Is it Done Yet? 4 Ways to Really Know If Your Meat is Cooked
By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine
Even though I've cooked meat on the grill (and on my stovetop) one zillion times, I still get a little anxious about cutting into it once it's off the heat in case it's not done-especially if I'm serving people other than my immediate family. There's nothing worse than taking meat off the grill only to sheepishly return soon after and put your partially cooked steak, chicken or burger back on the flames. It's downright embarrassing.
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I could use a thermometer, but since I work as an associate food editor at EatingWell Magazine, quite frankly I feel I should "just know" when my meat is done. This is foolish pride speaking here, because I want to stress that the only way to know if your meat is really cooked is to use a thermometer. But if you want to try your hand at looking cool, here are a few ways to know if your meat is cooked and more about using that trusty thermometer successfully.
1. Use a meat thermometer . . . correctly
When you are using a meat thermometer to check for doneness, insert it in the thickest part of the meat. If you're cooking meat on the bone, make sure the thermometer isn't touching bone--it's a conductor of heat and could give you a false reading. Also, know your temperatures. The USDA's recommended safe minimum internal temperatures are as follows: beef, veal, lamb and pork (steaks and roasts), 145°F; fish, 145°F; ground beef, 160°F; poultry, 165°F.
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2. Feel the meat
Some meat-cooking aficionados like to use the "finger test" as a reference for checking for doneness. There are a couple of ways to do it, but my favorite is as follows: to know what raw meat feels like, pinch the flesh of your hand below your thumb, while your hand is relaxed. To know what medium-rare meat feels like, touch your middle finger lightly to your thumb and pinch it. To know what medium-cooked meat feels like, touch your ring finger to your thumb. To know what well-done meat feels like, touch your pinkie and thumb together. It takes some practice to master this touch-and-feel technique. So use your thermometer as backup until you think you have the hang of the "finger test" method. (This method works best on smaller cuts of meat.)
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3. Poke the meat to see if juices are red or clear
This method applies to chicken specifically. If you poke a chicken breast and the juices that escape are clear, then it is probably done. If the juices are red or have a pinkish color, your chicken may need some more time on the heat. Some people don't like this method because a) you really don't want to consume chicken that is cooked below 165°F (and you wouldn't really know unless you used a thermometer or cut into it) and b) those juices that are escaping are arguably better staying in your meat to keep it moist.
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4. Check the size--did the meat shrink?
It's easy to get thrown off by observing just the exterior color of your meat, especially when it comes to something like grilling. Your steak or chicken breast could look ready to eat on the outside with lovely grill marks, but still be cold on the inside. One thing you can observe when you cook on the grill is the size of your meat. If it looks nice and charred on the outside but hasn't shrunk at all, it's probably still underdone. If it starts to look smaller, then chances are it's close to done. The change will be subtle. If your meat is quite a bit smaller than when you started, it may be overcooked.
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How do you check to see if your meat is cooked?
By Hilary Meyer
EatingWell Associate Food Editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.
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