enough, but thinner steaks are fair game. 

@eitan

IRONING A STEAK?!? 🥩 YESSSSIR! 😂 Subscribe to YouTube.com/EITAN for more videos!! #foodhack #steak #cooking #recipe #foodie #food #cookinghacks #yum

♬ original sound – Eitan Bernath

The very best cut of steak to cook with an iron is one that is between ½- and ¾-inch thick and is boneless and flat like top round. The flatter the better, since this is right in an iron's wheelhouse. If the steak is lumpy, bumpy, and boney, the iron won't be able to cook the meat evenly.

The thinner the steak, the shorter the time under the iron, too; so, if your steak is under half an inch thick, maybe just start with 30 seconds per side before unwrapping and checking the degree of doneness. You may not get that perfect medium-rare sear, but even a well-done steak is still steak and beats anything you're likely to get out of a motel vending machine.