I cannot cook meat... page

[sasuga]

Seriously. I never know when it's done... it's always pink inside... all meat... -sweat drop-

[pdovers]

Get a meat thermometer and google proper meat temps that correspond to how you like it cooked - medium, medium well, etc.

[MakeItSo]

Whenever I'm grilling steak, I always use the hand trick:

Touching For Doneness

[Owly]

I second the meat thermometer suggestion. I'm just not good at the touch method, and the thermometer will also help in ensuring your roast beef, chicken, or whatever else is cooked the way you want.

[HillsideGina]

I also touch for doneness - you will get the hang of this after you've done it a couple of times.

[Meadow]

Yup, get a thermometer. Definitely practice the hand touch technique mentioned above....you can always test it, then do the temp with a thermometer, and over time you will start to see the difference. I used to be a meat newb, always cutting into my steaks to see if they were done (makes me cringe now), overcooking chicken until it was super dry, always making the husband cook the grilled items, but with practice now I have completely kicked the hubby out of the kitchen AND off the grill.

I personally like a cheap digital thermometer, the one I use now I think I picked up for 9 bucks at the grocery store. I have bought two nicer expensive ones and hate 'em. Something like this is all you need Amazon.com: Taylor Digital Instant-Read Pocket Thermometer: Kitchen & Dining

Remember, any decent size piece of meat (like steak, hamburger, chicken breast), is going to carry over heat after you remove it from the cooking surface. So take it off the heat 5-10 degrees before it is done and let it rest under a loose piece of foil for at least 5 minutes. The larger the meat size (like a roast), the more carryover and the longer it should rest. Any small pieces, like chicken tenders, are really not going to continue cooking much once removed from heat.

When checking bone in poultry, like a whole roasting chicken, insert into the thickest part of the thigh area, but not touching the bone. For patties or thinner meats like steak/hamburger, insert the thermometer from the side to get an accurate reading.

If I am cooking something like chicken wings or thighs on the grill, I will often times flip one over and part the meat away from the bone a bit...usually this is pretty easy to do on these cuts without completely ruining your meat. I look for clear juices rather then pink. Chicken breasts are probably the hardest item to cook whole without drying them out and they take forever. When doing boneless breasts on a grill or skillet, I usually filet them in half to cut cooking time down and still keep them moist.

Hope the tips help, good luck!!

[Owly]

Learning to let meat rest was one of the best things I ever did for my meat cooking (well, that and going primal--fat tastes good!). As Meadow said, tenting (covering loosely with foil or a lid) slows the cooling during the rest period. It also allows the juices to be drawn back into the meat so that they don't run all over when you cut the roast or whatever. You end up with a much more moist result that way as well as allowing time for the meat to finish cooking once you've removed it from the heat.

[Kate Ruckman]

Exactly what we did for dinner tonight--herb-encrusted roast cooked almost to 140 degrees (rare, which is how we like it), then allowed to rest and draw the juices back in for 10 minutes. Tender, savory, succulent...love that meat thermometer!

[rrrrrick]

For big roasts and stuff is there a way to test for doneness aside from a meat thermometer?

[UnsafeAtAnySpd]

Eat more steak, it's supposed to be pink.

But yeah, a thermometer helps a lot. I also cook most of my meat on the grill and for some reason it's way easier to tell just by looking as opposed to the stove.

If all else fails, I've found moderate food poisoning to be an effective weight loss tool...