Preparing the perfect steak is a sort of culinary litmus test. It may seem simple, but from seasoning to searing to the ever-important resting, cooking steak can be deceptively challenging. And while there are measurements for seasoning and a golden, crusty sear can simply be seen, knowing exactly how long to properly rest your beef can be a bit of a toss-up depending on who you ask. We decided to consult a professional to hear once and for all what the perfect amount of time to rest your steak is, and it’s shockingly simple.
Chef Jonathan Bautista, executive chef at the award-winning Ember & Rye steakhouse, shared in a conversation with Tasting Table that, “The rule I go by, especially if you have the time, is resting your steak as long as it took you to cook it. So, if it took you seven minutes to cook your steak, let it rest for another seven minutes.” Ember & Rye is housed in the Park Hyatt Aviara luxury gold resort and spa in San Diego, California, and is a collaboration with James Beard-nominated chef, television personality, and restaurateur Richard Blais. And, as a James Beard Award semifinalist nominee with over 20 years of experience himself, Chef Bautista knows a thing or two about good steak.
What is resting and why is it important
Resting your meat after cooking it seems like an inconsequential step to skip, but it can really make the difference between a decent steak and a spectacular one. When you don’t allow your steak to rest enough after removing it from the cooking surface, all the flavorful juices inside get released rather than absorbed back into the meat. That means the delectable meaty flavors get lost, too, and you’re left with a dry, stringy, or tough steak. When a piece of raw steak is cooked, the muscle tissues contract and tense up, forcing the internal juices into the edges of the meat.
By giving the steak time to cool and allow the tissues to relax again, those juices can redistribute throughout the entire cut, resulting in an evenly cooked and juicy steak. Even though resting steak after cooking is crucial, it’s also the easiest step in the entire cooking process. And, with Chef Bautista’s simple tip, you don’t have to worry about wrestling with a meat thermometer or relying on test slices to know if your steak is properly rested. So, next time you’re trying to cook a restaurant-quality steak at home, make sure you allot a few minutes of resting time before serving.
