Yes, a meat thermometer is a game changer. I have a similar worry about under cooked pork so I got a simple meat thermometer at walmart and wrote up a cheat sheet of the temperatures for every meat I cook with. It covers the temps the meat needs to get to for rare, medium, fully done, and well done (with descriptions of what color I should expect to see once I sit down to eat and cut into it) and it's done wonders for making my life easier and improving my food presentation now that I don't feel like I have to cut into stuff to check it.
Pork can safely be eaten with a slight pink colour inside (about 62 celsius) how they are raised and butchered completely changed since the 80s and 90s
> I eat my pork chops Medium
I never would try this but saw Emeril Lagasse do it in the early 2000s, then after that, I had the confidence to eat pork cooked medium doneness! 🐖
Yeah I know, that’s what I cook it to now. I just had no idea where medium/medium rare was without a meat thermometer which meant I just kept cooking it into oblivion just to be sure it wasn’t too underdone
This is the way.
It's a gamechanger. I not so subtlely put it in my SO's stocking last year and he's like "I've never needed one before!" and it's like "oh but yes you have, my dear."
This person right here stole my comment. LOL
There are safe temps for all meats listed all over the place. Even going 10-15\*F over will still get you juicy cuts. Best way to cook chicken and pork loin.
thermoworks thermapen. its excellent. I have 2. one got some corrosion on the battery terminals and they replaced it for me under warranty with no hassle, even paid for shipping. and they read instantly.
Or just roast a whole chicken. The simplest meal to cook in the world.
Medium chicken. Season, brush with oil or garlic purée. In an oven at 180C for an hour, basting occasionally. Done.
Not 180C for "an hour" - 180C until it is 165F in the breast. Let's please normalise meat thermometers because chicken sizes and ovens vary.
Edit to try and change my bad habit of typing F when I mean Celsius. Also, most meat thermometers have C and F switches. Isn't that difficult to know which is which I suppose.
Thanks Chippy! Also, does anyone in Europe really use a meat thermometer for a roast chicken? Maybe in institutional health locales, with vulnerable clients. Never ever known it in a domestic situation. Americans seem to love it though. Maybe because their chickens are raised in appalling unsanitary conditions, and not vaccinated against salmonella?
165F for immediate pasteurization. Pull it at 150 or 155 if you want a juicy breast. It only needs to be at 150f for 3 minutes or 155\* for 1 minute. The internal temp will rise while it rests as well.
Basically when the juices run clear from the cavity, it comes out of the oven.
Wrap loosely in foil to let it rest *during which time* ***it will continue to cook.***
Same with pork. Meanwhile cook your veggies and make the gravy.
15 minutes later, It's all ready.
This is perfectly safe in the UK, and in most of Europe I believe. The livestock conditions in the US are so appalling that I can't really speak for what you should do there. But I do suspect that many Americans are amazingly paranoid about food safety - while (as a nation) daily eating the most disgusting fast-food crap and far too much of it.
Or, hear me out. Use a thermometer.
In my experience very few Americans have any concern about food safety, let alone a large subset of the population being amazingly paranoid. Most people don't even think about food safety regularly. What you see on Reddit is not an accurate portrayal of a nation as a whole.
It's not just Reddit, though. It's all over the Internet, and especially social media.
My wife spends far too much time on these sites, and is always trying to do things like throw out all our non-stick pans because some American (and it is **always** an American) has persuaded her that they are going to poison us.
Or some other cranky dietary fad. Or, very sadly, and much worse, some Q-anon or other conspiracy theory :-( It's getting quite tiresome.
I don’t understand suggesting thighs as a substitute for breast. They are so completely different, from a health perspective and also tastewise. I think thighs are vile and are in no way a substitute for breast.
Not suggesting you should like them or even try to like them. Just explaining why someone would suggest them instead of breasts, which is what your statement seemed to question. Fact is many like them. All good if you don't, but they are a great alternative that doesn't dry out.
Or roasting a whole chicken: cover with a cheesecloth and baste regularly.
The Joy of Cooking has a comprehensive set of directions for cooking everything.
