The general recommendation for letting steak rest after cooking is to let it rest for about half the time it took to cook. For example, if a rib-eye took 20 minutes to cook, it should rest for 10 minutes
. More specific guidelines include:
- Rest thinner cuts for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Rest thicker cuts for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Rest meat for about 5 minutes per inch of thickness.
- Rest meat for 10 minutes per pound.
- Rest thick cuts for the whole time they took to cook
Resting allows the juices, which get pushed to the center of the steak during cooking, to redistribute evenly throughout the meat, resulting in a juicier and more flavorful steak
. A common practical approach is to tent the steak loosely with foil while it rests. In summary, resting a steak for 5 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness) after cooking is ideal to maximize juiciness and flavor.
