Was totally wrong about using a thermometer for steaks

For years I thought I could tell doneness by touch alone. Then I burned a $45 ribeye for a private dinner party two months ago. My sous chef handed me a Thermapen and made me check a test strip. The difference between medium and medium-well was only 5 degrees. Has anyone else had that humbling moment where a tool proved them dead wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.felix24d ago

Yeah, touch is a total crapshoot. The thing nobody mentions is that the hardness test only works if the steak is the exact same thickness and cut every time. A thin ribeye feels firm way before it hits temp. Thick cuts fool you the other way. I use a cheap instant read now and it saved me more times than I can count. That 5 degree zone is exactly where the magic lives.

grant_hart24d ago

I gotta push back on that "exact same thickness" thing though @ross.felix. Once you cook enough steaks you kind of just know how a certain cut feels at different temps, it's muscle memory more than science.