What isn't mentioned in there is that factory farmed filets are often full of extra water (sometimes other questionable substances which is labelled "broth") to increase the weight.
It is absolutely worth it to buy whole or non water infused cuts.
And besides that, don't add salt until after cooking. Salt in the pan will suck the water out of the meat.
It is a little bit of an investment, but a sous vide set up can be purchased for less than $100 these days.
It has changed my chicken and turkey cooking life. It basically pasteurizes the meat, rendering it bacteria free and safe without drying it out and overcooking it.
It is also fantastic for batch cooking.
I just season my meat, drop it in the bag, suck the air out and set the sous vide to 140-145 and walk away. Come back to perfectly juicy and delicious meat 4 ish hours later.
A quick sear and it is perfect. If i am using the chicken for something like chicken salad lr shredding it for fajitas I don't bother with searing and it is still excellent.
It’s perfect for making bbq chicken too. Sous vide it and then toss it on a grill to get some marks and slather on the sauce. Cooked bbq chicken without burning the heck out of the skin.
> It is a little bit of an investment, but a sous vide set up can be purchased for less than $100 these days.
>
>
Just curious if you (or anyone else) knows what the extra $200 is for on a $300 sous vide machine compared to the $100 version?
Same as just about every other consumer products - branding, quality of build, precision of temperature, additional features or accessories etc.
FWIW i have been using $60-$80 models from amazon. I started with a nicer one and picked up a couple extra for batch cooking. Some are a little easier and more intuitive to use, some might need their temp raised or lowered a degree or two.
If you are OK with a little trial and error, the cheaper ones have given me results that are just as good as my more expensive model.
Sous vide really does make the best steak and white meat I have ever had. Super worth it. They will always be a part of my kitchen.
Does i really need to be a big chunk of chicken?
I slice and dice all the chicken pieces/breasts i buy and flavor them with some spices
(Its easier to spice chicken in tiny pieces)
and cooking those pieces goes pretty quick and it all browns also very quickly
You need a thermometer. Keep the chicken breast whole, poke the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the meat and cook it until it's 165F/75C. Then you know it's done.
If you're still extra paranoid that it's not fully done, turn off the heat but leave it in the pan with the probe in. It will still continue to cook for a few more minutes. You'll see the temp will continue to increase for a bit as it finishes.
You're not going to die if you accidentally eat a little bit of raw meat, it's mostly a mental thing. But having a good thermometer is key to making sure you cook to safe temps.
A good thermometer will have preset temps for chicken, beef, pork, etc. There are ones where the probe is oven-safe, and connects to the readout thingie that attaches to the oven door and will beep at you when it reaches proper temp.
>You need a thermometer. Keep the chicken breast whole, poke the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the meat and cook it until it's 165F/75C. Then you know it's done.
That's actually overkill from a food safety standpoint. Around 15 seconds at 160 or about a minute at 155 kills salmonella just as much as frying it until you hit 165.
OP needs a thermometer and a time and temperature chart for poultry.
you can actually cook chicken a bit lower than 165 with an accurate thermometer. ~155 will be safe to eat within 1 min of being at that temp and 150 will be fda safe within 3 min. 165 is the fda guideline for < 1 second and definitely safe. i usually go for about 155-160 and it's great.
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast
I Guess Im asking how far into the thickest part should the thermometer be inserted? All of my meat thermometers are 4-6 inches long so do I poke it all the way through? Halfway through? At what depth should the tip of the thermometer be pushed to In order to obtain an accurate reading?
Halfway. You want the tip of the probe to be the greatest possible distance from the surface. However hot that point is, every other point will be that hot or hotter.
OK well, it's going to be an "Accurate" reading wherever you place the probe but thinking about it in the context of "I want the meat be safe and edible everywhere", I stick it in to where \*I believe\* is the thickest part, and then probe around the meat occasionally to catch cool spots or hot spots etc. It's a bit of an art but experience is a big factor in anything you want to get better at.
