A healthy food & lifestyle blog specifically catering for & dealing with the symptoms & conditions of : Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) & Intracranial Hypertension (IH).
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Friday 2 December 2011

Test for cooking meat perfectly...

There are two basic methods to test for how done your meat is while you are cooking it - use a meat thermometer, or press on the meat with your finger tips. The problem with the meat thermometer approach is that when you poke a hole into the meat with a thermometer, it can let juices escape, juices that you would rather have stay in the meat.
For this reason, I like to rely on the "finger test" method, especially on steaks (whole roasts are better tested with a thermometer).
This is one of those things that gets easier with practice. The next time you cook a steak, even if you are still planning to rely on a meat thermometer, press on the meat here and there while it cooks, and compare the feeling of the meat with the following finger test. With practice, you will become more confident.


This is an example of meat cooked to MEDIUM!


The texture of the meat varies in degrees of doneness closely corresponds to the feel of the fleshy part of your palm below the thumb: the abductor pollicis brevis.
The more the meat is cooked, the less malleable it becomes.

Open the palm of your hand. Relax the hand. Take the index finger of your other hand and push on the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm. Make sure your hand is relaxed. This is what rare meat feels like.

Press the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb. The fleshy area below the thumb should give quite a bit. This is what meat cooked to medium-rare feels like.

 Gently press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. This is medium.

Gently press the tip of your ring finger to tip of your thumb. This is medium well.

Now gently press the tip of your pinky and your thumb together. Again feel the fleshy area below the thumb. It should feel quite firm. This is what well done meat feels like when you press on it.

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