Whether you’re intimidating by cooking meat or you do it all the time, chances are you’re making at least one of these mistakes.

Preparation

Not Adding Enough Seasoning

When it comes to seasoning your meat, don’t be shy! This is especially true for steak. You can’t season the inside of it, so you want to make sure you adequately season the exterior. According to Bon Appetit, you should actually see the salt and pepper.

Cooking Meat Straight from the Fridge

You can end up with uneven cooking with you move meat straight from the fridge to the stovetop. Instead, let it stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before you start cooking.

On the Stovetop

Adding the Meat Too Soon

If you put your meat into a barely warm pan, then the meat is likely going to stick to the pan. To get a nice sear on your meat, you want to add it to a very hot pan with a thin layer of oil.

Moving the Meat Around Too Much

When you’re cooking, it’s tempting to move the meat around the pan. But resist this urge in order to end up with the most flavorful and juiciest meat. Just flip it enough so that each side cooks, but otherwise, leave it be and let it cook.

Crowding Your Pan

Your meat releases moisture as it cooks, so you want to make sure you leave room for steam to escape. Overcrowding the pan with meat will affect its flavor as the meat won’t be able to develop that nice caramelized crust.

Dinner Time

Not Giving Meat Time to Rest

According to Cooking Light:

Delicious juices vacate the meat and run all over the cutting board, leaving steak or roast dry. Plan your meals so that meat you roast, grill, sear, or sauté has time to rest at room temperature after it’s pulled from the heat. That cooling-off time helps the juices, which migrate to the center of the meat, to be distributed more evenly throughout.