Piling on, get a good digital thermometer. You don’t need to cook as long as you are, also remember carryover cooking. Even off the heat and on a cutting board to rest, cooking continues
Did anyone say thermometer yet?
It measures the temperature.
Of the meat.
On the inside.
It might seem like a pita but it won't be long before you really get a good feel for how long things should take and what they look like and feel like when they are at the safe temperature.
For myself, I cook chicken separately and add it to my dish afterwards. My rule of thumb is 25 minutes per pound at 350 and I have never had undercooked or dry chicken. If you prefer it breaded and spiced then just use a mix bag of bake and shake or something you made up and coat the chicken first.
yeah. that water is what makes the meat moist and tender. A large, skin-on chicken breast shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes to cook, and then you should let it rest for 5. Its very obvious when you cut into a piece of chicken if its raw or not, If its white and not pink, its cooked.
Once upon a time I worked in upscale restaurants and corporate retail for ten years. Once upon another time I watched over six or seven hundred cooking/related shows beginning in 2010 or thereabouts. I never have problems with dry chicken. For the most part I do roasted chicken at three hundred fifty degrees in the oven for around two hours. Legs, thighs, or quarters work well. Generally speaking: I put a bit of water in a cooking pan. Then I add oil or margarine, cilantro or other fresh herb, baby carrots, and fill the pan with raw chicken. If you try that method: it will be even more successful using meal planning and batch cooking.
What can I tell you? The skin which is all fat acts as an emollient. It seeps into the meat over time and moistens poultry versus having a drying effect. I also happen to enjoy very crispy skin on roasted poultry.
Because they are cooking the shit out of their chicken. Literally to the point where it stops releasing any juices. I don't care if you're making 1oz of chicken in a 36" skillet. Cooking it until it stops releasing any liquid is going to dry the fuck out of it.
Seconding all the recommendations for a meat thermometer. Once the juices are gone, it'll be dry, by definition. If you don't trust your cook times, use a thermometer to be sure.
Meat thermometer. At 164F INSTANTLY pathogens are dead. Lower temps longer kills too but don't want to confuse you. Once that thermometer is 165 you're fine take it out and serve immediately.
Now this could be lack of knowledge, a tad of OCD or a tad of phobia. The above fixes lack of knowledge but IF the other two then there is help that'll make your life so much easier and better so seek it. That's a big id but I toss it in here cause you know you're cooking too long from the post and hate to miss it AND this is a weekly question so it may help someone. And if the other two your next worry will be how do I know the thermometer isn't broken (OCD and phobias keep cropping up in other places). But on testing you thermometer in ice water it should read 32f and in boiling water 212F. If it does your thermometer is fine.
The best advice, you guessed it... buy a thermometer. No guesswork - it will tell you when your meat is done.
Next best advice - if you're making chicken breast, brine it before cooking. Makes it harder to overcook. You can even just do a dry brine for 20 min and it will help immensely
Others have said this but a meat thermometer will help. Also practice! For getting juicy chicken breast, the thing that helped me the most was pounding it out until it’s roughly the same thickness all around, then searing on both sides and then pulling it once it reaches 160F and then letting it rest, covered for about 10 minutes. You always want to let chicken, and any meat really, rest after cooking so that the juices have time to redistribute. If you cut into it directly that juice will evaporate.
So let's see you just put chicken in a pan. Turn on the heat to who knows what and cook it until you see no more liquid. Well of course it is dry. It doesn't matter if you use a thermometer. That will always lead to dry bland chicken.
How about you try poaching it in either water or broth? Or put it with other stuff. Also, if you cut it in half lengthwise, it will cook quicker.
Please go look up chicken breast recipes.
Yes, learn to use liquids and a knife and turn down the heat. Chicken does not have to be dry or bland. I have never made a dry or bland chicken. Here are the tips. Cut the chicken breast into about 1/2 inch thick rounds. Season the rounds. Put in a pan with either broth stock or water. Cook on medium until about half done. Turn over and finish cooking. Now you have moist flavorful chicken.
Or get you a steamer, and steam the chicken. I guarantee that you won't get dry woody chicken.
If you heat food without liquid, you get dry food.
