When steak is cooked, the muscle fibers contract because of the increased temperature. The reason for this is because meat is a muscle with two main parts – protein and water. Let it RestĪll cooked beef needs to rest before serving.

This means it’s best to pull your steaks off the heat source when the thermometer reads about 5-10☏ lower than the desired doneness. Rather, you want to pull your steaks off at a high enough temperature so that carryover cooking will do the rest of the work and raise the temperature of the steak to your desired doneness. When you take a temperature reading of steak, you’re not looking for the specific number in the chart above. Carryover CookingĪnother tip to achieve the perfect steak at home is to be mindful of carryover cooking, which is the rise in the steak’s temperature once it leaves the heat source. For steaks 1/2 inch or thicker, it’s usually best to insert an instant-read thermometer horizontally from the side. When taking a temperature reading, measure in the center or the thickest part of the beef, not touching bone or fat. (As a side note, we’ve tried dozens of thermometers and this is our favorite. There’s only one way to tell when steaks are done to the appropriate doneness – an instant-read digital meat thermometer.Įvery kitchen needs a quality meat thermometer. You need to pull your beef off the heat about 5-10☏ before these temperatures are reached. Note: The temperatures in this chart are final doneness. Slightly pink center Completely firm to the touch with brown juices Warm pink center outer portions beginning to brown Completely firm to the touch with red juices Warm red center Beginning to firm up with red juices Steak Doneness Chart DonenessĬool, bright red center Soft to the touch When touched, it will be firm and springy to the touch. The color will be entirely brown with no pink. At this level of doneness, the beef loses all of its natural juices and the steak shrinks. We don’t recommend cooking a steak to well-done because it becomes chewy and has very little flavor. If you press on it with your finger, it will be firm with a considerable amount of spring. The meat will be much drier and chewier because the juices inside the steak will evaporate during the cooking process. Medium-Well 145-154° FĪ medium-well steak will have a mostly brown center, with a faint pink color in the hot center. Pressing on a medium steak with your finger gives slight resistance and it springs back a little. A medium steak is completely warm and has no visible dark red in the center. Medium steak meets the USDA’s recommended internal cooking temperature. It has a pink center surrounded by brown meat. Medium – 135-144° FĪ medium steak is also a very popular option. When touched, medium-rare steak gives only a slight resistance. Medium-rare steaks are seared on the outside and the center has a dark pink red color. Steaks served at this temperature are slightly warm, and have the best juiciness and texture. Medium-rare steak is the most popular level of doneness. Therefore, they all cook differently and to achieve a “medium rare” filet steak is going to be slightly different than a flank steak. The reason for this is because steaks have different thicknesses and characteristics based on the cut and quality. The secret to nailing the perfect doneness every time is a quality meat thermometer (more on that below). It’s not about the color or visual appearance of the beef. Steak doneness is about the steak’s temperature. But, did you know their definition goes beyond the color of the meat? For example, a medium-well steak is more than just, “only a little pink in the middle” The terms “rare,” “medium rare,” “medium,” “medium-well”, and “well” describe how meat is cooked. You’ve probably heard the terms for doneness before. What are the degrees of doneness for steak? No matter how you like your steak, there are a few tips and tricks that will help you make the perfect steak every time. But, what is the best steak doneness? Rare? Medium? Well-done? And an even better question is how can you achieve the best steak doneness from your own kitchen? We have all the answers you need to know about steak doneness, temperature guides and charts, the best thermometers, and touch test.Īh, steaks. Steaks are delicious when cooked to the exact degree of doneness that you want.

Medium rare temp