How to use a meat thermometer by Matt Preston

How to use a meat thermometer by Matt Preston

Accurate: Testing steak with a dial thermometer.

How to use a meat thermometer by Matt Preston

Testing times: A digital meat thermometer.


The secret to perfect meat and fish every time is a meat thermometer. Matt Preston reports.

So what is the Holy Grail in the kitchen? There are many but the most vexing must be the perfect cooking of meat and fish.

What makes the correct cooking so important is that overcooked proteins tend to be dry and tough.

Even worse some undercooked meat like chicken can make you sick – especially if you are cooking rolled, ground or minced meats. This is because of bacteria which live on the surfaces of meat but not inside. This means we can eat a rare steak without too much risk because the bacteria on the surface are killed by the heat of cooking. The rolling, grinding and mincing of meats however puts some of those "outsides" on the inside of what you are cooking!


One factor that makes cooking meat or fish the way you want so difficult is all the variables involved such as the thickness of meat, heat of your oven, the temperature of your meat or fish when you start cooking it – the list goes on and on.

Experienced chefs and cooks learn to tell how far a piece of meat is cooked by the touch and feel – basically how firm the protein has become, by the sight, by the smell or even by the sound that the cooking meat or fish makes in the pan. Other ways of checking "cuisson" – to use the cheffy French word for achieving the correct point of cooking – include piercing at the thickest part with a metal skewer and seeing how warm the skewer is by placing it on your lip. Or by piercing the thigh of a chook and looking at the juices that come out. If they are clear then the bird is cooked, if there is any redness in the juices then it needs longer in the oven.


Far simpler, and more failsafe, is to use a cheap piece of kitchen technology that is readily available – the food or meat thermometer. This is a simple piece of kit with a metal needle that you can insert into whatever is cooking to see the internal temperature.

Meat thermometers cost between $12 and $40, which is a comparatively small price to ensure that your expensive meat and fish is cooked the way you want.

It's a wonderfully reassuring piece of kitchen equipment and it's a bit like having an experienced chef standing beside you in the kitchen advising you when things are cooked. Despite this simple solution, amazingly, figures released by the Food Safety Information Council show less than a quarter of Aussie homes have a meat thermometer. And, of course, buying a meat thermometer isn't enough on its own to get perfectly cooked meat or fish. You need to remember to use it.


Stick it into the thickest part of the meat ensuring it doesn't touch bone or gristle.

The Food Safety Information Council advises poultry, sausages, hamburgers and rolled roast meats should reach 75C to ensure all food poisoning bacteria are killed.

If you are cooking a piece of meat or fish, my guidelines for internal temperature for rare, medium-rare or medium are in the table here.


125°F / 50°C
130°F / 55°C
140°F / 60°C
108°F / 42°C
122°F / 50°C
140°F / 60°C

Remember that all meat should be rested as it allows the meat to relax and juices to redistribute through the meat, which results in more tender and juicier meat.

But, while this is happening, the heat from the outside of what you have cooked will still be working its way into the centre, increasing its internal temperature. Basically, your meat, fish or poultry is still cooking while it is resting. This is why fish that is perfect in the pan is so often overcooked when it gets to the table.

For the best results always rest what you've roasted, baked or grilled and take into account this continued cooking when you decide at what temperature you want to take it off the heat.

The amount the internal temperature will rise depends on the size of the piece of meat. The difference between the surface temperature and the internal temperature when it comes out of the oven can be anywhere from 2-8°C.


Remember the temperatures here are only guidelines. You need to work out which is the internal temperature at which you like to eat your meat and fish. Basically I like my steak rare, my lamb pink, my pork with a little blush on it and my chicken juicy.

  • Maggie Beer recommends removing roast chook or turkey from the oven when the thermometer reads 68C in the leg. Rick Stein recommends cooking fish between 55C and 70C but never over that. I like it at the lower end of that scale.
  • I have found that beef can be cooked a little less to be rare (ie 45C) while 70C or above will give you a well done steak. Lamb and chook need a little more heat to achieve the desired cooking point and you'll find that lamb cooked with the bone in will read a lower temperature to be rare than lamb which has had the bone removed.

Follow Matt Preston on Twitter:

Information in this article is correct as of 20 March, 2012.


Source - March 2012


Matt Preston

Latest Comments is about sharing your opinions with others.


Gwydir added this comment at 01:01pm Sun 16th February, 2014
THANKYOU! - assisted a long discussion? to a final outcome :) I have a dial thermometer - where would I purchase a digital meat thermometer?? & is it more accurate ? Carol.
mts added this comment at 05:00pm Mon 22nd October, 2012
It's reassuring that even Matt Preston uses a meat thermometer! I love mine, got it from
dspear added this comment at 06:00pm Tue 20th March, 2012
Dear Matt, I now have two meat thermometers - after my partner put one in the dishwasher - it is now &^%$#@ Please advise your readers of how to clean/maintain this sensitive electronic device. - Does not like water - Does not like heat Cheers

What's popular



Sweets and treats

Fast dinners

Fast dinners

Heinz® Beanz Creationz™

Feed your family fresh

Feed your family fresh

Brought to you by Coles

Healthy Recipes

Healthy Recipes

Browse through our yummy yet healthy recipes

Quick & Easy

Quick & Easy

Simple recipes and quick tips

Have your say

How do you usually consume breakfast?

From the magazines

Matt Preston's bacon carbonara

Matt Preston's bacon carbonara


Make it light

Make it light
