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Before You Let That Steak Sit… Read This 👇

You've probably heard it a hundred times: "Let your meat come to room temperature before cooking." And while there’s a shred of truth to it, let’s be real, it’s mostly overhyped. Letting meat sit out for 20–30 minutes can help thicker cuts like a ribeye or roast cook a bit more evenly. But here’s the kicker: it won’t magically bring the inside of your steak to room temp. Even after an hour, the center is usually still cold.

🥩 Reality Check: What Actually Matters

For thinner cuts of meat, this step is pretty much pointless. They cook so quickly that it makes zero difference whether they started cold or not. For larger cuts, it might make a small difference in how evenly it cooks - but the real MVPs in getting perfect results?

✅ A goor sear

✅ A reliable meat thermometer (*see my recommendations below ⬇️)

✅ Letting the meat rest after cooking

💡 A Better Way to Do It

Instead of stressing about whether your steak’s been sitting out long enough, focus on the fundamentals: pat it dry, season it well, get your pan hot, and track the internal temp. That’s what separates “just okay” from “damn, that’s good”. Speaking of temps, a meat thermometer is a game-changer for hitting that perfect doneness every time.

HERE’S HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE ☝️

• Instant-read digital: Fast and accurate, great for checking temps quickly. This one on Amazon is my favorite!

• Leave-in, wireless probe: Great for roasts or smoking - stays in the meat while it cooks. The Meater is my favorite option for this! *It’s also 20% off right now so get on it!

• Dial thermometers: Slower and less precise, but still usable - old school, respect ✊ I’d recommend this one from Amazon.

The Latest

• 🇺🇸 30 years later: First responders reflect on Oklahoma City bombing response - FireRescue1

• 🚨 2 dead, 5 hurt; suspect identified as FSU student, son of Leon County deputy - Fox5 New York

• 💰️ Ex-Sarasota Co. firefighter accused of stealing cash from dead man during medical call - WFLA

• 💊 San Jose fire captain arrested for theft of narcotics from department - Firehouse.com

• 🔥 Drone Video Captures Deadly Hoarding Home Fire in Faulkner, MD *VIDEO - Firehouse.com

Fuel

🔥 This Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe is the perfect mix of comfort and class - crispy golden coating, savory ham, gooey cheese. It's hearty, protein-packed, and sure to light up the table (in the good way). Plus, cooking something a little special like this at the station shows love, teamwork, and pride - just like the job itself. Get the recipe here!

Follow along with me in this video and I’ll show you how easy this is!

🔪 Whether you're gifting or upgrading your own kitchen game, this is the last one you’ll ever need to buy. 👇️ Hundreds of styles and customizable to YOU. Sleek, smart, and built to impress - use code STATION for 10% off

My favorite is the Teak End Grain Carving Board which I use every single day!

Lead

Walk into any firehouse, grab a cup of coffee, and you’ll hear it — “They don’t get it.” “They” being the brass upstairs: chiefs, administrators, the Big Decision-Makers who seem more out of touch than a GPS in a tunnel. The article by Bobby Drake from Firefighter Nation dives headfirst into this age-old rift between firefighters and management, showing how it’s not just bad vibes, it's a serious threat to morale, retention, and even the life-or-death mission of the fire service.

At the heart of the problem? Organizational decoupling, a fancy term meaning leadership’s policies and the real work on the ground are living in different worlds. Think policies that look good on paper but are useless in a fire, or “initiatives” that get dutifully box-checked but ignored when boots hit the floor. Firefighters start feeling like their input doesn’t matter, leaders pat themselves on the back for “progress,” and trust quietly bleeds out.

When that trust dies, it’s not just morale that tanks. Great firefighters stop stepping up for leadership roles, the best talent walks out the door, and hesitation creeps onto the fireground — and in this job, hesitation is deadly.

But the article isn’t all doom and gloom, it lights a backdraft of hope too. This gap can be closed, but it’ll take more than lip service. Both firefighters and leadership have to own their part of the mess, rebuild real communication, involve boots-on-the-ground voices in decisions, and focus less on looking good on paper and more on actually being good.

Bottom line: if the fire service wants to keep its soul (the brotherhood, the sisterhood, the pride) then it’s time to stop building walls between floors and start building bridges across the kitchen table.

Read the full article here by Bobby Drake from Firefighter Nation.

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