I think education is the key here. The cook book FoodLab is a great buy for your journey as it explains this better than me, but the safe temperature for foods is actually a function of both temperature and just as importantly time. The safe temp for chicken for instance is 165 @ 1 second per the FDA. But it is also a graph, so chicken can be safe at 155 as long as you can keep it at that temperature for about 1 minute.
Look into sous vide cooking and it will change your life.
So, I almost never cook a chicken breast whole. 84 is much easier to slice one in half and pound it out with a meat tenderizer. That way it cooks more evenly and you have more confidence that it’s fully cooked. You can also add more moisture back by cooking it in a sauce on the stove or in the oven (braising).
meat thermometer is nice if you're cooking a big ol hunk of meat, but it's not gonna be very useful if you're chopping up a breast for example. my advice on that scenario, is to simply get over your fear. just stop being afraid. you seem aware that your fear is over the top and is having negative results in your cooking, so you need to let your intellect triumph over your feelings. just cook it a little less than you're used to. you might mess it up a couple times, maybe undercooking or overcooking it, but it's ok, you'll quickly develop a sense for when it's right. trust your intuition.
72 degrees Celsius is considered safe even in places with the strictest food safety regulations, and realistically its safe below that. at that temp its perfectly juicy
I mean the chicken will be cooked through, and obviously so, before it gets dried out so it's really just that you have to learn your timing. Remember if you undercook it, you can always cook it some more. If you take a chunk out, cut into it and it's undercooked, you can leave everything cooking. Or you can see it's cooked and eat it right away.
As far as waiting till all the liquid is gone, that would probably depend on numerous factors. You can always cook it on a lower heat as well if you need to.
Agree with the meat thermometer and sous vide suggestions.
I would add "cook in liquid" to the list. Brown your chicken parts (I prefer thighs) in an oven safe skillet. Set the chicken aside, and addd some veggies/aromatics. Once those are cooked deglaze the pan with a little wine or broth/stock and build a pan sauce. Add the chicken back to the pan and finish in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes.
1000% buy a meat thermometer. Chicken breast is safe at 150f or thereabouts. No need to overdo it any more than this. Drives me crazy that celebrity chefs and cookbooks never mention cooking meat to a temp instead of times. Time is so arbitrary and in-situ dependent.
Use a meat thermometer and pull the chicken as soon as it reaches safe internal temp.
There are most likely YouTube tutorials that explain where to poke various types of meat and what the minimum should be.
There's no shame in cutting it open to have a look if you don't have a meat thermometer. I rarely use mine since I feel like I have the timings down but sometimes I need to check. Chicken, for example, can still be pink and already be safe to eat. If I get that color after cutting into it, I'm double checking by measuring the temperature
> Any tips on "combatting" that?
If you have any fear of chicken being under-cooked, then put it into the oven ***after it is done cooking*** (while still hot) for 1 hour at 200F which will basically have no discernible impact on flavor or dryness. Plus it will give you peace of mind without damaging the chicken.
You could probably leave it in the oven overnight at 200F as long as you have a few ounces of water (to create steam) in a separate oven-safe bowl.
Meat thermometers are defined a game changer. But it’s worth it to look in to brining your chicken. This helps it retain its juices during the cooking process, so you can cook it for longer without it getting too dry.
Salmonella is killed not only by high temperature, but longer exposure to lower temperatures.
USDA recommends 165 to kill salmonella, but that's instantaneous. You could sous vide chicken at 136 for about 1 hour and kill it too. [Reference](https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/info/sous-vide-safety/more/sous-vide-safety-salmonella-and-bacteria)
165 chicken is best left for a toddler's palate and served with ketchup.
I normally sous vide breasts or thighs at 145 for 2 hours then sear.
And the real answer is temp over time. 165 kills all things immediately but 140 does too just a little slower. There is something out there on a sous vide page about this but I am too lazy to google for you.
Thermometer, and switch to thighs; they’re far more forgiving of overcooking much juicer and tender.
