Do I really have to rest the steak?

Kenji used to teach the resting rule too. Then he re-tested it and walked it back — publicly, which is the best thing about him. The finding: yes, meat cut immediately leaks more juice onto the board, but the total loss is smaller than the rule implies, and a few minutes of natural pause while you plate covers most of the benefit.

Better still: whatever leaks onto the cutting board isn't gone. Slice, then drag the slices back through their own juices — or make a 30-second board sauce (a little olive oil, herbs, a squeeze of lemon right on the board) and toss the slices in it. The juice ends up back on the meat, where it belongs.

The real reason not to obsess over a long rest: hot steak tastes better than lukewarm steak. Crust softens as it sits, fat congeals, and the first bite matters more than the last gram of retained juice.

So: a short rest happens on its own while you finish the salad — take it. But don't stand guard over a cooling steak with a timer. Eat it hot.