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Cooking encyclopaedia Techniques

Resting meat

Leaving cooked meat off the heat before cutting it.

What it is

Loosely covered, somewhere warm, for a few minutes on a steak and twenty or more on a large joint. Carve across the grain when you do cut.

Why it works

Two things happen. Carryover cooking continues to raise the centre as heat moves inward from the hotter outside, which is why meat is taken off below its target. And the muscle fibres, contracted by heat, relax and hold on to juice that would otherwise run out onto the board.

When to use it

Every roast, steak, chop and whole bird.

What goes wrong

Carving immediately; wrapping tightly in foil, which steams a crust soft; resting so long the food is cold; ignoring carryover and cooking to the final temperature in the oven.

Meridian cooking encyclopaedia — Watchman Productions

More on this shelf

  • Blanching Brief cooking in heavily boiling water, usually followed by cooling.
  • Blooming spices Heating spices briefly in fat or a dry pan to release their aroma before they meet anything else.
  • Braising Browning, then cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.
  • Deep-frying Cooking fully submerged in hot fat, usually 160–190 °C.
  • Deglazing Dissolving the browned residue in a pan with liquid, to turn it into sauce.
  • Emulsifying Dispersing fat and water into each other so they behave as one smooth sauce.
  • Grilling Cooking over or under direct radiant heat, close to the source.
  • Poaching Cooking submerged in liquid held below a simmer, around 70–85 °C.
  • Reducing Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.
  • Roasting Cooking in dry oven heat, uncovered, so the surface browns while the inside cooks.
  • Sautéing Cooking small or thin pieces quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, moving them often.
  • Searing Cooking a surface hard and fast to brown it, before or after the inside is cooked.