Cooking steak with a meat thermometer
A perfect steak on the table really doesn’t have to be guesswork. With the right techniques and a good meat thermometer, cooking steak becomes an exact science. We’ll guide you through the ideal core temperatures, the best measuring methods, and techniques such as reverse searing and resting steaks.
Why a meat thermometer is essential when cooking a steak
Many home cooks try to determine the doneness of a steak by feel. Or worse: by cutting it open. Please don’t do that. All the juices you lose that way are exactly what you want to keep inside your steak. And the color on the outside? It tells you absolutely nothing about what’s happening on the inside.
A good digital instant-read thermometer gives you the exact core temperature within seconds. That way, you’ll always know you’ve reached the perfect doneness. Cooking a thicker steak on the BBQ, or doing a low & slow session? Then a wireless leave-in thermometer with multiple probes is ideal. Keep an eye on it from a distance while you enjoy a beer.
The ideal core temperature for a steak
The doneness of your steak depends on how the proteins in the meat react to heat. Here are the core temperatures we use:
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Rare – 50 to 52°C. A cool, deep red center with a very soft texture. For the true purists.
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Medium-rare – 53 to 55°C. The gold standard if you ask us. A warm, red center that is extremely juicy and tender. This is what most chefs serve, and we recommend it too.
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Medium – 56 to 59°C. A fully pink center. The meat feels firmer but retains its juiciness.
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Well-done – 64°C and above. Fully cooked through and grey-brown. This makes the meat tougher and drier. Especially with leaner steaks like an entrecote, you’ll generally want to avoid this.
How do you measure the core temperature of a steak correctly?
Insert the probe of your thermometer into the thickest, central part of the steak. Avoid bone and large pieces of fat: bone conducts heat faster and gives a reading that’s too high, while fat actually insulates.
Do you have a relatively thin steak of less than 2.5 cm? Then insert the thermometer horizontally from the side into the meat. This way, you reach the exact center without the heat from the pan affecting your measurement.
Calibrating your thermometer: how to make sure it’s accurate
You’re paying for quality steaks, so you want to be sure your thermometer is accurate. Calibrating it is simple:
Ice water method: fill a glass with ice and a little cold water. Insert the probe without touching the sides. After 30 seconds, it should read exactly 0°C.
Boiling water method: bring a pan of water to a boil. The thermometer should read 100°C. Is it off? Adjust it using your thermometer’s calibration function.
Resting: the secret to the perfect steak
This is where many home cooks go wrong. They only take the steak off the heat once the target temperature has been reached. But the heat on the outside continues to move inward afterward. This is called resting or carryover cooking.
Rule of thumb: remove your steak from the pan or grill 2 to 3 degrees before the desired final temperature. For really thick steaks like a côte de boeuf, this can even be 5 to 7 degrees.
After cooking, loosely wrap the steak in aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the muscle fibers to relax and the juices to redistribute evenly. The result when you cut into it? A juicy steak instead of a puddle of liquid on your cutting board.
What can you do if you don’t have a meat thermometer?
Don’t have a meat thermometer on hand? Then you can use the finger test as a backup. Feel the base of your thumb—the fleshy part of your palm—and compare its firmness to that of your steak.
With a relaxed hand, it feels soft, similar to rare. Touch your thumb and index finger together lightly, and you’ll feel the resistance of medium-rare. Thumb to middle finger corresponds to medium, thumb to ring finger to medium-well, and thumb to pinky to well-done.
But to be honest: a thermometer is always more reliable. Still, in a pinch, this is a solid backup.