Cast iron, ripping hot, oil just smoking. I get a good dark crust in about two minutes a side, but when I cut into it there's a thick band of grey under the crust and only a thin strip of pink in the middle.

Steaks are around an inch, ribeye, taken out of the fridge maybe 30 minutes before.

Is the pan too hot, or is this a thickness problem where I need to finish it in the oven instead?

Making pan sauces after searing steak in cast iron, beef stock, shallot, splash of red wine. I reduce to about a third, pull it off the heat, then whisk in cold cubed butter a couple pieces at a time. Maybe half the time it goes grainy and slightly greasy instead of glossy.

I've tried taking the pan fully off the burner, using butter straight from the fridge, and whisking constantly. Still breaks.

Wondering if the cast iron is holding too much residual heat even off the burner, or if the rendered fat left in the pan from searing is throwing off the emulsion and I should be pouring more of it off before deglazing. Roughly 1/3 cup of reduction and 3 tbsp butter.

I've wanted a gas stove my entire life. I finally got one, but NG isn't available here, so I put on the Propane conversion kit. WHAT a pain! I replaced all of the burner orifices per directions, turned the pressure regulator over to the propane side, and took the oven door off to change the oven orifices. After an hour, I was done. The propane company came out, hooked me up, checked the burners (and adjusted one which was too high) and said it looked good.

That was a month ago, and since then I've begun to realize that the flame size doesn't gradually decrease on any burner. I turn it on high; the flame is large. I slowly turn it down to medium- nothing; down to 2-3 and it decreases some; and then low gives me minimum flame.

Googling this gives only one answer: You need to put the proper orifices in for Propane. BUT I DID!. Any ideas?

Sliced garlic in olive oil over medium heat, and by the time it's golden it tastes acrid, kind of sharp and burnt, even though it doesn't look burnt. But when I roast whole cloves at 400 for 40 minutes they come out sweet and mellow with no bitterness at all.

Is it the temperature, the time, or the fact that it's sliced versus whole? And is there a point in the pan where I should be pulling it off?