Rare meat. Grindley and Sprague have suggested, for convenience, that
meat with an interior temperature at its center of 60 °C. or below be called
rare. Such meats are juicier than meats cooked well done. Nearly all the
interior may be a bright red color or only a small portion around the center
of the meat may be red. The extent or uniformity of the red color depends
upon the cooking temperature. As the heat penetrates the meat the color
near the surface becomes gray. If the cooking temperature is high, this gray
layer may extend nearly to the center of the meat. If the meat is cooked at
a low temperature the gray color extends only a short depth and the color
of the interior of the meat is nearly uniform. Thus it can be seen that if
different cooking temperatures are used the interior of different pieces of
meat cooked to the same inner temperature may vary decidedly in appear-
ance. The intensity of the red color may vary with other factors as well as
with the cooking temperature. The interior of cooked meat ripened 40 to
60 days is grayer in color than meat that has not been ripened. Veal cooked
to the same inner temperature, and with the same cooking temperature, is
grayer, and has less red color, than beef. Rare meat also has more of the
original meat flavor than well-done meat, for not so much of the fluids and
extractives giving flavor to the meat has been lost.
Medium well-done meat. Grindley and Sprague have suggested that
meat that has reached an inner temperature of 60° to 70°C. be called
medium well done. Here the color also varies with the temperature of
cooking, the degree to which the meat has been ripened, and in some in-
FACTORS AFFECTING THE TIME IN COOKING MEAT 233
stances with the age of the animal and the kind of meat. Rare and medium
well-done meats are probably more often associated with the color of the
cooked meat. Since the color of the cooked meat varies with different con-
ditions, the division into rare, medium well done and well done on the
basis of inner temperature of the meat is only an arbitrary one and not
always satisfactory. Most people would be agreed that medium well-done
meat should not be a deep red or pink, but should show some pink color.
Well-done meat. Meat that has a uniform gray color throughout the
entire interior of the meat is usually called well done. With veal, this
stage of cookery is sometimes reached before or by the time the inner tem-
perature of the meat has reached 71°C. This may also be true of beef that
has ripened sufficiently. Unripened beef requires a higher temperature than
7l°C. before a uniform gray color is attained, when a low cooking tem-
perature is used. But to some persons the term well done is associated with
the degree of cookery, that is, the separation of the muscle fibers due to
formation of gelatin from the connective tissue. It may also refer to the
dryness of the meat and the loss of juices. The meat may be cooked until
it reaches a temperature far above 7l°C., often from 80° to 85°C. for
roasts and from 95° to 99°C. for braised meat.
Factors Affecting the Time Required for Cooking Meat
Page 188
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Rare meat. Grindley and Sprague have suggested, for convenience, that
meat with an interior temperature at its center of 60 °C. or below be called
rare. Such meats are juicier than meats cooked well done. Nearly all the
interior may be a bright red color or only a small portion around the center
of the meat may be red. The extent or uniformity of the red color depends
upon the cooking temperature. As the heat penetrates the meat the color
near the surface becomes gray. If the cooking temperature is high, this gray
layer may extend nearly to the center of the meat. If the meat is cooked at
a low temperature the gray color extends only a short depth and the color
of the interior of the meat is nearly uniform. Thus it can be seen that if
different cooking temperatures are used the interior of different pieces of
meat cooked to the same inner temperature may vary decidedly in appear-
ance. The intensity of the red color may vary with other factors as well as
with the cooking temperature. The interior of cooked meat ripened 40 to
60 days is grayer in color than meat that has not been ripened. Veal cooked
to the same inner temperature, and with the same cooking temperature, is
grayer, and has less red color, than beef. Rare meat also has more of the
original meat flavor than well-done meat, for not so much of the fluids and
extractives giving flavor to the meat has been lost.
Medium well-done meat. Grindley and Sprague have suggested that
meat that has reached an inner temperature of 60° to 70°C. be called
medium well done. Here the color also varies with the temperature of
cooking, the degree to which the meat has been ripened, and in some in-
FACTORS AFFECTING THE TIME IN COOKING MEAT 233
stances with the age of the animal and the kind of meat. Rare and medium
well-done meats are probably more often associated with the color of the
cooked meat. Since the color of the cooked meat varies with different con-
ditions, the division into rare, medium well done and well done on the
basis of inner temperature of the meat is only an arbitrary one and not
always satisfactory. Most people would be agreed that medium well-done
meat should not be a deep red or pink, but should show some pink color.
Well-done meat. Meat that has a uniform gray color throughout the
entire interior of the meat is usually called well done. With veal, this
stage of cookery is sometimes reached before or by the time the inner tem-
perature of the meat has reached 71°C. This may also be true of beef that
has ripened sufficiently. Unripened beef requires a higher temperature than
7l°C. before a uniform gray color is attained, when a low cooking tem-
perature is used. But to some persons the term well done is associated with
the degree of cookery, that is, the separation of the muscle fibers due to
formation of gelatin from the connective tissue. It may also refer to the
dryness of the meat and the loss of juices. The meat may be cooked until
it reaches a temperature far above 7l°C., often from 80° to 85°C. for
roasts and from 95° to 99°C. for braised meat.
Factors Affecting the Time Required for Cooking Meat