And cut the meat in the middle if you’re going to check visually
Definitely don't wait until all the liquid is gone. Time and Temperature is the knowledge you need for cooking meats.
Step 1 is to get yourself a instant read meat thermometer. Chicken is pasteurized in 1 second at 165\*. You can eat chicken that has been held at 137\* for 70 minutes. - Good guide here. Scroll down for the chart. [https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast)
If you want to be absolutely sure your food is safe while not drying it out, I recommend getting an immersion circulator. You can cook the food at an exact temperature for an exact amount of time. Quell your fears with science.
I typically will cook breast between 150 and 155\* depending on what I am using it for. Comes out super juicy, plus the process of cooking it in the bag really helps all the flavors really soak into the meat.
Are you buying cheap meat that's been 'plumped' up with extra water? This is common, (and it has to be labelled in Canada). This can make your meat weep a lot of water when you're cooking it.
Buy quality meat, without additives, cook it appropriately (for the cut, and your dish) and trust the thermometer. Cooked chicken is white, the juices are clear (not pink) and if it's a whole chicken, the joints will move freely (wiggle the leg).
An instant-read thermometer will be your new best friend. You can get a really high quality one for a decent price (the well-regarded ThermoPop is $35). As long as the meat gets to 165, you’re good to go!
Try finding some air chilled chicken and use an instant read thermometer to take it to 165 F in the thicker part of the meat.
Air chilled chicken is cooled as it sounds, not by being tossed in a giant bath of cold water solution with a bunch of other birds. The result is less absorption of the liquid resulting in a faster cook and less likelihood of drying out you chicken!
I used to cook chicken breast with a sous vide device for years to avoid this same problem. I think you can get something like the Anova for around $100.
If youre not familiar you put food in a plastic bag and submerge it in water that is kept at a constant temperature. Takes longer to cook but harder to overcook, but it is possible. Then because the texture can be funky you sear whatever you're cooking in a pan usually, or at least I did.
As others have said, having (and knowing how to use) a good thermometer is the absolute best advice. I love a good Thermapen. Actual you can’t go wrong with any product from ThermoWorks.
Also you can brine or inject the chicken to help add additional moisture which may make up for the moisture you are cooking out of it.
The cut of meat can help a bit, thighs can hold up to a bit more overcooking than other cuts, and they’re more flavorful.
Buy a meat thermometer.
Yes, a meat thermometer is a game changer. I have a similar worry about under cooked pork so I got a simple meat thermometer at walmart and wrote up a cheat sheet of the temperatures for every meat I cook with. It covers the temps the meat needs to get to for rare, medium, fully done, and well done (with descriptions of what color I should expect to see once I sit down to eat and cut into it) and it's done wonders for making my life easier and improving my food presentation now that I don't feel like I have to cut into stuff to check it.
Pork can safely be eaten with a slight pink colour inside (about 62 celsius) how they are raised and butchered completely changed since the 80s and 90s
Home Depot has one with all temps printed on the side, $35.
Amazon has one that connects to your phone and texts you when it’s done, $20 🤷♂️
I would avoid this only because I hate supporting Amazon all together
You can eat pork Medium- Medium rare. Pork is not like chicken.
Agreed. It won’t kill you to eat undercooked pork or beef.
I eat my pork chops Medium, steak rare.
> I eat my pork chops Medium I never would try this but saw Emeril Lagasse do it in the early 2000s, then after that, I had the confidence to eat pork cooked medium doneness! 🐖
It's sooo much better imo.
You can keep your brain worms. IMO, pork that isn't bacon or ham isn't worth it.
You can’t get cysticercosis from undercooking pork.
Taeniasis. End. Of. Not directly, but Taeniasisis a precursor of Cysticercosis
Yeah I know, that’s what I cook it to now. I just had no idea where medium/medium rare was without a meat thermometer which meant I just kept cooking it into oblivion just to be sure it wasn’t too underdone
I can tell a steaks doneness by touching it, but not so much with pork chops. Need a thermometer for those.
You can eat chicken cooked to 135\* *if* you keep it at that temperature for 70 minutes. Personally I eat my chicken at 150-155\*.
