https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-take-meat-temperature-thermometer-cooking-doneness
Hi friends, could anyone shed some light on how to accurately temp a piece of meat?
In this article they talk about finding the ‘coldest’ part of the meat by pushing the probe all the way in and slowly retracting it until a lowest temperature is recorded.
However, when i temp a piece of meat with this method, the temperature constantly decreases as the probe moves towards the upper surface of the meat which will definitely be colder as it is not in direct contact with the pan. So how do I know when to stop?
Thank you!
by hotpotato86
4 Comments
I don’t overthink it. I probe it in multiple locations that are in the center. The readings do not typically deviate by much, if I am cooking it right. That means heat is evenly distributed, whether it needs to be flipped regularly on a ripping hot pan or put in the middle of a 275 degree oven.
Keep in mind that “instant read” still takes about 3-5 seconds to get an accurate reading. Try to find the thickest part and leave it in for a few seconds to get the best reading.
I mean, if you’re looking for the coldest part of the meat, and the top hasn’t been exposed to heat, you can just temp the surface.
The whole “retracting until a lowest temp is recorded” assumes the meat is being cooked from both sides, either through flipping, or through all around heat.
If you are pan frying and you have cooked both sides and the thickest part is your target temp you are good to go most of the time. If you are really worried you can cut it in half after letting it rest. If you have health concerns like a pregnant wife, just blast that thing.
If you are boiling or baking, it will typically have a consistent temp throughout the