Steak Doneness Hand Test: Does it Work? How to Do it.
When you cook steaks to the exact level of doneness that you choose, steak hand test they are excellent. We have all the information you require regarding touch tests, temperature charts and guides.
One preferred beef cut is steak. In fact, many people consider it to be one of the most desirable cuts of meat.
It is nutrient-rich and contains amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, zinc, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
It’s a popular option for backyard barbecues because it’s simple to grill on a whim during the week.
If you’ve ever ordered a steak at a restaurant, whether you wanted it rare, medium, or well done was probably put to you.
The hand test, the importance of checking your steak before you eat it, and more methods for determining when a steak is done are all covered in this article.
How to Use Steak Hand Test Examination
The hand test includes poking a steak with your finger, hence the name. Then you contrast how stiff it feels with the other hand’s.
To use the hand test on a piece of steak, follow these simple steps
- Use your pointer or index finger to gently press down on the meat of a piece of steak when you’re ready to test it. To get a basic notion of how soft or stiff it is, poke around in a few places.
- While extending all of your fingers with your other hand, let them all rest.
- The texture of the steak can be compared to the flesh at the base of your thumb on the palm of your hand. The flesh of your open hand feels soft, and if you press it, you might feel an indentation. This is comparable to the sensation of a rare or raw steak.
- As though you were giving the “ok” sign with your hand, gently press your index or pointer finger on your thumb. Observe how your thumb’s flesh is no longer as soft as it was when your hand was fully extended. This is consistent with how a medium-rare steak ought to feel.
- As you gently push various fingers on your thumb, the firmness of the skin on your hand varies. The flesh becomes less supple and harder as you move from your index to your pinky finger, exactly like a steak does while it cooks.
- Use the table below to assess the level of doneness the steak has been cooked to after comparing its texture to the sensation in your hand.
How You Tell When the Steak is Done
| Thumb and finger in contact | meat doneness | A hand’s feeling of flesh | The temperature of a steak | Meat’s color |
| Ring | moderately well | firmer | 150°F (66°C) | light pink middle |
| Middle | medium | soft | 145°F (63°C) | throughout pale pink |
| A point or index | mildly rare | softer | 135°F (57°C) | reddish-orange center |
| open palm | rare | softest | 125°F (52°C) | Throughout, brilliant red |
| Pinky | well done | firmest | 160°F (71°C) | brown throughout |
What to Know
Compare the cooked meat’s texture to the flesh on your hand when applying the hand test to a piece of steak.
A rare steak will have tender, hand-like meat. When you press your pinky finger against your thumb, the flesh feels hard, just like a well-done steak.
Is the Hand Test Actually Effective?
We can check meats like beefsteak and pork chops for doneness using the hand test, which is widely used.
For years, many home cooks and even chefs in restaurants have adopted the technique.
However, the procedure has received little formal scientific scrutiny. It’s unknown how accurate it is at the moment.
We recently examined the hand test for judging the doneness of a steak in a short research with 26 Australians.
It discovered that the method’s accuracy was just 36%, which was quite poor (3Trusted Source).
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The hand test depends on your subjective assessment of the steaks and your hand’s firmness. It should be more error-prone than alternative approaches, like employing a precise meat thermometer.
The hand test is still widely regarded as a quick, easy, and accurate method of determining if a steak is cooked through.
If you choose to do the hand test on your own, keep in mind that it takes time to become comfortable and confident in the outcomes.
It might be advisable to use a different method to confirm the meat’s doneness in the interim.
What to Know
Many chefs and amateur cooks revered the hand test for steaks. However, there has been little research done on the hand test, so it might not be as reliable as some people think.
Additional Indicators that a Steak is Done
There are a few alternative methods you can use to gauge the doneness of a steak if you don’t feel comfortable using the hand test or if you simply want to check yourself the first few times you try it.
Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature, as shown in the table above, as this is the safest, fastest, and most accurate way to determine whether a steak is done.
Someone can also slice the steak in to check the color.
A rare steak has a pink or red core, a well-done steak is brown all around, and a medium steak falls somewhere in the middle.
What to Know
Besides the hand test, a steak can be measured by cutting it open and examining the color. When a steak is rare, pink when it’s medium-rare, and brown when it’s well-done.
The most accurate method for determining when a steak is done is to use a meat thermometer.
Why Doneness of a Steak Matters
Because we enjoy the flavor and texture of a particular doneness, many of us are concerned with how cooked our steak is.
However, avoiding a food-borne illness is the key reason to pay strict attention to the level of doneness of a steak — or of any meat.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), medium-doneness steak should be cooked to a core temperature of at least 145°F (63°C) (4).
For some people, eating a steak that has been cooked to a lower temperature—as with a rare or medium-rare steak—can be harmful.
If meat isn’t cooked properly after being contaminated with a pathogen like Escherichia coli, it can make people sick, especially the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with compromised immune systems (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
However, most people who prefer rare steaks won’t have any problems.
What to Know
Knowing when to remove a steak from the heat reduces the chance of becoming ill if the meat has been tainted with a virus like E. coli. It is also crucial for taste and texture.
Conclusion
The cattle cut known as steak is full of vitamins and minerals. They frequently sold this red meat in steakhouse restaurants and served it at outdoor barbecues.
Most people have a preferred method for cooking their steak. Many people prefer their meat cooked somewhere in between the two extremes of rare or well-done.
The hand or touch test is one way to determine when a steak is done and cooked to your preferences while cooking it at home.
If you choose to employ the hand test, keep in mind that it requires practice to become familiar with and relies on your own subjective assessment of the meat’s texture. Using a meat thermometer will be safer and more accurate.
