I like this method a lot better than another one someone taught me (also using the palm, but pressing on different spots on the hand, which is hard to remember and confusing...) -- this is much simpler!

So, did you burn your finger? :o)

No burns! :-) ~Elise

Is there a difference in how to test from meat cooked on the grill to meat cooked under your broiler? Or is this a 'universal' test?

No difference. ~Elise

Do I ever like Wendy's face method for testing meat doness. I am familiar wirh the hand method but I think the face method might be easier to remember. Wow! The great things you learn from these food blogs. This bit of information is a keeper.

We have finally mastered this technique as well and can get medium rare pretty consistently now. A chef friend of mine once said, "once you stick a meat thermometer in you've let all the juices out and your steak might as well be well done." I don't know that it's THAT dramatic but it is certainly an easy enough technique.

This is brilliant! Probably my favorite grilling post ever!

I've heard this works great for steaks, but what else would you recommend testing with this method? I'd be nervous cooking chicken without a thermometer, but it seems like pork chops and tenderloin medallions would be well suited.

What about raw sausage? Lamb? Would it work okay for a pork tenderloin or rack of lamb, since they aren't as thick as a pork loin or other roast?

For chicken, you can finger test first to see if it looks like a good time to test with a thermometer. You really do not want to be eating raw chicken so we always test with a thermometer or even cutting with a knife tip to be sure it's cooked all the way through. I wouldn't do this with raw sausage. But I would with a pork chop, pork loin, or lamb chop. ~Elise

Brilliant, I've never heard of this! Thanks for sharing. I wonder, how does it affect the test if you have really fat or bony hands? :)

Thanks for this Elise! My husband usually cooks all our "grill" meat (just because I'm semi-lazy and he's good at it) and he uses the fingertip method. I asked him to explain it to me, because I wanted to get a hang of grilling steaks, and he couldn't. He said you just knew. So I haven't tried it because in Australia beef is pretty expensive on a student budget (much more so if you buy a nice steak) and I'd hate to ruin it. This makes perfect sense though! Comparisons are always helpful! I love your foodie-tip posts!

Hmmm... I don't know about this... I'm not sure if I can do this.

Paz

Great tip. And the pictures save a lot of writing time. In addition to piercing the meat, I've found digital instant-read thermometers have two drawbacks; the battery dies and is tough to replace, and they aren't all that "instant". On the other hand, they look cool in a sleeve pocket!
Can you recommend a 'fast' thermometer?

Thanks so much! I'm a pastry chef turned acupuncturist, but obviously in pastry class, they didn't teach us how to test meat. I've always tried to figure it out, but I can't seem to really get the right "feel" by using the face. This seems more intuitive to me!

This is much easier to remember than the way my grandpa taught me, and just as accurate.

I learned the face test for meat also, but what I learned is that pressing the flesh of the chin is 'rare', the end of the nose is 'medium' and the forehead is 'well done'

I think the hand method is OK, but everyone's hands have different levels of muscle development and may not be the most reliable method. Not that the face is either; I always tell people that the best method is to practice, practice and practice.

I've never heard of this or any other method of testing the doneness of meat. So needless to say I will definetely try this out the next time I cook steak. Thanx for the info Elise!!!

This is a great tip - and so easy to remember!
Thanks Elise

What a fabulous post! I love it! Thank you for all the details.

What a handy tip (pun intended)! A great culinary mnemonic.

This is a really great helpful tip! Thanks for sharing it.

I'm a professional line cook, I use this test all the time to check my meat. It's far quicker and easier than cutting it open to check.

This really does work like a charm... but it takes practice! A great way to get started is to try the finger test, then take the temp with the thermometer to see if you are right. Much more effective with chicken. Since a decent sized steak requires rest and will continue to cook when removed from the heat, you need to be careful to ensure that you are taking it off one level "less-cooked" than you want the finished product to be!

Glad you've shared this. I have been poking meat for several years now and I found that after some practice I got better results this way.

It is not safe if the steak has been tenderized by cutting or pounding with one of those meat mallets with the sharp points. This will introduce surface bacteria into the inside of the meat. It would not be safe for ground meat products, such as patties, as bacteria can become evenly distributed through the batch used to make the patties. As for the line cook who uses the fingertip method, yuck. I hope he washes his hands frequently and wears food service gloves which he replaces immediately after scratching his head, rubbing his nose...

I think you'll find 90% of the professional chefs and cooks out there use this method, so perhaps you might not want to eat out? Seriously, this is a well-used method. If you are going to make chicken-fried steak, or something else that requires pounding and cutting the heck out of steak, it's probably a thin cutlet and you don't need to test it, even with a thermometer. As for hamburger patties, the best way to ensure safety with hamburger is to grind the meat yourself, or get it from a butcher who does. The safety of the hamburger has to do with the ground meat itself, not whether or not whether or not you touch it as you cook it. Ever hear of steak tartare? It's ground beef that is served raw. On fine dining menus everywhere. Or how about carpaccio? Steak pounded thin and served RAW. ~Elise

I also use a similar technique except it uses a clenched fist. Just loosely make a fist and push the area of skin that intersects between thumb and forefinger - lightly closed fist = raw; firmly closed fist =medium; tightly close fist = well done.

I'm quite a thin person and using your technique it's difficult to differentiate the degrees of softness between your rare and well done.