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Photographs by Kevin A. Roberts
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Q: The public has different perceptions for degrees of doneness in meats. Could you explain the differences in meat temps? —Steve G., Clayton
In my days as a food expeditor—which were many and long ago—nothing made a chef crazier than the following scenario:
Server, returning to the kitchen with a steak: “My customer says this steak is undercooked…says it’s not medium.”
Chef, irritated: “It’s a perfect medium… It’s pink throughout.”
Server: “He says it needs to be cooked more.”
Chef: “Tell him it’s medium, a perfect medium. We hit it perfectly. That’s exactly the way a medium steak should look.”
Server: “You go tell him that.”
Since customers are rarely confronted or called out on such matters, the customer in question either got the steak refired or, depending on the restaurant, was presented with a new steak—this time cooked to medium-well. The worst part? In one way or another, the restaurant pays for this lack of knowledge.
So let’s set things straight: There are norms here, industry standards that almost all kitchens live by. Many diners are unaware of such standards, and many restaurants have different interpretations of industry standards, which is why there’s often a guide at the bottom of many steakhouse menus.
When discussing meat proteins, kitchens adhere to five standard degrees of doneness, technically measured in internal temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit. The diner generally uses visual cues. (In the case of marinated meats, however, visual cues can often be misleading.)
There is a range in temperatures at each level, some wiggle room, which allows for color variance even within each level. Steaks also continue to cook as they rest (or sit under warming lights), so it’s easy to see why getting a steak truly cooked “to your liking” is so hard for a kitchen to pull off.
It should also be mentioned that grill cooks do not use meat thermometers to determine temperatures, but are taught how to cook “by feel,” pressing the top of the protein to determine its doneness.
OK, onto the standards—and depending on the source, even these standards vary. Trust us: Googling meat temperatures can be a confusing exercise.
Helping us in our quest to educate is Steve Gontram, today's Ask George inquisitor and chef/owner of 5 Star Burgers in Clayton, who cooked five different 5 Star burgers to respective temperatures to lend a visual interpretation to what admittedly is nebulous verbiage. Look closely, as all five temps are spot-on. The following visual descriptions are for red meats only.
Rare: 120–130 degrees. Most often defined as browned on the outside and red throughout, with a cool center.
Medium Rare: 130–135 degrees. More browning at the edges, still red throughout, but warm throughout.
Medium: 135–145 degrees. A broad range in the diner’s eyes. Browning as above but pink throughout. In many kitchens, "red starting to go pink" is the more appropriate definition.
Medium Well: 150–160 degrees. More browning, but with a band of pink in the center.
Well Done: 160–plus degrees. Browned throughout. No pink.
Many restaurants use the word “center” when describing temperatures: "cool red center," "hot red center," etc. This terminology is problematic as well and indicates that the grill is too hot. When I order a burger mid-rare, I expect the majority of it to be that way (as in the sample above), “coast-to-coast” mid-rare, as choose I describe it.
And therein lies my advice: As there’s no ironclad standard to specify one’s desired request and some kitchens tend to undercook/overcook, my recommendation is to be as specific as possible with the server (“pink all the way through,” “a little pink in the center,” “red turning to pink,” or whatever). The more specific the description, the more likely the desired result.
