An air fryer won't fully replicate a cast-iron pan's sear — nothing beats direct metal-to-meat contact for that deep crust — but it gets closer than most people expect, and it's genuinely convenient for a quick midweek steak without heating a pan to smoking point.
Choosing Your Cut
Sirloin, ribeye and rump all work well; thinner cuts under 2cm cook almost too fast to control doneness precisely, while very thick cuts (3cm+) can char on the outside before the centre catches up. A 2–2.5cm cut is the sweet spot for air fryer cooking.
Timing by Doneness
For a 2–2.5cm steak at 200°C, preheated: rare, 6–7 minutes total (flip halfway); medium-rare, 8–9 minutes; medium, 10–11 minutes; well-done, 13–14 minutes. These are starting points, not guarantees — steak thickness varies enough between packs that a probe thermometer removes almost all the guesswork.
Target Internal Temperatures
Rare: 50–52°C. Medium-rare: 55–57°C. Medium: 60–63°C. Well-done: 68°C+. Pull the steak roughly 3–4°C below your target, since it continues cooking during the rest — the same carryover principle that applies to any thick cut of meat.
Getting the Best Crust
Pat the steak completely dry and preheat the air fryer for at least 3 minutes before it goes in — a cold start noticeably softens the crust because the surface takes longer to reach browning temperature. A light oil coating and a generous salt rub 20–30 minutes before cooking (letting the salt draw out and reabsorb moisture) both help.
Resting Is Non-Negotiable
Rest for a full 5 minutes under loosely tented foil before cutting. Skipping this step is the single most common reason air fryer steak disappoints — cutting immediately releases the juices that redistribution during resting would otherwise lock back into the meat.