Page 73 - YC Cooking School

Testing for doneness

Cooking times can be deceptive, as most guidelines are based on weight rather
than thickness. For example, a 10cm piece of sausage will cook in the same
amount of time as a 5cm piece, even though it is double the weight. With this in
mind, by far the best way to check the temperature of a large piece of meat is to
use the always-nifty meat thermometer. To use the thermometer, insert it into
the thickest part of the meat and use the temperatures below as a guideline.
Start checking the temperature of your meat when you crank the temperature
down from 200º to 150º. This will give you a good idea of how much longer it will
take for your meat to cook.

Beef, Lamb & Venison Pork

Rare 50ºC Not applicable

Medium rare 55ºC 55ºC

Medium 60ºC 60ºC

Well done 70ºC 70ºC

Tip the bird forwards
The best test way to tell if chicken is done is to tip the chicken forwards in the
roasting dish and check the colour of the juices that flow out of the cavity. If they
are clear, you’re in the clear, and you’ll know that the bird is cooked.

Rest for success
Remember this rule from our ‘Golden rules’ of cooking meat back in lesson 1?
Don’t forget to rest your roast after it’s cooked for at least 15 minutes so that it
stays succulent and delicious. The easiest way to do this while not letting the
roast go cold is to turn off your oven and leave the door open. If your oven
doesn’t cool down quickly, place the roast on the stovetop and cover it with foil.
Wherever possible, roast on the bone
Meat on the bone is not only more flavoursome, but also helps to prevent

shrinkage. However, we get why so many people use deboned cuts instead:
they’re far easier to slice.

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