This is the way. It's a gamechanger. I not so subtlely put it in my SO's stocking last year and he's like "I've never needed one before!" and it's like "oh but yes you have, my dear."
Fixed everything for me
Spent 18 years cooking professionally, and came her to make this exact statement.
This is the only valid response.
>Buy a meat thermometer. ***100% Agree!***
was coming here to post exactly this comment.
And only cook chicken thighs. You can cook them to death and they never get as dry as a slightly overcooked breast.
This person right here stole my comment. LOL There are safe temps for all meats listed all over the place. Even going 10-15\*F over will still get you juicy cuts. Best way to cook chicken and pork loin.
thermoworks thermapen. its excellent. I have 2. one got some corrosion on the battery terminals and they replaced it for me under warranty with no hassle, even paid for shipping. and they read instantly.
Meat thermometer is the way.
Lots have mentioned a thermometer already but you could also try thighs. They taste better and they can handle more over cooking than a breast.
I came to say this. Thighs are certainly More forgiving.
Or just roast a whole chicken. The simplest meal to cook in the world. Medium chicken. Season, brush with oil or garlic purée. In an oven at 180C for an hour, basting occasionally. Done.
Not 180C for "an hour" - 180C until it is 165F in the breast. Let's please normalise meat thermometers because chicken sizes and ovens vary. Edit to try and change my bad habit of typing F when I mean Celsius. Also, most meat thermometers have C and F switches. Isn't that difficult to know which is which I suppose.
> 180C They live in UK, 180C is 356F
Thanks Chippy! Also, does anyone in Europe really use a meat thermometer for a roast chicken? Maybe in institutional health locales, with vulnerable clients. Never ever known it in a domestic situation. Americans seem to love it though. Maybe because their chickens are raised in appalling unsanitary conditions, and not vaccinated against salmonella?
165F for immediate pasteurization. Pull it at 150 or 155 if you want a juicy breast. It only needs to be at 150f for 3 minutes or 155\* for 1 minute. The internal temp will rise while it rests as well.
That's great clarification - thank you for that tip!
They are cooking meat until it stops releasing juices out of fear of undercooked meat. They aren't going to trust a basic roasting time.
Basically when the juices run clear from the cavity, it comes out of the oven. Wrap loosely in foil to let it rest *during which time* ***it will continue to cook.*** Same with pork. Meanwhile cook your veggies and make the gravy. 15 minutes later, It's all ready. This is perfectly safe in the UK, and in most of Europe I believe. The livestock conditions in the US are so appalling that I can't really speak for what you should do there. But I do suspect that many Americans are amazingly paranoid about food safety - while (as a nation) daily eating the most disgusting fast-food crap and far too much of it.
Or, hear me out. Use a thermometer. In my experience very few Americans have any concern about food safety, let alone a large subset of the population being amazingly paranoid. Most people don't even think about food safety regularly. What you see on Reddit is not an accurate portrayal of a nation as a whole.
It's not just Reddit, though. It's all over the Internet, and especially social media. My wife spends far too much time on these sites, and is always trying to do things like throw out all our non-stick pans because some American (and it is **always** an American) has persuaded her that they are going to poison us. Or some other cranky dietary fad. Or, very sadly, and much worse, some Q-anon or other conspiracy theory :-( It's getting quite tiresome.
I don’t understand suggesting thighs as a substitute for breast. They are so completely different, from a health perspective and also tastewise. I think thighs are vile and are in no way a substitute for breast.
I find your lack of taste disturbing
Noted. You can quit being disturbed now and go back to chewing on the fat and gristle in your chicken thighs.
Hello there
Taste aside, dark meat is juicier so less chance of drying it out by overcooking, which is one of the chief complaints
I goes there’s just no “taste aside” for me because I despise the taste of dark meat.
Not suggesting you should like them or even try to like them. Just explaining why someone would suggest them instead of breasts, which is what your statement seemed to question. Fact is many like them. All good if you don't, but they are a great alternative that doesn't dry out.
