What Geoffrey Zakarian Wants You To Know About Cooking Meat

When you need some great advice about how to get the most flavor out of a cut of meat, you couldn't ask for a better guide than Geoffrey Zakarian. The acclaimed chef has claimed over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, opened a variety of restaurants during the course of his career, and earned several Michelin stars for his prowess in the kitchen (via his personal website).

The chef has also expanded his brand and personally sells signature salami, soppressata, and a variety of other meats. As a result, Zakarian has truly earned his reputation as an authority in all things meat and loves guiding novice chefs through the process of cooking up some seriously delicious cuts.

In a recent Instagram post, Zakarian delves into the proper ways to cook meat. For him, temperature trumps time when you need to figure out how to cook any cut of meat. Different chefs use cuts of meat of varying sizes, thaw states, and more, making for a difficult time when you need a standard cooking time. Zakarian also explains that different stove tops cook at different heat ratings, making cooking by time that much trickier. Cooking fish or chicken also completely differs from grilling steak, meaning checking temperatures always results in the best meals.

Geoffrey Zakarian explains that any steak hits the perfect medium rare state when it reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit (via Instagram). To get the best results, you need to put your meat down on a paper towel and let it sit on the counter until it hits room temperature. Once the meat gets to 65 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit, you can let the meat hit a hot pan to ensure that it cooks evenly through. If you don't let the meat hit this temperature, Zakarian warns that you might not consistently cook the meat all the way through.

A bit of sea salt perfectly seasons the meat, but the chef avoids pepper. According to Zakarian, pepper gets acrid when cooked at a high temperature and could ruin the taste of even the best steak. Once the meat hits the pan, make sure not to touch it. By moving the cut around too often, you can disrupt the cooking process and make the item cook irregularly.

With a bit of practice, you can master whipping up the best cuts of meat by properly preparing your ingredients by remembering to cook by temperature instead of time, avoiding pepper, and using a very hot pan. Zakarian's advice can easily elevate anyone's cooking game and guarantees a great steak or piece of chicken every time. Next time you need to cook for a crowd, make sure to give these tips a try and you won't regret it.