Resting Meat: To Remove Or Not To Remove, That Is The Question

Resting meat is an essential part of the cooking process. Meat should be removed from the oven or pan and transferred to a cutting board, warm plate, or serving platter. Resting meat allows its juices to reabsorb and redistribute. Cutting it too soon will cause its juices to pool out, yielding a dry cut of meat.

The goal with steak is for the centre to be between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit and the exterior between 125-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Meat should be rested for 5 minutes per inch of thickness, 10 minutes per pound, or 1 minute for every 100 grams.

Resting meat allows juices to redistribute, preventing them from gushing out when cut

Resting meat is an essential part of the cooking process. It allows the meat to relax and its juices to reabsorb and redistribute.

During the cooking process, internal juices constrict and are pushed towards the centre of the meat. If the meat is cut too soon, the juice will pool out, leaving the cut of meat dry.

By resting the meat, the constricted muscle fibres begin to relax and the pressure on the juices is slowly released. This allows the juices to redistribute towards the edges of the meat, resulting in an evenly moist and flavourful steak.

The amount of resting time depends on the thickness of the meat. As a general rule, thinner cuts of meat should rest for a minimum of 5-7 minutes, while thick cuts should rest for 10-20 minutes. Meat should be rested for 5 minutes per inch of thickness, 10 minutes per pound, or 1 minute for every 100 grams.

To rest the meat, remove it from the oven or burner and transfer it to a cutting board, warm plate, or serving platter. Tent the pan with aluminium foil to trap heat. Remove the foil after the appropriate resting time.

Resting meat is especially important for steaks such as rib-eye or fillet. By resting these cuts of meat, you can achieve a more tender, juicy steak and prevent the juices from gushing out when cut.

Meat continues to cook after being removed from heat, so it should be removed before reaching the desired temperature

Resting meat is an essential part of the cooking process. It allows the meat to relax, and its juices to reabsorb and redistribute. This is true for chicken, lamb, pork, game meats, and even some fish.

When meat is heated, the muscle fibres constrict, pushing the juices in those fibres away from the heat source and towards the centre of the meat. If you cut into the meat too soon, the juices will pool out, making the meat look unappealing and bloody, and resulting in a dry cut of meat.

By resting the meat, the constricted muscle fibres begin to relax, and the pressure on the juices is slowly released, allowing them to redistribute towards the edges of the meat. This results in an evenly moist and flavourful steak.

Carryover cooking is the term for when food continues to cook after being removed from the heat source. During the resting period, the outer layers of the meat cool while the temperature at the centre continues to rise. The latent heat travelling through the meat induces carryover cooking. The meat achieves its final resting temperature when its outer and inner temperatures meet.

The density of the meat determines how much its temperature rises when resting. Smaller meats like hamburgers, chicken breasts, and steak will continue to rise between 3-6 degrees Fahrenheit when resting. Larger roasts such as pork tenderloin and turkey can rise between 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meat should be removed from the heat source before it reaches the desired temperature, as it will continue to cook and rise in temperature during the resting period.

Resting times vary depending on the cut of meat

Resting meat is an essential step in the cooking process, allowing juices to reabsorb and redistribute. The resting time varies depending on the cut of meat. For example, thinner cuts of meat should rest for a minimum of 5-7 minutes, while thick cuts should rest for 10-20 minutes.

As a general guideline, it is recommended to rest meat for 5 minutes per inch of thickness, 10 minutes per pound, or 1 minute for every 100 grams. Alternatively, rest thin meat for half the time it took to cook, and thick meat for the whole cooking time.

For small cuts of meat, such as steaks, the temperature will rise by 3-6°F during resting. In contrast, larger roasts can increase in temperature by 10-15°F. Therefore, it is crucial to remove the meat from the heat source before it reaches the desired doneness temperature to avoid overcooking.

• Pork chops or lamb shoulder: 10-15 minutes
• Roast chicken or lamb roast: 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the roast
• Rib-eye steak: 10 minutes

Meat should be rested on a warm plate, cutting board, or in a warm oven

Resting meat is an essential part of the cooking process. It allows the meat to relax, and its juices to reabsorb and redistribute, resulting in a more tender and juicy steak.

There are several ways to ensure your meat stays warm while resting. Firstly, you can rest your meat on a warm plate, cutting board, or serving platter. To warm your plate, you can place it in the microwave for about a minute or in the oven on its lowest setting for around 5 minutes. If you are cooking outdoors and it is windy, you can loosely tent the meat with foil to prevent heat loss, although this may soften the crust. If you are cooking indoors, you can place the meat in an oven set to 150 °F (66 °C) to keep it warm, although some argue this may dry out the meat.

Regardless of your method, it is important to let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Tenting meat with aluminium foil conserves heat and prevents steaming

Aluminium foil is a great way to keep your meat warm while it rests. Foil is a good insulator, trapping a layer of air that keeps the meat warm. The foil doesn't need to touch the meat, and it's best if it doesn't, as this can ruin the crust. Instead, the foil should be tented over the meat, trapping the air and creating an insulating layer. This prevents the meat from losing too much heat to the surrounding air.

However, resting uncovered meat is also an option. Leaving the meat uncovered will allow some heat to escape, but this can be beneficial if you want to preserve a crispy exterior on a turkey or roast.

If you're cooking outside or in a cold and windy environment, it's best to use foil to ensure the meat doesn't get too cold.

Resting meat is essential to allow the juices to reabsorb and redistribute. This will ensure your meat is juicy and flavourful.

Frequently asked questions