Cooking Times for Meats
For many people cooking can seem almost mystical, and things such as cooking meat can be almost completely incomprehensible. Even for those who have a good handle on cooking generally, the cooking times associated with various meats can get to be confusing.
Misconceptions
Some people may be searching for a fail proof list of cooking times for meats, but cooking authorities such as a America's Test Kitchen caution that any list of times is only an approximation. The way that your roast, steak, or bird cooks could vary due to many factors, and that means watching closely and using a thermometer is the only way to be sure that the meat is cooked properly.
Time Frame
Cooking times for meats change depending on not only the kind of meat you're cooking, but the size and shape of the roast or steak you're dealing with. Here are a few very basic guidelines as an example:
• Unstuffed whole turkey should be cooked approximately 22 minutes per pound.
• Unstuffed whole chicken should be cooked 20 minutes per pound.
• Beef or lamb roast should be cooked 25-40 minutes per pound.
• Beef steaks, pork and lamb chops should be cooked 6-12 min. per side.
• Hamburgers should be cooked 8-15 minutes total.
For more specific guidelines, check for recipes specific to the dish you're making.
Considerations
The best way to tell exactly when meat is done is to insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, without touching any bone.
Cooking temperatures:
• Chicken should be no less than 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Turkey (breast) should be no less than 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Turkey (thigh) should be no less than 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beef (rare) should be no less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beef (medium rare) should be no less than 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beef (medium) should be no less than 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beef (medium well) should be no less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Beef (well) should be no less than 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Always let meat rest under a foil tent for 10 minutes before serving; during that time, the temperature rises another 10 degrees.
Identification
As well as temperature and time, visual cues can also be useful in telling when meats are cooked properly.
• Chicken and turkey should look moist and juicy, absolutely no pink.
• Pork should look almost entirely white (a slight pinkish hue is okay).
• Beef and lamb (rare) should have a cool red center.
• Beef and lamb (medium rare) should have a warm red center.
• Beef and lamb (medium) should have a warm to hot pink center.
• Beef and lamb (medium well) should be hot throughout, with a pink line in the middle.
• Beef and lamb (well) and burgers should be hot, and gray throughout.
Warning
The Food and Drug Administration cautions strongly against eating any meat below the temperature at which bacteria are destroyed, especially true for ground meats and poultry, which are especially prone to contamination.
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