Air-Fryer Garlic-Butter Steak

This is the steak that proves the air fryer can do more than just chicken tenders. A 1-inch ribeye or New York strip, properly seasoned and pulled at the right temperature, comes out with a dark mahogany crust on every face and a rosy-pink medium-rare interior. The cook time is short — about 8 minutes for a 1-inch-thick steak — but unattended, which means you can be making the compound butter on the cutting board while the air fryer handles the actual cooking.

The compound butter is what makes this dish. Soft butter mashed with finely minced garlic, chopped parsley, lemon zest, salt, and cracked pepper, formed into a small disc and slapped onto the hot steak right after it comes out of the basket. The butter melts on contact, pooling around the meat with garlic-flecked golden streams. Spoon the juices back over the steak before each bite.

The photo shows the plating that earned this dish its reputation as a date-night standard: sliced ribeye fanned across a white speckled plate, butter melting in glistening pools on top, steamed asparagus alongside, a loaded baked potato with sour cream and chives, a glass of red wine just visible in the corner. It looks like the kind of dinner you'd pay $50 for. Made at home it costs about $14 in ingredients and takes 22 minutes.

The most important thing to get right is bringing the steak to room temperature first. A cold steak from the fridge cooks unevenly — the outside overcooks before the inside warms up. Take it out 30 minutes before cooking, no shortcuts.