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Meal prepping for the week is a great way to make lunch or dinner a simple matter of reheating. It’s extra helpful for folks cooking for one because all those recipes for casseroles, stews, and roasts become supremely economical. For example, take a nice cut of steak. Maybe it’s organic. Perhaps grass-fed. Perchance your grocery store charges you $25+ dollars for this nice, organic, grass-fed steak. For some, this pricey steak may only last a single meal. But when you’re meal prepping smart, you can get more bang for your buck and eat it every lunchtime for five days.
When I meal prep steak lunches, I’m not only concerned with keeping it cost efficient, but also time efficient. As someone who has meal prepped seven-component lunches for several months in an effort to save time, I’ve found that the preparation part is actually the biggest time suck. This is why I’ve called upon the services of my dear sweet Ninja Crispi air fryer . It’s hands-off, easy to set up, and it’s powerful, which makes meal prepping steak a snap. (Check out my tests and review for this portable air fryer .) Here’s how I meal prep steak so it’s quick, affordable, and not overcooked.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
How to make the best air fried steak
The trick to meal prepping steak is to undercook it first. Unless you’re a weirdo, like my partner who enjoys eating cold food, you’re probably planning on reheating your steak before you eat it. (He just ate yesterday’s air fried chicken cutlets —cold. The severity of my side-eye is giving me a headache.) Likely, that reheat will be done in the microwave, and that appliance has no forgiveness for your perfectly cooked steak. Knowing this, you should plan on air frying your steak to get some color but under cook it by 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. I know, it seems like a lot but when you reheat it later, your steak will maintain its juiciness and come up to roughly the right temperature.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
1. Season your steak, simply
I season my fridge-cold steak with salt and a sprinkle of MSG on all sides. Then I let it hang out in the fridge uncovered for a couple hours or overnight as a dry brine. If I’m in a rush, I just skip that step and get on with the air frying.
2. Air fry it on high
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
The goal is to get a bit of color on the outside but keep the inside from coming up to temperature all the way. The best way to do that is to blast the steak on high for a short period of time. I sent my Ninja Crispi to “max crisp,” which is the highest temperature and fan speed. If you’re using a different air fryer, you’ll choose something like the “air fry” setting, and a temperature around 400°F. Press start and let this go for five to 10 minutes. The Ninja Crispi has a glass container so I can observe my steak as it cooks and flip it halfway through, or when I’m happy with the color.
3. Cool and slice
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Test the center of the steak for the temperature. Depending on how you like your steak cooked, you’ll have a different goal temperature. I like my steak cooked to a solid medium, so about 135°F. After eight minutes, I checked my steak’s temperature and it came to 107°F, about 30°F shy of my goal temperature. This is perfect for my meal prepping intentions. I took the steak out and let it cool completely without slicing it. Once it’s completely cool, prep it how you like. If you want it to be sliced or cubed for your meal, go ahead. Just keep in mind: The smaller the pieces, the faster it will reheat. Arrange the rest of your meal prep how you prefer and put it all in the fridge or in the freezer.
I’m not sure how I want my steak to be cut this week, so I divided it into five big pieces instead. Then I can reheat it easily without overcooking it and decide in the moment how I want it to be sliced. My single $25 steak is now a $5 contribution to my lunch for the week, paired with rice or pasta and veggies.
While you can totally reheat your meal prepped steak in the microwave, consider putting it back in the air fryer for about five to seven minutes during that future lunch time to crisp up the outside and keep the inside juicy and tender.
