How Long To Rest Your Steak After Cooking It In The Pan Or On The Grill

Resting your steak after cooking is a crucial step to ensure it achieves optimal flavor and juiciness. When you cook a steak, the high heat causes the juices to move towards the surface. If you cut into it immediately after cooking, these juices will spill out, leading to a drier steak. Allowing the steak to rest gives the juices time to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more succulent and flavorful bite. The resting period depends on the thickness of the steak. For thinner cuts, such as flank or skirt steak, a rest of about five to ten minutes is sufficient. Thicker cuts, like ribeye or T-bone, benefit from a longer resting period of up to fifteen minutes. As a general rule, aim for a rest time that is about half the total cooking time. To rest your steak properly, remove it from the heat source and place it on a warm plate or cutting board. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil to keep it warm without trapping steam, which can cause the exterior to become soggy. This simple yet effective technique ensures that each bite is as tender and flavorful as possible, making your steak truly satisfying.
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The science of letting steak rest

Allowing steak to rest helps it maintain moisture: When meat is cooked on a grill or in a pan, the heat causes its muscle fibers to contract, which expels moisture. Once the steak is removed from the heat, those fibers relax, allowing them to retain moisture. By letting the steak rest, you give the fibers a chance to loosen and reabsorb the juices. However, if you cut into the steak too soon, the juices will escape before they have a chance to be reabsorbed. As the muscle fibers relax, the juices will redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a consistently juicy bite.

Some cooks may have concerns about food safety when it comes to letting cooked meat sit before serving. However, this is generally not a problem unless the meat is left out for more than an hour. It is safe to keep food at room temperature for up to 2 hours, so the 5 to 10 minutes of resting time for steak is well within safe limits. The CDC even advises allowing meat to rest for a few minutes after cooking before cutting or serving it.

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