2

One of the core advices when cooking beef is to allow it to rest at least five minutes before cutting it. But I have seen several videos where Japanese chefs cuts the wagyu beef into small pieces while it is still cooking. Here is one example: https://youtu.be/-kzYJqKkAZ0?t=249

What am I misunderstanding here?

3
  • That is Teppanyaki, as stated in the video title. Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine/cooking. Particularly in a restaurant setting, it involves a chef cooking for a table of guests, and preparing all the food on the grill as it cooks.
    – rbrtl
    Nov 2, 2018 at 23:07
  • Maybe because of the fat content of the meat ?
    – Max
    Nov 3, 2018 at 0:53
  • The cattle spend most of their life resting. Nov 4, 2018 at 20:55

1 Answer 1

7

"Let it rest" is advice for cooking large cuts of meat in one piece, especially if it's desirable for the end result to be on the rare side. So steaks, roasts, pork tenderloin, that sort of thing, you want to let the meat rest (== cool down) so that when you slice into it, you don't get a huge puddle of hot juices all over your cutting board, and no tasty hot juices in the meat where you want it.

Note that this doesn't depend on the type of meat, only on the desired end result. For an analogy, consider bread dough. Sure, you can cut it into little pieces and fry or bake them up individually, but that doesn't make bread, it makes fried dough or dinner rolls. (Mmmm... now I crave lángos.) If you want bread, you need to bake the dough in one piece, and then let it cool down before you slice it so you don't end up with a gummy mess.

The Teppanyaki chef is making the meat equivalent of lángos (= fried dough). Apart from using the same ingredients as a steak, it's a completely different dish.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.