Definition, use, and examples of the word doneness.
For further reading, check out Determining Doneness from Beef. It's What's For Dinner.
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I’m Jenn de la Vega and this is your culinary word of the day.
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Today’s word is doneness
It is spelled...D-O-N-E-N-E-S-S
According to Merriam-Webster,
“Doneness is the condition of being cooked to the desired degree.”
RecipeTips adds,
“The level or degree of cooking that has been completed for the preparation of a food. Doneness is typically measured by temperature readings, visual inspections, color, or texture.
Susan Burton for Slate writes:
“I honed in on the modern American history of doneness, in large part because it can be tracked precisely—thanks to the meat thermometer. This early-20th-century invention brought about a giant cultural shift: the reliance on a gadget—rather than instinct, or experience—to assess our meat. The thermometer was promoted to home cooks as a tool of scientific precision. It was also an instrument of relaxation, something that freed you from worrying about misjudging the meat: “A roast thermometer makes for carefree roasting,” advised the 1959 edition of Fannie Farmer’s famous tome. By midcentury, temperature measurements were a common feature of cookbooks.”
The Iowa Beef Industry Council continues,
“The Perfectly cooked, flavorful beef achieves a balance between the minimum amount of cooking needed for maximum palatability and food safety. Meat thermometers and the visual appearance of the beef aid in determining degrees of doneness.
Braised or stewed beef is always cooked until well done. Tenderness is the clue to doneness; beef is fork-tender when a utility fork can be inserted without resistance and then releases easily when pulled out. Cooking beyond the fork-tender stage can result in dry, stringy beef.
Beef color is also an indicator of degrees of doneness. The protein pigments of hemoglobin and myoglobin are denatured during cooking and change from red to pink to brown “
The Splendid Table outlines doneness with the use of an instant-read thermometer:
120 degrees F [is] Rare. Raw was the stop before this. For those convinced this is the only way to eat steak.
125 to 130 degrees F [is] Medium-Rare. [...] ideal for steak and lamb.
135 to 140 degrees F [is] Medium-Rare to Medium. Still moist, [with] lots of flavor.
145 to 150 degrees F [is] Medium-Well. Heading for dry. With beef and lamb, this is only for those who insist.
150 to 160 degrees F is Well Done. 150 degrees is ideal for pork.
165 degrees F [is] Ideal for stewed meat.
170 to 180 degrees F [is] Only for poultry.”
For further reading, check out Determining Doneness from Beef. It's What's For Dinner.
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I’m Jenn de la Vega and this has been your culinary word of the day.
Next time on Culinary Word of the day, a race to the end.
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