How do you like your meat?
All beef products, with the exception of minced beef and burgers, can be cooked rare, medium or well done. Lamb and Veal can be cooked medium and well done. Pork, with the exception of fillets, should always be cooked well done.
You can see the differences in:
Internal temperature
Outer colour
Inner colour & Firmness
Moistness
Shape
Rare
Press-test: Soft
The internal temperature is 45-47ºC
The meat is bloody and the juices
are dark red.
Medium rare
Press-test: Soft yet springy
The internal temperature is 50-52ºC
The meat is still bloody in the centre
and the meat juice is light red.
Medium
Press-test: Firm and springy
The internal temperature is 55-60ºC
The centre of the meat is pink.
Well Done
Press-test: Firm
The internal temperature is 64-70ºC
The meat is cooked throughout and
the juices are clear.
How to use a meat thermometer
Cook delicious steaks and joints with confidence, using a digital meat thermometer. Set the required internal temperature and insert the probe horizontally into the centre of the meat. The probe remains inside the joint during cooking, setting off a beeper alerting you when your meat is cooked to perfection.
How much meat?
We are often asked how much meat should be served for a single portion, so we’ve produced this simple guide to help you calculate quantities when cooking. The weights given are for raw, uncooked products.
All suggestions are for a single main course for a typical adult. As people’s appetites vary depending on age, profession, life style and also time of year, please treat this as a guide only. If you are serving more than one course you can reduce the quantities.
Serving guide (suggested uncooked weights per person)
Beef, Lamb, Pork & Veal
Metric Imperial
Without bone 100g - 250g 4oz - 10oz
With bone 200g - 350g 8oz - 14oz
Offal 125g - 175g 5oz - 7oz
Sauces 50g - 100ml 1¾floz - 3½floz
Note: Please follow one set of measures, do not mix them. Metric Conversion 25g/1oz.
