The Basics: How to Make a Philly Cheesesteak
Minus the Cheez Whiz
From the store to the kitchen to the table: We outline the steps that get you from raw ingredients to your dinner tonight, free of measurements and complicated techniques. It’s a method you’ll remember and whip out whenever you like. It is the most basic way to make the thing you’re making.
- WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- - a large frying pan
- - half a yellow onion
- - bell pepper (optional)
- - vegetable oil
- - salt and pepper
- - sliced mushrooms (optional)
- - a large boneless rib-eye steak, chilled in the freezer for 45 minutes so it’s stiff but not frozen
- - sliced provolone cheese
- - two hoagie rolls, sliced and toasted (if you can’t find hoagie rolls, you can use soft Italian rolls, but you might want to remove some of the interior so there’s less bread in your sandwiches)
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
VIEW ONE STEP AT A TIME | PRINT PDF
1. Chop the onion (and bell pepper, if using).
2. Coat the bottom of the pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and bell pepper (if using) and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about five minutes. If you’re using mushrooms, push the onions and peppers to the side, add the mushrooms, and sauté, stirring every so often, until browned.
3. Meanwhile, slice the partially frozen steak into very thin pieces, discarding any fat.
4. Push the vegetables to one side of the pan, add the steak slices, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer red. Combine the vegetables and steak and form into two piles roughly the size of the rolls.
5. Lay two to three slices of provolone over each pile and let it melt slightly.
6. Scoop one pile into a roll, repeat with the second pile and roll, and serve.
Illustrations by Bill Russell
