Let your meat rest

Just as it's important to bring a piece of meat to room temperature before cooking it, it's just as important to let it sit after it's finished cooking.

Whether you're grilling pork loin or pan-frying a porterhouse steak for an extra-special occasion, there's an art to cooking meat. You've probably heard that it's important to let meat rest after cooking, but do you know why this makes a difference? And do you know how long you should let it rest?

Put simply when meat is hot, the juices are more liquid. When you cut into a very hot piece of meat, all of the liquid is going to come out. If you rest it, it allows everything to relax and redistribute the juices, which creates a more tender, juicier cut!

As a general rule of thumb you should let the meat rest for half the time that it cooked for. If it took 20 minutes to cook a rib-eye, it should rest for 10 minutes for example.

This rule doesn't just apply to red meat though; from pork chops to poultry, all meat should rest once it's done cooking. As a good rule of thumb, any thick cut of meat such as pork chops or lamb shoulder should rest for between 10-15 minutes.

Let the meat rest in a warm area, such as the top of the stove.

When it comes to really large cuts of meat, such as Roast Chicken, Beef Tenderloin, or the perfect Roast Duck, more resting time is needed; let the meat rest for about 15 minutes, covered with foil, before slicing, which will preserve the juices without causing it to become overcooked.