How to Tell If Your Meat Is Cooked Without Using a Thermometer

Whether you spend the summergrilling steakoutside or searing chops in your favoritecast iron skilletin the comfort of your air-conditioned kitchen, you'll inevitably need to decipher when your meat is properly cooked at some point.

Here, ameat thermometeris a crucial tool, and we suggest that everyone have one on hand. If you don't have one, however, or if it's not within reach when you need it,the touch testalso works: Touch the cut of meat with your finger and then feel the fleshy part of your hand underneath your thumb. The meat is raw if it feels like the fleshy part. Now hold your thumb and index finger together: The meat is rare if it feels like that. Now touch your thumb to your middle finger: The meat is medium rare if it feels like that. Next, connect your ring finger and your thumb: If the meat feels like the fleshy part of your palm now, it's medium. Finally, join your pinky and thumb: The meat is well done if it feels like that. It's a method a lot of chefs and home cooks use.

ButAngie Mar, owner and executive chef ofNYC's Beatrice Innand aFood & WineBest New Chef from 2017who is known for her steaks and prime rib, uses a different method to determine if her meat is cooked.

When the Mar stopped by the Test Kitchen a few weeks ago, she showed Culinary Director Justin Chapple to use acake tester.

Go in at an angle in the middle of the cut, wait for a second, and then touch the tester to your wrist. If it's cold, the meat is raw. If it's warm—close to your body temperature—then the meat is medium rare. If it’s hot, it's well done.

Chapple typically uses a cake tester to determine if fish is fully cooked (another pro tip if you'regrilling seafoodthis summer!), but using it for meat is another great idea.

Mar uses this tip for her signature Rib-Eyes, but also when she's cooking other cuts, likehanger steak, which she says is her other favorite alternative to a Rib Eye because it's more affordable and has that same beefy flavor.

See here for Mar's othergo-to tools for cooking steakor any other kind of meat, and check ourmore grilling essentialshere.