# Actual temps for steaks



## mclain (Oct 30, 2015)

I am curious about what internal temperatures most professional restaurant chefs consider medium rare for beef tenderloin or ribeye. I am well aware of the USDA standards and the recommended temps advised by culinary texts and resources, however my own personal and professional preferences are about 15 degrees lower than these accounts. I would like to hear from other restaurant chefs about this. Thanks in advance.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Rare 95-105 MR 105-115 M 120-130 MW 135-140
Well 155

I've used this system for years with good results.


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## mclain (Oct 30, 2015)

Thanks grande, those are exactly the same temps I use.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Really?

I would think that if you sent out a medium rare steak at 105-115 and the rest of the world sees it as between 130-135, you'd have a lot of them sent back no?


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

While I agree that I think that the USDA is kind of high in their estimations, I also think that Grande is a little low.  I would bump his numbers up by about 5 degrees to hit optimal temp ranges.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

@Chefross i've never met anyone who thinks a 130° steak is midrare... in fact i think the usda guidelines are waaaay off. Do you cook to usda guidelines, or what temps do you use?


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

@Pete you're probably right, now that i look at it. I'd be pretty comfortable with a 120 MR but Mid i'd shhot closer to 125. But it's a rule of thumb and a range of temps, not a strict guideline... the appearance and texture of the meat is what's important, right?


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

95 is a little low for anything.  That's blue.  It has to be at least above body temperature to be rare.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Well, don't forget carryover, although I'll admit it'll be minimal below 100°


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Grande said:


> @Chefross i've never met anyone who thinks a 130° steak is midrare... in fact i think the usda guidelines are waaaay off. Do you cook to usda guidelines, or what temps do you use?


Seriously? At work I use a pocket thermometer to check my steaks. I cook a la minute so I must cook the meat to the proper temperature and serve it right away. 138 is medium rare in the world I cook in. The steak is medium rare. I don't understand nor comprehend what you are talking about. Anything less then that temperature and the meat is "raw" inside...not rare, but raw.

Please enlighten me, as now I am really confused.

I just went to some websites for cooking steaks and they all agree with me.

I suppose now if I mention that I cook lamb chops to 145 for medium rare, that is wrong also?


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Yeah, man, I don't know what to tell you other than that we live a long way apart. I understand what you're saying, but, that's the way i was taught to do it. A MR steak should still be rare/raw in the center surrounded by red, a medium steak should be an even red all the way accross.
Just to be clear, I'm not trying to start any arguments, I've read enough of your posts to know you know what you're doing; but that's the system i use & I'm not going to BS about it either.
I usually cook by touch now, by trained myself to do so with a thermometer and am not too macho to use one if i'm unsure.


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## mclain (Oct 30, 2015)

I started this thread, simply because I wanted to hear from other chefs about their standards for internal temperature on grilled steaks. I have my own professional standards based on experience and practice, and I stand by my temps. My ribeye is 16-18 oz. and my bacon wrapped tenderloin is 8 oz. I start my steaks on a gas powered open flame chargrill, about 2 minutes for each turn to get a nice sear and cross hatching at 11 and 1 o'clock, then I finish the steak in a 450° oven. Timing is incredibly important, pulling the steak and temping it by touch and having instinct and experience. But to be truly accurate and for purposes of training line cooks, I almost always use an instant read digital probe thermometer with a slim tapered end. I insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the center of the steak. If it reads 112°, I rest the steak for 2 minutes max before serving it as medium rare. I know that this is not USDA standard, however it has always worked for me. Different cuts and different proteins have different temps, but I have found that my temps are generally 10° lower than temps in culinary textbooks, USDA recommendations, and other industry professionals.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Alright.....I believe we can nip this thing in the bud.

No matter what WE (Chefs, line and broiler cooks) call steak temperatures, is of no importance if the customer is not educated.

Temperature numbers mean nothing to the customer.

Sometimes medium rare can be misconstrued as rare or raw to some people.

Alternately medium can be enjoyed by people who believe that their steak is less done as medium rare.

I believe this is the case here.




  








steak-doneness-chart.jpg




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chefross


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Nov 1, 2015


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

order chicken.jpg




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just jim


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Nov 2, 2015


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## theages (Feb 7, 2010)

For the past 5-6 years we have successfully used the following temps for our NYs and Fillets, which are intended to be slightly "under".

Blue   90°

Rare 105°

MR   115°

M     125°

MW  140°

W     155°

And I agree that the USDA temps are completely wrong. Their job is to error on the side of caution, sterilize everything, avoid class-action law suits...but they're not good culinary advisors.


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