Resting Meat

[albaqwerty]

I've heard it should be rested for as long as time taken to cook, is this strictly true or just depends on the cut of meat?

[ummmm]

Not as long as it takes to cook. Some joints take a couple of hours to cook. I let meat rest for a minimum of 20mins but usually about 30.

[albaqwerty]

Snap, any longer and Mr A moans it's cold. (he's a fusspot)

[ummmm]

I don't mind it cold. I eat so slowly that I'm used to eating cold food.

[DTCwordfan]

Depends on the meat, weight and the cut - I always put foil over the meat and then a clean tea towel, the reason being that if the tea towel has picked up washing powder that taste can transfer.

Folk have a misconception about resting - they do not realise that the meat carries on cooking after it has been taken out of the oven.

My general rules are a minimum of 20 minutes for say a leg of lamb, reasonable beef joint (maybe 30 mins on giveup's rib if there are three ribs to it), pork and chicken. Turkey 18 to 25lb, 40 mins, otherwise 20-30. Venison/game 10 mins....

I even rest fish and scallops for a few minutes (and usually there is a sauce etc to finish off so it is a natural thing to do).

It is one of the most important things that separates a good cook from an average one.

[Psybbo]

Wrap it in foil, alba

[EcclesCake]

With a joint, I take it out of the oven put it on a warm plate or carving board cover with foil and a tea towel and leave somewhere warm, usually on top of the hob out of the way.

I then make the gravy, finish the veg and get the yorkshires in (if having).

By the time all of that is done I'm ready to carve the meat.

[albaqwerty]

Mr A eats fast (well, I think it's fast) he puts it down to having 3 siblings, which conjures up an image of 4 of them in a playpen and squabbling over bones :-)

[albaqwerty]

I do cover it in foil, that's a blooming good idea about the tea-towel.

Oh, as an aside, when we first married he used to tell me how to cook food the way his mother did.
I just nodded and went my own sweet way.

[heathfield]

I remember a cookery program where Gordon Ramsey said that a rare steak and a well done steak take the same amount of time. The rare steak he removed from the pan and set aside to rest until the well done steak was fully cooked. Then, both were served up at the same time.

[vivandorron]

It's certainly a good idea to put a tea-towel over the foil. I shall remember that one.

I would say rest for about 15mins as a maximum; unless you have a very very big joint of meat.

The reason for 'resting'...:-

http://www.themainmea...eat+after+cooking.htm

Ron.