Should Steaks Be At Room Temperature Before Cooking?

Many people say that you should take your steaks out of the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking them. I find this to be helpful if I’m cooking steaks to medium-well or well-done. If they’re already at room temperature, then you don’t need them to cook for quite as long, and thus don’t risk burning the outside before the inside is to temperature.

What if you like your steak rarer than that though? Lots of people take them out of the fridge early regardless. The reason, I believe, is that they’re going to be cooking for such a short time that, if they’re cold when you start, they may still be cold in the middle when the outside is perfectly seared. They’re trying to achieve more evenly cooked steaks. But I don’t really buy this reasoning. To me, it can be hard to get a good sear on a steak that you’re not going to be cooking for very long.

And, one super-easy technique to allow them to be seared for longer and thus get an even darker, crisper crust, is to cook them straight from the fridge. If they’re cold, they’ll take longer to get to your desired internal temperature, which means that you get to sear them for longer, which means a better crust.

So then, it’s really up to you. But, if you’re a rarer steak person and have been taking your steaks out early all these years, try cooking them straight from the fridge. And if you’re a more well-done steak person and you haven’t been taking your steak out of the fridge for a bit before cooking it, give it a try!

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