Yes, Gordon Ramsay famously cooks steak using butter, adding knobs of butter, garlic, and herbs like thyme and rosemary to the hot pan to baste the steak, creating a rich, flavorful crust and keeping the meat moist and juicy, a technique he often demonstrates in his videos and recipes.
Because it adds proteins to the mix, butter is a better medium for adding deep brown color to your steak as well, which means that even if your steak is looking a little pale after its initial sear, once you add that butter, it'll rapidly take on color.
I have often dined in a nice steak house where the steak is served with a pat of herbed butter resting on top. As the steak sits a few minutes, that butter melts and envelops the steak in a cascade of fatty goodness. Many also butter baste steaks. They're cooked sous vide and kept at temperature.
CHEF GORDON RAMSAY USES DAIRY FREE BECEL® PLANT BUTTER TO SHOW HOME COOKS HOW TO ELEVATE THEIR COOKING AND BAKING.
It's not just for looks—it's for flavor, moisture, and control. As the butter foams, it carries garlic and herbs straight into the surface of the meat, building layers of flavor while keeping the steak juicy and finishing your crust at the same time. This is how chefs turn a good steak into a restaurant-level steak.
A little butter is good and can make a steak taste better, but it's definitely not necessary.
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Gordon Ramsay was diagnosed with and treated for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a common form of skin cancer, in August 2025, which he shared on Instagram to raise awareness about sun protection. The cancer was found on his jawline, near his ear, and successfully removed through surgery, with Ramsay emphasizing the importance of sunscreen after his experience.
It seems to be one of the go-to ingredients he reaches for to boost flavor and add moisture to a long list of dishes. For instance, when making chicken Parmesan, Ramsay tosses butter into his frying oil to give the dish rich nuttiness and to help create the perfect crust.
For epic steak, you'll want to use the 3-3-3 rule. That means searing both sides for 3 minutes each and then reducing the heat and cooking for another 3 minutes on each side. Which is better, medium rare or well done? The best steak temperature completely depends on personal preference.
Basting is a finishing technique that involves spooning sauces or melted butter, often infused with aromatics like garlic and herbs, over a piece of meat as it cooks. The constant basting helps develop an even, deeply browned crust while layering on rich, nutty, and aromatic flavors.
Use any butter you want to use. Just add if AFTER the steak has seared on both sides. The butter won't burn if you finish the steak with it. If you add butter or oils to the pan before putting the steak in, all you're doing is frying it.
Let the Steak Rest
Meat that is cut too quickly loses its natural fluids and becomes dry. One of the key components of the secret to a juicy steak is resting it, which produces a soft, flavorful cut every time it is served.
Baste Your Steak in Sizzling Butter. Butter basting is the best way to get restaurant-quality steak at home. And it's easy to do.
Gordon Ramsay has apologized for different incidents, notably in 2009 for insulting Australian TV host Tracy Grimshaw by calling her names and showing an offensive photo, which he later called an "off-the-cuff" joke gone wrong, and more recently (2025) in a Hay Day mobile game ad for his fiery temper, vowing to be calmer and apologizing to those he called "donkeys". He also apologized to his wife, Tana Ramsay, in 2008 over alleged affairs.
The chef who famously made Gordon Ramsay cry was his mentor, the legendary and famously intense British chef Marco Pierre White, during an incident in the late 1980s at Ramsay's former restaurant, Harveys, where a young Ramsay was reduced to tears after being yelled at by White, solidifying White's reputation as a formidable culinary figure.
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"When you tilt the pan and spoon hot butter over the steak, it gently cooks the surface, preventing one side from overcooking," he explains. "The butter keeps everything moist, adds flavor, and helps create a delicious golden crust."
The fat in the butter can help soften the meats' protein fibers, resulting in a more tender steak plus with added erbs helps enhance the flavor. It enhances the flavor of the beef and adds moisture of over cooked. If basting it adds more flavor to the crust and helps soften the meat.
Once the internal temperature hits 105ºF, it's time to baste! Add some butter, rosemary, thyme, and garlic cloves to the skillet, and let it all come together. Scoop some butter over the meat now and then. As the steak keeps cooking, it will absorb the flavors of the herbs and butter.
The 3-3-2-2 rule is a simple steak cooking method for ½ to 1-inch thick cuts, involving medium heat, oil, and multiple flips: 3 minutes on the first side, flip and cook 3 minutes on the second side, flip and cook 2 minutes, then flip and cook the final 2 minutes, followed by a 5-minute rest to develop a crust while keeping the inside tender.
Chefs care about flavour and texture. Fat carries flavour, salt enhances flavour. Butter makes sauces glossy and thick without making them stodgy or gelatinous. Butter makes mashed potato smooth without being watery.
Canola oil is a versatile oil commonly used in high-heat cooking. Its neutral flavor makes it an excellent choice for cooking steak without adding any additional flavors. It has a high smoke point of around 400°F, making it ideal for searing steak at high temperatures.