Preparing good food starts with buying high-quality products and knowing how to turn them into a mouthwatering meal. Aside from having the know-how to mix and match ingredients and flavors, it pays to have knowledge on how to tell when your food is done cooking or if it needs more cooking time on the heat. 

The secret of meat doneness is something you want to know to ensure that you will never get food poisoning from your meat. Aside from this, cooking your meat through and through will allow you to release all the juices and delicious flavors and make the meat the star of your dinner spread!

If you want to read a quick guide to meat doneness basics, you have reached the right blog post! Read on to find out how to make sure that your meat is cooked through and the temperatures to look out for when you use your meat thermometer to check.

Cooking Time, Meat Doneness, and the Connection Between

There is a solid connection between the amount of cooking time it takes to cook meat and its doneness. Here is an informative list of the recommended cooking times to achieve the optimal temperature and doneness of specific types of meat. 

T-Bone Steaks

When it comes to steaks, different people may prefer varying levels of doneness. For a 4 cm cut of meat, you want to sear each side for around two to three minutes per side for rare doneness. For medium doneness, you should cook each side for four minutes. Lastly, you want to keep each side on the heat for a well-done steak for around five to six minutes. Make sure only to turn the steak once to prevent the meat from drying out.

Entrecote

Entrecote is a bit lighter than a t-bone steak and will require caution to ensure it will come out juicy after cooking. Just like t-bones, entrecote will have different levels of doneness. For rare, cook each side for just a minute and 30 seconds. For medium doneness, cook for three minutes. If you prefer a well-done steak, cook each side for four minutes. 

Magret

You should be cautious when you cook duck meat because it can very quickly dry out if left on the heat for too long. For a 400 gram piece, cook both sides for two minutes for medium doneness and four minutes for a well-done cutlet.

Tuna

Tune is best served well-done on the outside and almost rare in the middle. This will bring out the delicious flavor and texture of the fish. Cook for two minutes on one side and one minute on the other to achieve this result.

Salmon

Salmon is another delicate fish that will come out juicy and tasty if cooked to the right doneness. Cook for two minutes and a half, skin side down, and rest for 45 seconds before cutting. 

Conclusion

Having knowledge about cooking time and the doneness of different types of meat will allow you to make each dish you cook something to look forward to. With this knowledge, you will be able to prepare restaurant-quality food for your family every meal. 

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