TL;DR. It apparently makes absolutely no difference, which is great news for those of us who learned many moons ago that 30-60 min aren’t nearly enough to bring a steak or roast to “room” temperature from the fridge — more like several hours.
Equipped with this revelation, I will no longer bother.
Whoda tunk, tho?
I always thought this was bogus advice. Probably because I rarely remember to get the meat out ahead of time anyway.
LoL, the recipes that tell you to take a 6 pound roast out for an hour to get it to “room temp”!
OTOH, I do take large steaks (3 pounds avg) out 3 hours in advance. I’ve charted their temps and they go from about 33 to 38 in hour 1, 38 to 45 in hour 2, and 45 to 55-ish in hour 3.
I can def say that when very low temp roasting (about 180F), it matters a fair bit if they hit the oven at 33 vs. 55-ish.
Does it matter? Probably not. But hey, I’m a measurement nerd so what else do I have to do?
For hamburgers I never let patties get to room temp because it’s as easy way to get well done, or shoe leather. For roasts or steaks getting it to desired/right end temp is more important than start temp (within reason, not frozen) Starting temp might matter for searing meat and the maillard effect but not sure how much of a difference, maybe none or little difference.
Also for hamburgers, I find them more likely to break up a bit on the grill if I don’t go straight from fridge.
I separate and freeze those Trader Joe’s brisket patties, and they go straight from the freezer to a very hot cast iron pan. It develops a nice smashburger-like crust as it thaws in the pan.
I find having steaks out for at least 1 hr helps - plus there is the effects of salting.
this goes into salting vs. time - so one has the choice of counter or fridge . . .
Holten’s Chop House Smashed Burgers patties are meant to to be cooked from frozen. It works well; they get a nice crust. I was pleasantly surprised.
Smashed burgers have taken over the world. Because they are cheap and takes no skill whatsoever. I am always surprise when any smash burgers make a “Best of” list.
If you can’t get a nice crust on a smash burger, you should hang up your oven mitts.
Well, according to the article it doesn’t make a difference to the outcome. Salting well in advance, OTOH, absolutely.
In the article, she makes a big deal about getting the charred crust and inside medium rare. The quality of the steak has nothing to do with that.
I find getting meets warmer (I don’t know why room temperature is a magical number - didn’t read the article, if this is explained) is more helpful for the salting and seasoning. Assuming I’m not pre-marinating or brining this for hours or day before hand. I find the the seasoning sticks better to the surface - completely unscientific observation. The longer the seasoning sits, I guess it should be creating a better flavor profile too. But other than that, I’ve also cooked stuff straight from the fridge or even the freezer sometimes without much issue.
I salt solid chunks of meat or poultry well in advance, often a day and leave it in the fridge. Hamburger usually gets a few hours in the fridge if raw.
Side note, I got a dozen loin pork chops on sale with the cap on them, so I salted and vacuumed sealed, then froze, in one process. When I leave the chops in the fridge to defrost, a day or two ahead, it creates a mild wet brine effect. It takes rub also, just started playing around with it.
I’ve never ordered an smash burger out! This was for desperate home consumption only!
I don’t get too excited about smashburgers, except for the ones from this place in Berlin. They are bomb — especially with sliced jalapeños in the mix 
That’s the wrong way to think about smash burgers.
It’s not whether they are better or worse than “regular” burgers, or for that matter easier or harder to make well than “regular” burgers.
They are, by construction and fabrication, a different breed of burgers. Constructed to be thin to create an instant and extreme Maillard reaction with the meat.
Sort of like arguing whether thin crust Neapolitan pizza is “better” than Chicago deep dish.
It’s a matter of preference, not a matter of “better”
not to make fine point . . . but McDonalds/et al have been selling ‘thin’ burgers for decades.
when I weigh out 4 ounces of beef on the scale and make a burger out of it,
that burgers is 2x-3x ‘thicker’ than the fast food “quarter pounder”
apparently a substantial part of their “quarter pound” is entrained (frozen) water and fat (aka 70/30 grade of beef . . . )
No one goes to McDonald’s for burgers.
They go for a Big Mac or a Filet-O-Fish – neither of which are a burger or a fish sandwich, respectively.
They are unique food items all unto themselves.
That’s why people feel disappointed with McD’s because they misunderstand the quiddity of the restaurant’s comestibles.
not even a Big Mac has a “quarter pound”
"A standard McDonald’s Big Mac contains two beef patties that weigh a total of 3.2 ounces (90.7 grams) before cooking. "
now . . .that’s really thin per patty . . .
the Burger King Whopper patty is apparently a more honest 4 ounces . . .
I’ve never worried about how much beef I am getting at McDonald’s.
Or Burger King for that matter.
Or any fast food chain.
I’m not there to get my daily dose of beef.
I’m there for a good tasting bite of food. If I get that, I’m good.
