Part 4/7:
As the steaks cook, different characteristics of each skillet come into play. The cast iron skillet begins to produce a robust amount of smoke, indicating greater heat retention and browning due to the Maillard reaction—the chemical reaction that occurs between proteins and sugars when food is cooked at high temperatures. Meanwhile, the stainless steel skillet has a cooler reaction and exhibits less smoke and grease pooling, highlighting differences in how heat is distributed and retained.
After roughly the same amount of cooking time, both steaks achieve the target internal temperature and are ready to rest—a vital part of the cooking process to allow juices to redistribute.