The Best Way to Check Steak Doneness, According to Chefs

The idea of cooking a steak used to keep me up at night. While a meticulous baker to my core, I tend to throw procedure out the window when I’m cooking. After purchasing an overpriced ribeye and convincing myself I remember which thumb-to-finger trick means “medium-rare,” I nevertheless used to feel a tad frazzled and unconfident about cooking my steaks correctly. Thankfully, this nightmare ended entirely once I began referring to a steak doneness chart and using a meat thermometer.

A panoply of steak-cooking tips exists. You can check the doneness of steak and many other cuts of meat without a thermometer, whether that’s by following a timetable, poking the steak with your finger, or outright cutting it open. However, only one method rings most true and reliable to professional chefs — and apparently, I’m not the only one who believes you can’t go wrong with the handy and unfailing ThermoWorks Thermapen One.

ThermoWorks Thermapen One

The last thing you want to do is slice your steak open to check its doneness, according to Chef Trisha Pérez Kennealy of Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Cutting into a piece of meat to check whether it’s done lets the juices that keep the meat moist and flavorful escape,” she says. Slicing prematurely into any cut of meat without letting it rest can be detrimental, causing it to become tougher and potentially less cooked than intended, so Pérez Kennealy uses a meat thermometer, similar to the Thermapen One, to completely “eliminate the guesswork of whether or not your meat is done.”

“For insta-read thermometers, I’ve always used the ThermoWorks Thermapen,” says Chef Erik Meidell of Grillroom Chophouse & Wine Bar in Chicago. Meidell likes to give steak enough resting time for carryover cooking. “It’s a safety net,” he says, explaining that feeling a steak isn’t the definitive tell all for doneness. Using the Thermapen to double-check the internal temperature of steaks before serving them to customers is a means of “preventing them from being sent back” and keeping his professional kitchen efficient.

Champion pitmaster Christie Vanover of Girls Can Grill also prefers using the ThermoWorks One over prodding steaks: “When I know the steak is getting close to done, I insert it into the center.” Inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat provides the most accurate reading and prevents undercooking. Plus, the Thermapen senses temperature at the very tip of its probe with about a half-inch of taper, so it’s easy to gauge where you’re reading in a cut of meat. Vanover removes her steak from the heat once the temperature reads five degrees less than her desired doneness, which, after resting, gives her consistently perfect results.

Ever since I started using the Thermapen One myself, my kitchen habits have changed for the better. When I cook, I use it to check the temperatures of pork chops, salmon, and burger patties. It’s also useful for baking: I use mine to check the temperature of cakes, and its narrow probe doubles as a plain cake tester that lets me inspect the crumb visually. Whether you’re searing New York strips on weekends, roasting turkeys during the holidays, or baking cakes for any occasion, you and the home cooks in your life need an instant-read digital meat thermometer for the best outcomes. And luckily for you, the ThermoWorks Thermapen One is $40 off for Black Friday.

More Instant-Read Meat Thermometer Deals to Shop Now

Meater Pro Meat Thermometer

Alpha Grillers Instant Read Thermometer

Ninja ProChef Wireless Thermometer

Taylor Instant Read Kitchen Thermometer

ThermoPro Dual-Probe Digital Meat Thermometer

At the time of publishing, the price was $69.