Cutting into a steak to check it is the worst thing you can do. Juices run out, the fibres tense up, and you've already lost what you were trying to save. Here is what restaurant cooks do instead.
The finger test (steak, chicken breast, lamb)
Touch the meat. Compare the firmness to your hand:
- Rare — soft, like the pad of your thumb when your hand is relaxed.
- Medium-rare — slight resistance, like touching your thumb to your index finger.
- Medium — firmer, thumb to middle finger.
- Well done — firm, thumb to pinky. (Don't.)
Press the centre of the steak with the back of a spoon if you don't want to touch it. Same logic.
The temp shortcut
If you have a thermometer, use it. Push it into the thickest part, away from bone. Pull the meat 5°C below your target — it carries over while resting.
| Cut | Pull at | Final after rest |
|---|---|---|
| Beef rare | 47°C / 117°F | 52°C / 125°F |
| Beef medium | 57°C / 135°F | 62°C / 145°F |
| Pork loin | 60°C / 140°F | 65°C / 150°F |
| Chicken breast | 70°C / 158°F | 74°C / 165°F |
Don't have a thermometer? Use the finger test. Both work.
The trick we actually use
Mid-service, no thermometer, eight steaks on the pass: hold the metal skewer through the thickest part for three seconds, pull it out, touch it to the inside of your wrist.
- Cool → raw inside.
- Warm → medium-rare.
- Hot → medium-well.
- Hot enough to flinch → well done. Toss it.
Sounds primitive. It works.
Always rest the meat
Five minutes for steaks, ten for roasts. Skip it and the juices end up on the cutting board, not in the meat.
That's the whole game.
