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Steak is the perfect dinner when you want to treat yourself to something rich and succulent to look forward to in the evening. It usually takes less than five minutes to cook a steak, which leads people to think it is quite easy to make, but it can often come out bland and really dry if you do not season it properly.

Salt is one of the most important ingredients when cooking a steak, as the meat tends to lose a lot of moisture during the cooking process, but salting it helps trap those flavourful juices. The biggest mistake people make is seasoning steak after it is done cooking, but at that point, it will be tough, rubbery and quite difficult to eat. However, Jen, a cook and founder of Carl's Bad Craving, has shared that salting a steak properly so you get a restaurant-quality meal is simple but you need to use kosher salt.

Jen said: "Kosher salt is a must for steaks because it aids in dry brining, doesn't clump like table salt, enhances all the seasonings, tenderizes the steak, and creates a beautifully crispy seared crust by drying out the exterior."

Raw meat contains a lot of water, which is trapped within muscle proteins. When cooked, the high heat tightens these proteins, causing all the moisture to leak.

Salt is very absorbent, and it is needed to cook steak, as it pulls all the juices to the surface, dissolves into the liquid, and then slowly reabsorbs back into the meat.

It helps the proteins hold onto more moisture while cooking so the inside of the steak is extremely juicy and full of flavour.

Once the salt goes into the steak the outer skin will also be extremely dry which helps it form a good crust whole cooking so the outside will be perfectly golden and crispy.

Kosher salt is the best ingredient for salting a steak as it has larger crystal flakes and a rough texture, which helps season the meat evenly without overseasoning it.

It is fine to use table salt or sea salt if you have nothing else in your kitchen, but the grains are tiny and dense, so it is easier to accidentally use too much.

You will need:

• 30g of kosher salt (around two tablespoons)
• Two tablespoons of garlic powder
• One tablespoon of paprika, onion powder and chilli powder
• Half a tablespoon of black pepper, rosemary, thyme and coriander
• Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  

Method:

To begin, it is important to season a steak 60 to 90 minutes before cooking if you can. This gives the salt time to dissolve and penetrate deeply into the meat, making it more flavourful.

Some people even season their steaks up to 48 hours before cooking for special occasions, but it is important to prepare steaks at least an hour beforehand for the best results.

All you need to do is pour all the seasonings into a small bowl and stir them together. Store in an airtight container, and you can use this seasoning for up to 60 months.

When you are ready to cook, place some baking paper on a tray and add your steaks. Sprinkle a generous amount of the seasoning on the steaks. You will need one tablespoon of the seasoning per pound of steak.

Add the seasoning evenly to the top, bottom, and sides of the steak. Gently pat it into the surface, but avoid rubbing it in as this can draw moisture out too quickly.

If too much moisture is pulled to the surface at once, the salt can evaporate before being absorbed, which can interfere with proper seasoning and browning.

Leave the steaks alone for at least one hour, and then cook in a pan with oil or butter like you normally would. The steaks should come out juicy, tender, and every bite from the crust to the centre should be incredibly flavourful.