Rest

To rest is to leave food to stand for a while, off the heat or out of the mixing bowl, before carving, rolling or cooking it.

For meat, resting means lifting a roast, steak or chop out of the pan and leaving it somewhere warm before you cut it. The juices settle as the meat relaxes, so less of them runs out onto the board when you slice. The meat also keeps cooking a little from its own heat, so take it off slightly before it reaches the doneness you want. Cover it loosely with foil if the kitchen is cold. A steak needs a few minutes; a large roast is better for longer, which also frees the oven for potatoes or Yorkshire puddings.

Doughs and batters rest too. Pastry rested in the fridge is easier to roll and shrinks less in the oven. Pancake and Yorkshire pudding batters are often left to stand before cooking, and bread doughs rest between kneading and shaping.

The word is the same in British and American English.