out there, don’t worry, you’re doing the right thing. And for
all you single-flippers? Well, you can keep doing what
you’re doing and it probably won’t hurt your steaks none,
but lighten up a bit, will ya?
Q: What is “carry-over cooking,” and how does it affect
how I cook my meat?
We know that meat cooks from the outside in, right? So, at
any given moment, the exterior layers of your steak are
hotter than the very center, where we take our temperature
reading for doneness. Once you pull the steak out of the
pan, though, heat energy from the outer layers of meat has
two places it can go: out or in.
Most of that energy will dissipate into the air as the steak
rests. But some of it will continue traveling into the meat.
The result is that after you take a steak out of the pan or off
the grill, its internal temperature will continue to rise. The
amount it rises is determined by a number of factors, but the
overriding one is the size of the steak or roast. A thin steak
—say, an inch thick or less—will barely rise a couple of
degrees, but a big, fat 1½- to 2-incher can rise a good 5
degrees as it rests. A prime rib roast can rise by as much as
10 degrees.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to take your meat off
the heat before it reaches the final temperature you’d like it
cooked to. (See "The Importance of Resting Meat," here.)
Speaking of temperature . . .
Q: How do I know when my beef is done?
While temperature is really a matter of personal taste, I