>>911928
Step 1 is to bring the steak to 'room temp', at least 30 minutes out of the fridge before cooking.

Patting dry is an important step to getting a good sear/crust. And if you're going to season steak with salt (which you should) don't do so until right before cooking as the salt will draw out moisture.

Some say not to add freshly-cracked black pepper as it could burn, others don't give a fuck. I'm with the latter group.

>newspaper
lol
>excess blood
It's not actually blood

Shake pan? No, you wan't it to sit and seal/sear, develop that crust. Lightly press down with a spatula for an even crust. And once it has developed that crust it will 'lift' off the pan with ease.

The general rule is to let meat rest for at least half the cooking time, whether that be steaks or a roast.

A number of pro cooks these days are saying flipping a steak only once is not ideal. But I reckon it has to do with both the thickness of the meat and power of what you're using to cook it with.