To Flip or Not To Flip

There's a great debate in the world of cooking cuts of meat like chops, steaks, and burgers — flipping once vs flipping frequently. It was once standard advice to flip only once, that flipping more would disturb the meat.

We stand firmly in the flip frequently camp. Kenji Lopez-Alt — known for his rejection of traditional culinary advice — put this to the test in The Food Lab on Serious Eats. He argues that frequent flipping offers two advantages — a faster cook and a more even cook. If you only flip once, the outside of the cut of meat cooks faster than the inside. The side away from the heat begins to cool, yielding an uneven cook and and ultimately less satisfying bite.

The frequent flip method applies to both the grill and the pan, but it's particularly good advice for the grill this summer. You should always have different heat zones in your grill, and frequently flipping allows you to adjust the heat as needed. Furthermore, it makes it easier to work around flare ups.

So this summer, have no fear, and flip away.