Resting Meat

[Prudie]

OK accepting I hate cooking and only do the roast can you tell me please - checking online for roasting time for beef I see Jamie Oliver's recipe said to rest the meat for an hour before serving (lots of other recipes also include resting the meat). So if you are a normal person with a normal kitchen where do you rest meat for an hour without serving it stone cold?

[Mamyalynne]

On a warm plate or tray, covered in foil and drape a teacloth over - small joints about 20 mins, longer for large.


If you have cooked a roast meal there is ususally a warm place in the kitchen.

[woofgang]

It depends on the size of the joint. I rest a two person joint for about 15 minutes, a medium chicken for about half an hour, a family size joint or a turkey for the whole hour. I don't find that the meat gets cold.

[Sqad]

woofy and mamy are both quite correct......;-)

Well, what would you expect from those two...;-)

[sherrardk]

I rest meat for as long as it takes to cook Yorkshire puddings (we have Yorkies with every roast dinner).

[DaisyNonna]

My kitchen does not need a fridge, even with the oven on. Oven at least is well insulated.

[natas]

On my tounge

[woofgang]

Sqad, you old palaverer you.

[Prudie]

Without doubt you are all right. I still think it will lose a lot of heat though. Sqad do you rest your meat? I didn't know you cooked ;-)

[237SJ]

Personally, I think it`s a load of modern rubbish. My mum and my grandmother (who was a cook) managed to turn out really decent joints of meat without resting them.

[sherrardk]

Maybe they didn't realise they were resting it, maybe they just put it to one side while they finished everything off, did the Yorkies and made the gravy?

[RATTER15]

237SJ, So are you saying there was no room for improvement?

Personally I think beef benefits greatly from being rested especially if its a bit rare, it allows for the blood to be reabsorbed from the centre .

[237SJ]

I think it`s perfectly OK to set aside meat for 5 minutes or so while you make the gravy but I don`t fancy (and can`t see the point) of setting it aside for 30 minutes so that it goes cold and the only way I can heat it up is to pour hot gravy over it. If I did that at work, it would fail food safety standards and wouldn`t be allowed to be served (wouldn`t be the first time someone has sued us)

[woofgang]

It doesn't go cold!

[douglas9401]

.Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was about something else altogether.

[Mamyalynne]

237 if you can get a joint of meat, covered in foil and a teacloth to go cold in half an hour, you have a magic touch.

[mickthemuppe]

Just carve it after taking it out of the oven then put it on a plate. It will be fine.

[hc4361]

Resting meat before carving/serving makes a huge difference.
I refuse to eat steak off one of those hot sizzler grill/plate things - the steak keeps on cooking.

[woofgang]

true hc, even when i make a steak sandwich, I rest the steak before slicing it

[Tilly2]

When I make a steak sandwich, I don't slice it. I just bung the whole thing in a baguette.

[DTCwordfan]

what's the meat and what's the weight, Prudie.....