Cooking to the Center

As we read earlier, heat is transferred from the outside of food to the inside by conduction. Conduction takes time, so cooking takes time.

Think of a steak cooking on a grill. Let’s say we want to cook the steak to an interior temperature of 140°F (60°C), for medium doneness. When we first put the steak on to cook, the interior temperature is room temperature, or possibly refrigerator temperature. The outside, however, rises to perhaps 400°F (200°C) very soon after we place it on the grill. Gradually, this heat moves to the center. By the time the center reaches the target temperature, the outside is much hotter. If we cut the steak through the center, we see a gradation from very well done at the outside to medium done in the middle.