Anthony Bourdain Said This Is The Worst Thing To Do When Cooking Steak - Tasting Table

"What's going on inside is, it is continuing to cook. But even more importantly, the juices are distributing themselves in a truly wonderful alignment. If you cut into your steak without letting it rest, all those flavorful juices don't get a chance to redistribute throughout the steak; rather, they'll just leak out onto the cutting board."

"All the difference in the world between a good steak and a totally messed up steak is going on in that period of time that you're just doing nothing. It might be tempting to slice into your beautiful flat iron steak right after you've taken it off the grill, but by doing so, you're eliminating the possibility for an even better-tasting steak."

"One sign has to do with how it looks on the inside. Cutting into a steak too soon can produce a bullseye pattern in the center. Rather than being a beautiful, red and pink gradient, you'll notice a big red spot, which indicates that it's not fully cooked, and that the juices haven't been able to properly distribute."

Resting cooked steak for five to seven minutes is critical to achieving optimal flavor and texture. During this resting period, the steak continues cooking slightly while juices redistribute evenly throughout the meat. Cutting into the steak prematurely causes flavorful juices to leak onto the cutting board rather than remaining in the meat, resulting in a drier, less flavorful final product. Signs of insufficient resting include a bullseye pattern visible when cut, with a concentrated red center rather than an even red and pink gradient. This simple step makes the difference between a good steak and a poorly executed one.

Read at Tasting Table