Don’t sweat cooking steaks…they are really pretty easy. Dave Beaulieu is a steak master who is here to provide you with the top 5 rules you should follow for just about every steak you cook. They’ll come out perfect every time!

1) Know your steak: Filet, New York, Ribeye, etc, all have different qualities and subtleties that you should account for to cook them perfectly.
2) Season the steak well: Most people don’t use enough salt and pepper.
3) Get a good sear on both sides: Use a hot pan to get the steaks browned on both sides, without over cooking the center.
4) Know your doneness: Use the hand pressure technique to gauge how cooked the steak it. Or a meat thermometer. Don’t cut it open.

…And the last step is also the most important — because if you don’t do it, all of the other steps are a complete waste!

5) Let it rest: Gotta give the steak some time for the juices to settle before you cut into it. Transfer the cooked steak onto a sheet of tin foil, then make sure to wrap the steak up in the foil so it’s totally covered — don’t just let it sit in the open air! Leave it sitting in the foil for at least five minutes. This is the one step I always fail to do, because I eat it too fast! Doh!

There’s lot of other tips and tricks…but these 5 rules are pretty universal for cooking a steak on the grill, in the pan or in the oven.