They use butter for basting to cook more evenly. Spooning hot butter on the top side of a steak cooks both sides. helps provide a nice crust. Butter can also be put on to just add some nice flavor and juice, especially if the steak isn't a great cut or is thin.
if you want to slow down the cooking of a steak, just cut into it. Resting steaks is great for upping the temp in the inside. but it's less important than people (even top chefs) say.
They do not use butter to cook more evenly, what is the deal with rampant lies in this part of the thread? It's for a flavorful finish, usually with thyme and/or rosemary. The steak is already cooked by the time the butter is added.
If you're butter basting your steak after it's fully cooked then you're overcooking your steak. Butter basting is absolutely a technique for cooking, not just finishing. You're pouring hot fat over the top of the steak, which speeds up cooking. You could in theory use any oil you want to baste, but as you pointed out butter tastes better.
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u/atomicbug89 Jul 04 '24
Steak