Does Resting Meat Matter? | Techniquely with Lan Lam

Who hasn't pulled a roast or other cut of meat off the heat and been tempted to slice it right then and there? Lan Lam explains why you should resist that urge and shows you what makes resting meat worthwhile.

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0:00 - Introduction
0:17 - Do You Rest Meat?
0:50 - What Happens When Food Rests
2:26 - Sous Vide and Resting
3:07 - Experiment: Resting vs. Not Resting
4:46 - How Long to Rest Meat
5:23 - When Not to Rest
6:19 - Tasting Tuna Tartine
6:37 - Wrap Up

[jojobi-wankenobi]

This is the best and clearest explanation of Carry Over Cooking I've ever seen. Lan Lam is the best of ATK.

[internetshaquille]

hope u see this one, Chris Young xoxo

[williamharberts]

Lan is such a gem! Presentation: flawless. Facts: 100% accurate. Charm: over the top.

[barbarac]

I've never understood this before. Thank you for th easy-to-understand tutorial, Lan! I never fail to learn something new from you! 💐 ❤❤

[hunterstephens]

Am I crazy or did the steak & pork differences seem marginal? 03:51 If you can be eating 10 minutes sooner with only marginal juice difference, it seems the video debunks its premise. Also, the ones on top had been leaking juice for 10 minutes longer, so it doesn't seem a fair comparison.

[CoolJay]

There are many comments referencing Chris Young's demo. Though Chris shows that the 6% loss of juice by weight
is identical for rested and non rested steaks, the matter of fact is that 6% of water loss does not even matter. For instance dry aging a steak makes the meat lose as much as 25% of its weight due to water loss. And yet it can be juicy when eating due to rendered inta-muscular fat. As the steaks cools down during resting, the intra-muscular fat get less liquidy, making the steaks less juicy. I like to undercook my steaks, and serve on a hot plate without resting, allowing to cook more on the plate, keeping the fat hot and runny. A number of steakhouses do this. I don't see this discussed on cooking and BBQ channels!

[Basmoth]

I'm usually a fan of Lan, but this is rather poor methodology. Slicing meat obviously causes it to exude more juices regardless of whether you rest it or not. A fair comparison would be to slice the rested sample then compare the amount of juices it exudes after 10 mins, just as what was done with the unrested sample.

[michaelh]

I absolutely love Lan Lam … she’s fantastic (and thanks for the very useful information)!

[michaellong]

why didnt they weigh the paper towels while comparing the lost moisture? seems like a *very* easy way to actually explain how much of a difference it makes. if its a 10% difference most people probably wont care. if its a 40% difference then people should definitely make note

[mddell]

Happy to see you, Lan! Most
dedicated viewers have no idea what's going on with all of you. We have only seen Julia at home (which is great) BUT, it's almost as if y'all were 'let go.' The management/owners should realize dedicated viewers feel 'lost.'

[jaygee]

I would tweak the experiment by removing the one sliced immediately after the ten minutes and let the rested ones sit for 10 minutes to be more accurate.

[DakotaGray]

As usual this video is perfect. Lan has my personal favorite presentation of any food related education across traditional media or on the internet. Great stuff 🎉

[asdisskagen]

How does dry and/or wet brining affect the amount of time one needs to rest meat after pulling off the heat, or does that not make a difference?

[lawrencebaker]

I get the carry-over cooking, but I just don't see the juice retention in practice (primarily pork chops, who can buy a steak these days?). I don't think I could tell the difference, side by side. Yes, I have tried to tent and let rest many a time. Maybe I just don't like lukewarm meat.

[JohnPMiller]

I also let my pizza (baked at 450°F) cool for 5-10 minutes so that the mozzarella and tomato sauce don't slide off.

[julioblanco]

I cook most proteins using sous vide. I understand that resting using this technique is unnecessary.

[tkjho]

If u cut open a piece of meat right from the fridge or at room temp, it does not leak much juice.
What is the mechanism for this leakage after cooking on a microscopic level? Is it from the extracellular space or intracellular space? Is it mainly from the half-cooked part of the meat or from the not cooked red center? What if you cook a one inch thick steak to medium rare, then slice it horizontally right away into 2 half inch thick pieces, would they still leak much?

[generybarczyk]

Slicing he meat on paper towels (3:30) is an odd idea; it wastes all those juices. I slice mine on a plate, then tip the plate and spoon the juices directly into my mouth. I suppose one could suck the juices from the paper towels, but ....

[bostonbesteats]

The amount of juices lost by not resting is so small as to make no noticeable different to an eater. Time we stopped claiming this is important. It isn't. (See Prof. Greg Blonder from Boston University videos and articles via Amazing Ribs for a scientific look at this.)

[wiltmarlonelao]

I’d like to see what Chris Young has to say with Lan’s findings.