the_ruby•1mo agoMost Upvoted

My sous chef swore by resting steak on a wire rack, not a cutting board

I thought it was overkill for years until I tried it with a ribeye last Friday and the crust stayed completely crisp while the juices pooled underneath instead of soaking into the board. It made such a difference in texture I felt dumb for resisting it so long. Has anyone else had a simple tip from a coworker that turned out to be a game changer?

2 comments

2 Comments

cooper.viola1mo agoMost Upvoted

Did you notice any difference in how the steak rested versus sitting on a board, like did the rack change the carryover cooking at all? I am wondering if the air hitting the bottom makes it cool down faster or if that is just in my head. The crust thing makes total sense though, soggy bottom crust is the worst part of resting meat on a board.

xena_miller311mo ago

Take @cooper.viola's question about carryover and think about it like this: the wire rack lets air circulate under the steak, so the bottom doesn't trap heat against a flat board. That slight airflow might slow carryover just a tiny bit, but it's worth it for a crust that stays crunchy. It's the same reason I stopped putting hot pizza on a plate and started using a cooling rack instead, soggy bottoms are just bad design. Once you notice one area where air flow matters, you start seeing it everywhere, like how a wet cutting board ruins a sandwich or wilted lettuce in a sealed bag.