The Most Important Step In Prepping Meat According To Samin Nosrat

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Nosrat's number-one tip for preparing meat is to bring it up to around room temperature before cooking, a technique also known as tempering meat. "You have to pull it out from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for an hour or longer depending on the size. When you go straight from the fridge into the oven, it will never cook evenly," Nosrat said in the "Heat" episode. This is especially true for thick cuts, like a big pork chop or a whole chicken. Basically, if you throw cold meat on the heat, the outside will start to cook right away, whereas the center will stay cool, leading to meat that's dry and overcooked on the outside, yet raw on the inside.

You may be thinking that it would take a long time for meat coming from a 40 degree Fahrenheit fridge to reach a comfortable 72 degrees. Thankfully, though, it doesn't actually need to reach room temperature, and you probably shouldn't leave it out for that long anyway. Still, your cut of meat can stay unrefrigerated for longer than you may think. According to sous chef James Wilschke, you can keep a cold piece of meat out for up to four hours (via Food & Wine). Next time you roast a chicken or grill a steak, take your meat out of the fridge as you prep your other ingredients. By the time you're ready to go, the meat will be in good shape for nice, even cooking.