---
title: "Carryover cooking: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Carryover cooking is the rise in temperature inside meat after it leaves the heat. A big roast can climb 3 to 8°C (5 to 15°F), so take it out early."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/carryover-cooking"
---

# Carryover cooking

Carryover cooking is the rise in temperature inside meat after it leaves the heat. A big roast can climb 3 to 8°C (5 to 15°F), so take it out early.

Also called Carry-over cooking, Carryover heat, Residual heat.

Carryover cooking is the way food keeps cooking after you take it off the heat. The outside is hotter than the middle, so heat keeps moving inward and the center temperature keeps rising for a while. For a large [roast](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roast), the rise can be 3 to 8°C (5 to 15°F). For a thin steak it is only a degree or two. Knowing this helps you avoid overcooked meat.

## How to do it

1. Use an instant-read [thermometer](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/thermometer) in the thickest part of the meat, away from bone.
2. Decide on the final [internal temperature](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/internal-temperature)you want.
3. Take the meat off the heat before it gets there: 1 to 3°C (2 to 5°F) early for thin steaks, chops and fish, 3 to 5°C (5 to 10°F) for thick steaks, and 5 to 8°C (10 to 15°F) for large roasts.
4. [Rest the meat](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/resting-meat) loosely covered with foil. Check the temperature again before carving.

Poultry is the exception. To follow USDA guidance, make sure chicken and turkey have reached 74°C (165°F) before they leave the heat.

## How to tell it is done

The temperature in the center stops rising and starts to fall. That is the peak, and the true final temperature.

## Why it works

Heat moves from hot to cold. When meat leaves a hot oven, its outer layers can be far hotter than the core. That stored heat keeps flowing toward the center until the temperature evens out. The bigger the piece and the hotter the oven, the more stored heat and the bigger the rise. Low-and-slow cooking, as in a [reverse sear](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reverse-sear), leaves a smaller gap and less carryover.

## Common mistakes

* Pulling meat at the exact target. It ends up a level more done than you wanted.
* Covering tightly with foil. Trapped steam softens the crust and adds more carryover.
* Resting on a hot pan or in a warm oven. It keeps cooking from the outside.
* Forgetting it in baking. Cookies, custards and cheesecakes also firm up after they come out of the oven.

## In recipes

"Remove from the oven when it reaches 52°C (125°F); it will rise to 57°C (135°F) as it rests" is how recipes usually build carryover into the instructions.

## Related terms

* [Resting meatResting meat means leaving it to stand after cooking before you slice it. Juices settle, the center finishes cooking and less liquid ends up on the board.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/resting-meat)
* [Internal temperatureInternal temperature is the heat at the center of food, read with a probe thermometer. It is the surest way to know meat, fish and bread are done and safe.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/internal-temperature)
* [ThermometerA kitchen thermometer checks the heat of meat, oil, sugar and your oven, so food is safe and cooked how you want. Here is which type to use and how.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/thermometer)
* [DonenessDoneness is how far food has cooked, from rare to well done for meat. This chart gives steak temperatures and the safe minimum for each meat.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/doneness)
* [Reverse searThe reverse sear cooks a thick steak slowly in a low oven first, then sears it hot at the end, for even pink meat from edge to edge and a dark crust.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reverse-sear)
* [RoastRoasting cooks meat or vegetables uncovered in a hot oven, so dry heat browns the outside and concentrates flavor while the inside cooks through.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roast)

[More in doneness and temperature](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/doneness-and-temperature)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)