Steak
The basis of any steak night.
Rare
Medium rare
Medium
Well done
Rest time
Cooking helper: how long to go?
Check the core temperature of your steak now and then. After two readings the helper works out when it will be done. Then start the rest timer.
1. Pick your doneness
2. Measure the core temperature
Measure every 5 to 10 minutes at the thickest point. Your readings are kept if you close the page.
3. Let it rest
Tip: large cuts rise another 2 to 5 °C while resting, so take them off a little before the target.
All internal temperatures in one chart · Resting meat: how long and why
About Steak
Steak usually comes from the rump or the loin: lean, fine grained and relatively low in connective tissue. That means you are steering purely by protein coagulation — there is nothing to break down that would make it more tender, so cooking longer only makes it drier.
The colours you see inside come from myoglobin, the protein that holds oxygen in muscle. Around 52 degrees it starts to change and red shifts to pink; above 65 it has largely converted and the meat turns greyish brown. That is exactly why the steps between rare and well done are so narrow: a few degrees changes the whole result.
For a proper crust the surface has to get above 140 degrees, where the Maillard reaction takes off. That only happens if the meat is dry: moisture on the outside evaporates first and pins the temperature near 100 degrees. So pat the steak thoroughly dry before it goes in the pan.
Rest it for five minutes afterwards. During cooking, moisture is pushed towards the centre; while resting it redistributes. Cut straight away and that moisture ends up on your board instead of in the meat.
Tips
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Most voted
Laat het vlees op kamertemperatuur komen en dep het droog voor een mooie korst.
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