# How do I rest steaks when the oven isn't available? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2013, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622 "2013-07-04T10:12:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/21 "2013-07-05T03:04:41Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Anyone remember [heated hostess trolleys](http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/heated-hostess-trolley)? My 86yr old mother has always sworn by them, and last year I buckled and bought an old one on eBay for pennies. I’ve stuck it in the utility out of sight from friends who would mock me for turning into a 1950s housewife, but when I hold my annual multi-course sit down dinner for 16, it’s a goddamn life saver. Holy CRAP!! WANT _WANT_ _ **WANT!** _ ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/22 "2013-07-05T03:16:35Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > …but when I hold my annual multi-course sit down dinner for 16, it’s a goddamn life saver. Is that the Not-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner thing? Or was that a one-time experiment? 'Cause I’m thinking of ordering two of those things right now… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/23 "2013-07-05T03:53:55Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Same here. I’ve heard of resting a roast but never steak. Must try it. Is it really necessary to rest the steaks for 30 minutes, though? Hell, resting burgers is a good habit to get into! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/24 "2013-07-05T04:49:42Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Resting steak is a [myth](http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_resting_meat.html). > > Well, I say that having only read that single link about it, but I usually find it’s safe to place my bet on the “myth” side of things like this, and the writer(s?) of the article seem to know what they’re talking about. They have a science advisor and everything. I don’t know. That article–especially all the stuff on the right side, actually suggests to me that the steak resting isn’t a myth at all. They seem to be arguing, well, there is more fluid loss if you don’t rest it, but it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/25 "2013-07-05T08:48:15Z")
Do American and Scottish ovens not have separate warmer drawers? I thought those were standard issue. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/26 "2013-07-05T09:31:05Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Do American and Scottish ovens not have separate warmer drawers? I thought those were standard issue. This Yank has _never_ seen/heard of this. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/27 "2013-07-05T09:49:07Z")
What would have been the warmer drawer in the past has now become a storage drawer, I think. I have a \*\*warming \*\*\*\*plate \*\*on my stove top, to the right of the gas elements. When the main oven is on, it warms the warming plate, or there is a control to turn the warming plate on to heat manually when the stove isn’t being used. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/28 "2013-07-05T09:59:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Do American and Scottish ovens not have separate warmer drawers? I thought those were standard issue. I live in a small flat with a small kitchen with a small oven. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/29 "2013-07-05T10:51:35Z")
Huh. It’s like the electric kettle thing all over again. I can’t imagine my kitchen without it - how do you heat up plates? ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/30 "2013-07-05T11:25:04Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I’ll rest in the oven in the winter because my kitchen is COLD… Jeez - everything really _is_ bigger in America. And the benefits of ‘resting’ steaks is certainly not a myth. I spent many years wondering why the steaks I cooked at home were never near the deliciousness of restaurant steaks, until I tried resting one after searing on both sides, while I hastily cobbled a sauce together. With resting under (under foil + hand towels) of approximately 10 minutes they are on another level of tastiness and tenderness. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/31 "2013-07-05T12:00:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t know. That article–especially all the stuff on the right side, actually suggests to me that the steak resting isn’t a myth at all. They seem to be arguing, well, there is more fluid loss if you don’t rest it, but it doesn’t matter. I actually only read the left side. Now glancing through the right side, it seems like they’re saying when there is a difference in the amount of juice, it’s not realistically detectable in the actual eating. But you’re right the right side seems to bear out the myth in a sense. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/32 "2013-07-05T12:57:03Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I actually only read the left side. Now glancing through the right side, it seems like they’re saying when there is a difference in the amount of juice, it’s not realistically detectable in the actual eating. But you’re right the right side seems to bear out the myth in a sense. Additionally, most of his recipes call for resting. For instance, his [brisket recipe](http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html) does, which also links to his instructions on how to set up a [faux cambro](http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/faux_cambro.html) (though I don’t think that page is written by the main author). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/33 "2013-07-05T12:58:20Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > This Yank has _never_ seen/heard of this. Have you seen an oven with a drawer underneath it where people store their baking sheets and shallow pans? That’s a warming drawer, which no one uses for that purpose. Every oven I’ve ever seen has one. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/34 "2013-07-05T13:15:10Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Huh. It’s like the electric kettle thing all over again. I can’t imagine my kitchen without it - how do you heat up plates? I have never heated up a plate. Once or twice I’ve accidentally had some still warm from the dishwasher. If you mean a plate with the food on it, that’s what the microwave is for. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/35 "2013-07-05T13:26:55Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Additionally, most of his recipes call for resting. For instance, his [brisket recipe](http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html) does, which also links to his instructions on how to set up a [faux cambro](http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/faux_cambro.html) (though I don’t think that page is written by the main author). He does argue that there’s a difference between resting that type of high-collagen, slow-cooked-to-high-internal-temperatures sort of meat vs. steaks that are cooked medium rare, though. I’m happy to bust cooking myths (like steaks need to be room temperature when you cook them [they really don’t], that steaks must only be flipped once [although that is the way I do it, multiple regularly timed flips work well, if not better, too], and things like that), but this one, in my experience, does make a bit of a difference in a steak. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/36 "2013-07-05T13:36:52Z")
The oven I bought last year has both a warming area on the stove top, and a warming drawer. I used the drawer last year during Thanksgiving. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/37 "2013-07-05T14:27:18Z")
Things I’ve learned about cooking steak from Saturday Kitchen and other cooking shows: 1. Steak at room temperature 2. Get the grill pan smoking hot 3. Oil the meat, not the pan 4. Resting time should be about the same as cooking time. I’m not always religious about 1 since I usually forget to take the steak out of the fridge in time. It would be interesting to do blind tastings between a steak that follow all of the rules, and ones that violate one or more of them. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/38 "2013-07-05T14:46:12Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > Things I’ve learned about cooking steak from Saturday Kitchen and other cooking shows: > > 1. Steak at room temperature > 2. Get the grill pan smoking hot > 3. Oil the meat, not the pan > 4. Resting time should be about the same as cooking time. > > I’m not always religious about 1 since I usually forget to take the steak out of the fridge in time. It would be interesting to do blind tastings between a steak that follow all of the rules, and ones that violate one or more of them. > **[7 Myths About Cooking Steak That Need to Go Away](https://www.seriouseats.com/old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak)** > > We put to rest seven of the most stubborn myths about grilling steaks, including that you should let your steak rest at room temperature beforehand and that you should only flip steaks once. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/39 "2013-07-05T15:30:45Z")
I do well to get steaks from the backyard grill to the dining table warm. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622/40 "2013-07-05T18:43:41Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Have you seen an oven with a drawer underneath it where people store their baking sheets and shallow pans? That’s a warming drawer, which no one uses for that purpose. Every oven I’ve ever seen has one. On some gas stoves I’ve used, that was for broiling. I’ve also had cheap apt electrics that had no opening drawer underneath. Not missing, it wasn’t even an opening. Most electrics I’ve seen, tho, have one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-rest-steaks-when-the-oven-isnt-available/662622.md?page=3)