How to sear meat in a pan and let it rest

✅ The essentials

A well-cooked piece of meat is one taken out of the fridge ahead of time, patted dry, put in a very hot pan, and above all left to rest after cooking. That rest is short, and it is what changes everything.

🍳 The method

1. Take the meat out of the fridge an hour before if you can, fifteen minutes at the very least. Meat at room temperature cooks more evenly and stays more tender. Just before cooking it, pat it dry with paper towel: wet meat does not brown, it boils.
2. Heat the pan on high with a spoon of oil, until the oil shimmers.
3. Salt the meat, lay it in the pan, and do not move it any more. Let it brown two minutes for a thin steak, three to four minutes for a chicken breast or a thick cutlet, before turning it.
4. Turn, and count the same time. For a chicken breast or a pork chop, then lower to medium heat and leave three to five more minutes, until the meat is firm under your finger and the juice that comes out is clear.
5. Rest on a plate, covered, for as long as it cooked. Pepper at that point, pepper burns in the pan.

📏 The landmarks

• A steak two centimetres thick (¾ inch): two minutes per side for rare, three for medium.
• A chicken breast: four minutes per side on high heat, then four minutes on medium. Or cut it in half through the thickness, and it goes twice as fast.
• Chicken, turkey and pork are eaten cooked through. A whole piece of beef can stay pink.

⏱️ How long it takes

Ten minutes of cooking and resting, plus the time the meat comes to room temperature on its own on the counter.

🩹 If it goes wrong

Overcooked, cut it into thin slices and serve it with a sauce or in a salad, it eats very well. Not cooked enough for chicken or pork, put it back two minutes on each side on medium heat, with a lid. It boiled instead of browning, the pan was not hot enough or the meat was wet.

🍽️ Make it tonight

The build-your-own marinated chicken, cooked in the pan, eight minutes on each side.