For a typical steak, total cooking time is usually between 6 and 15 minutes of direct heat, depending mainly on thickness, cooking method, and how done you like it.

Quick Scoop

  • Thin steaks (about 2 cm / ¾ inch), pan or grill:
    • Rare: about 2–3 minutes per side (3–4 minutes total if flipping often).
* Medium-rare: about 3–4 minutes per side (4–5 minutes total if flipping often).

* Medium: about 4–5 minutes per side (5–6 minutes total).

* Well done: about 5–6 minutes per side (8+ minutes total).
  • Thicker steaks (about 1–1½ inches / 2.5–4 cm), pan-sear then oven or lower grill heat:
    • Sear: 2–3 minutes per side on high heat.
* Finish to medium-rare: usually 8–13 more minutes, depending on thickness and oven or grill, so roughly 10–15 minutes total cook time.
  • Oven-only or broiler:
    • After searing, a thick steak often needs about 8–10 minutes in a 230–230 °C (450 °F) oven for medium-rare.
* Under the broiler, thin steaks may take about 6 minutes per side.

Simple time + temperature cheat sheet

Use a meat thermometer for accuracy; times are only a guide because pans, grills, and steak thickness vary a lot.

  • Rare: 115–120 °F (46–49 °C).
  • Medium-rare: 120–130/135 °F (49–57 °C).
  • Medium: 135–145 °F (57–63 °C).
  • Medium-well: 145–155 °F (63–68 °C).
  • Well done: 160–170 °F (71–77 °C).

A common “weeknight” example: a 1-inch ribeye cooked in a hot pan, flipped a few times, will often hit medium-rare in about 8–10 minutes total, then you rest it 5–10 minutes before slicing.

Mini story-style example

Imagine you’ve got a 1-inch sirloin and a hot cast-iron pan. You pat it dry, salt it, and lay it into the sizzling pan. After about 3 minutes, you flip and see a deep brown crust forming. Two more short flips over the next 3–4 minutes and your thermometer reads around 130 °F in the center: that’s medium-rare, done in just under 10 minutes, plus a short rest so the juices stay in the steak instead of all over the plate.

HTML table: example timing for a 2–2.5 cm pan-cooked steak

[5] [5] [5] [5]
Doneness Approx. total time* Notes
Rare About 3 minutes Flip every minute; cool red center.
Medium-rare About 4 minutes Warm red–pink center; very juicy.
Medium 5–6 minutes Pink center, firmer texture.
Well done About 8 minutes Little to no pink, much firmer.
*Times assume a 2–2.5 cm sirloin or ribeye in a very hot pan, flipped frequently. Always confirm with a thermometer.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.