Should raw meat be at room temperature before you cook it?

I was scrolling through TikTok and came across a video from New Zealand chef and cookbook author Andy Hearden (known as Andy Cooks online) spilling an industry secret: Most chefs do not bring their meat up to room temperature before cooking it at restaurants. Chef Hearden’s declaration drummed up a flurry of questions. If chefs aren’t doing it, should I bother doing it at home? Does cooking with room-temperature (as opposed to refrigerator-cold) meat make a difference to the final product?  More important: Is it even safe? Meat temperature is a hotly debated topic in cooking, so I did some research to find out if you should bring your meat to room temperature.

Stay out of the temperature danger zone

Many people are rightly cautious about leaving raw meat out.  The USDA describes 40 to 140°F as the temperature “danger zone,” where bacteria growth is most likely to occur. And according to the USDA, two hours is the maximum time perishable food can be left out at room temperature before it is vulnerable to harmful bacteria. These advisories aren’t just for show, any perishable food left out longer than two hours is a great recipe for food poisoning.

When people — or even recipes — recommend tempering raw meat, they do not suggest you leave your meat out for two hours or more. Most often, it’s an instruction to take your meat out of the refrigerator anywhere from 20 minutes to one hour before cooking to bring up the temperature of the center of the meat before it cooks, so your steak, chicken, or seafood like salmon cooks more evenly. Though this practice is within the USDA’s safety guidelines, does it make a difference? Is this extra step worth the trouble — or the risk?

Does cooking with room-temperature meat make a difference?

Bringing meat to room temperature doesn’t make a difference in the final product, at least not a noticeable one. I asked a few Food & Wine recipe testers and recipe developers and most said they typically don’t let their meat sit out when cooking at home, especially if they are short on time. “I take my whole chickens straight out of the refrigerator to cook and the same goes for steak,” says Anna Theoktisto, who heads up recipe development and testing in the Food & Wine Test Kitchen. “I don’t have time on a weeknight to wait an additional 20 to 30 minutes before I start cooking.” It’s worth noting that sitting at room temperature for a few minutes does not impact the temperature by more than a degree or two. Another recipe tester, Julia Levy, also said she doesn’t notice a difference and recalled a study she read on Serious Eats, which drew similar conclusions after testing.

Plus, there are better ways of ensuring an even cook like knowing what cooking method works best for your cut of meat. For example, pork shoulder and short ribs are best when cooked low and slow, using moist heat cooking methods like braising or stewing to break down their high fat content and become tender. Instant-read thermometers are also a great way to keep track of internal temperature, especially for whole cuts like a whole roast chicken. These are the cold facts: don’t bother taking your meat out of the refrigerator early to warm up before cooking it.