I tried steak recipes from Sunny Anderson, Bobby Flay, and Rachael Ray. The best was also the simplest to make. (2024)

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Anderson's recipe called for a marinade with some strong flavors.

Anderson's marinade called for blending a healthy helping of parsley, cilantro, garlic, red onion, paprika, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor.

The ingredients quickly transformed into an aromatic, flavorful green sauce. I thought the marinade was filled with herbs and spices that go well together and would add salt, spice, and heat to the steak.

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I expected the marinade to give the steak a strong flavor.

Following Anderson's recipe, I reserved half of the marinade to drizzle over the steak for when it was cooked.

I smothered the flank steak in the remaining sauce and sealed it in a Ziploc bag, where it marinated for two hours at room temperature.

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The steak turned a green-ish color but smelled garlicky and delicious.

Once I removed the steak from the Ziploc bag, I immediately placed it on the grill and cooked it for six minutes on each side.

Then, per the instructions, I loosely covered the meat with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

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Anderson's steak tasted great but I didn't think the extra sauce was necessary.

I thought the marinade was the perfect blend of organic herbs and made the steak taste fresh and elevated. I could definitely see myself eating this steak with vegetables and a nice glass of red wine.

Anderson's recipe says to pour the remaining green sauce over the completed steak, but I wasn't a huge fan. The sauce was so thick and filled with strong seasonings and flavors that I thought it was overkill to add on top of a steak that was marinated in that same mixture.

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Flay's recipe was a wine-rosemary grilled flank steak.

Flay's recipe recommended marinating the steak for four hours or overnight so I opted to prepare it a day in advance.

The marinade included dry red wine, sprigs of rosemary and thyme, bay leaves, onion, garlic, and olive oil.

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I thought the marinade seemed creative.

After seeing how Anderson's sauce gave the meat a greenish color, I appreciated how aesthetically attractive Flay's marinade was.

The bright-red wine mixed with the olive oil and green herbs looked very festive and could have been the cover of a cookbook or magazine. The whole marinade smelled like a light potpourri with more prominent notes of wine and onion.

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I thought Flay's marinade would give the meat a good flavor.

I gently stirred the ingredients together once more and placed the steak into the dish with the marinade.

I covered the entire dish in plastic wrap and let it rest for the night.

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I noticed the steak was slightly pink from the red wine when I started grilling it.

The next day, I added salt and pepper to the meat and grilled the steak for seven minutes on each side.

Once it was done, I placed the steak on a dish and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it.

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I really enjoyed Flay's light, sophisticated approach to flank steak.

This steak was the least time-consuming to make but turned out amazing. The interior of the steak was medium rare and I was able to slice into it without resistance.

I also really liked the flavor, as the wine added a soft sweetness and the marinade helped to tenderize the meat. I could also see myself pairing this steak with buttery mashed potatoes and a refreshing drink.

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Finally, I made Ray's recipe.

Ray's marinade called for whisking together garlic, steak seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil.

While I was at it, I also grabbed ingredients to make Ray's bacon-and-leek mashed potatoes, which included a leek, red-skin new potatoes, tomatoes, and chicken broth.

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I stirred the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.

The marinade didn't really have a strong smell.

I thought the tart vinegar and tangy, savory Worcestershire had the strongest presence.

Ray's recipe called for marinating the steak for only 15 minutes.

After a 15-minute marinade, I heated up my grill and cooked the steak for seven minutes on each side.

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As I suspected, the light marinade wasn't enough to strongly flavor Ray's steak.

I know some people don't enjoy lots of seasoning but I personally appreciate a stronger flavor profile. When I tried this dish, I mainly tasted the natural steak flavor because the liquid marinade seemingly dripped off.

I might have gotten a more flavorful steak if I marinated it longer and included stronger seasonings. I think Ray's bacon-and-leek mashed potatoes added some much-needed saltiness to the dish.

The meat was also a bit too chewy for my taste. I used my indoor grill, which is meant to match the strength and smokiness of an outdoor version, but perhaps the meat would've been better cooked on an outdoor grill.

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Flay's recipe for flank steak was my favorite.

Out of the three flank steaks, I preferred the flavor of Flay's steak the most.

I have no plans to remake Ray's recipe, and though Anderson's steak had a great flavor profile thanks to the green sauce, I think I'll only use that recipe when making another main dish, like pasta.

Flay's approach to the marinade added the perfect flavor to my steak and made the dining experience more enjoyable, so I'll definitely make it again.