What does the pull early, rest, measure experiment test?

It tests one variable: resting after cooking. The idea is that a chicken breast pulled at 70C keeps rising several degrees while it rests.

25-minute experiment

Pull early, rest, measure

Watch the temperature climb after the heat is off.

The idea

A chicken breast pulled at 70C keeps rising several degrees while it rests.

The one thing you change: Resting after cooking

You need

1 chicken breast
A pan or oven
An instant-read thermometer
A plate

Steps

Cook the chicken until the thermometer reads 70C in the thickest part.
Move it to a plate and check the temperature every minute for five minutes.
Write down the highest number you see.
Safe to eat means 74C. If your highest number stays below that, put the chicken back on the heat before you eat it.

What you should find

The temperature climbs a few more degrees, often to around 73 to 75C, with no heat at all.

From the app

Cook this with Chef Fizz

Step-by-step mode with timers, in the free app.

Get the app

The science behind it

Carryover cooking

A roast's outside is far hotter than its center, and that heat keeps creeping inward after you pull it. That's carryover cooking. A steak gains 3 to 5°F (2…

Read the explainer

Track it in The Lab

Run all 40 experiments in the app, note what you tasted, and unlock the lesson that explains it.

Download on theApp Store