You think you know how to make the perfect steak. You've got the temperature down pat. You have a sixth sense when grilling steak. Your crusts are crisp and caramelized. You can tell when the steak is done with just a touch. But somehow, they fall short. What gives?

You could be forgetting one of the most important steps: sitting around and waiting. Even though that key step involves doing, well, nothing, it's easy to mess up. Recipes can be pretty vague about rest times, and nobody wants a cold steak. For advice, we turned to Cordon Bleu-trained chef Matthew Kreider, who currently works as Executive Chef at Miami's Steak 954.

"Steaks as a general rule need to rest for at least a third of their cook time," Kreider explains. "If it's a small steak like a filet I'll usually rest it for a minimum of five minutes." A mere five minutes is an easy wait for even the most impatient meat lovers -- and the perfect amount of time to plate your sides and add a few finishing touches.

Sometimes, you'll have to plan ahead, though. "The larger the steak, and longer the cooking time the longer the steak needs to rest. If you are roasting a prime rib, a 30-45 minute rest is not out of the question," notes Kreider. Worried about the meat going cold? Cover it in foil. Just skip the foil for smaller cuts. If you trap too much heat, they'll overcook.