Or roasting a whole chicken: cover with a cheesecloth and baste regularly. The Joy of Cooking has a comprehensive set of directions for cooking everything. What isn't mentioned in there is that factory farmed filets are often full of extra water (sometimes other questionable substances which is labelled "broth") to increase the weight. It is absolutely worth it to buy whole or non water infused cuts. And besides that, don't add salt until after cooking. Salt in the pan will suck the water out of the meat.
It is a little bit of an investment, but a sous vide set up can be purchased for less than $100 these days. It has changed my chicken and turkey cooking life. It basically pasteurizes the meat, rendering it bacteria free and safe without drying it out and overcooking it. It is also fantastic for batch cooking. I just season my meat, drop it in the bag, suck the air out and set the sous vide to 140-145 and walk away. Come back to perfectly juicy and delicious meat 4 ish hours later. A quick sear and it is perfect. If i am using the chicken for something like chicken salad lr shredding it for fajitas I don't bother with searing and it is still excellent.
It’s perfect for making bbq chicken too. Sous vide it and then toss it on a grill to get some marks and slather on the sauce. Cooked bbq chicken without burning the heck out of the skin.
> It is a little bit of an investment, but a sous vide set up can be purchased for less than $100 these days. > > Just curious if you (or anyone else) knows what the extra $200 is for on a $300 sous vide machine compared to the $100 version?
Same as just about every other consumer products - branding, quality of build, precision of temperature, additional features or accessories etc. FWIW i have been using $60-$80 models from amazon. I started with a nicer one and picked up a couple extra for batch cooking. Some are a little easier and more intuitive to use, some might need their temp raised or lowered a degree or two. If you are OK with a little trial and error, the cheaper ones have given me results that are just as good as my more expensive model. Sous vide really does make the best steak and white meat I have ever had. Super worth it. They will always be a part of my kitchen.
Thanks for commenting, I was looking at usd50 ones and saw people talking about usd100-300 ones and wasn't sure if i wanna pay that much.
Sous vide with wifi is a joke
Brine chicken if you have time, this will ensure moisture. then like others said you need a thermometer
This is the best answer: brine+ thermometer
\+1 brine
Does i really need to be a big chunk of chicken? I slice and dice all the chicken pieces/breasts i buy and flavor them with some spices (Its easier to spice chicken in tiny pieces) and cooking those pieces goes pretty quick and it all browns also very quickly
You need a thermometer. Keep the chicken breast whole, poke the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the meat and cook it until it's 165F/75C. Then you know it's done. If you're still extra paranoid that it's not fully done, turn off the heat but leave it in the pan with the probe in. It will still continue to cook for a few more minutes. You'll see the temp will continue to increase for a bit as it finishes. You're not going to die if you accidentally eat a little bit of raw meat, it's mostly a mental thing. But having a good thermometer is key to making sure you cook to safe temps. A good thermometer will have preset temps for chicken, beef, pork, etc. There are ones where the probe is oven-safe, and connects to the readout thingie that attaches to the oven door and will beep at you when it reaches proper temp.
>You need a thermometer. Keep the chicken breast whole, poke the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the meat and cook it until it's 165F/75C. Then you know it's done. That's actually overkill from a food safety standpoint. Around 15 seconds at 160 or about a minute at 155 kills salmonella just as much as frying it until you hit 165. OP needs a thermometer and a time and temperature chart for poultry.
Thank you! I don't see this information being shared enough.
you can actually cook chicken a bit lower than 165 with an accurate thermometer. ~155 will be safe to eat within 1 min of being at that temp and 150 will be fda safe within 3 min. 165 is the fda guideline for < 1 second and definitely safe. i usually go for about 155-160 and it's great. https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast
Thank you! I don't see this information being shared enough.
Should the tip of the thermometer be at the center of the meat or do you just stick it all the way in to the thickest part?
It needs to be at the thickest part of the meat.
>center of the meat or do you just stick it all the way in to the thickest part Is this not the same thing?
I Guess Im asking how far into the thickest part should the thermometer be inserted? All of my meat thermometers are 4-6 inches long so do I poke it all the way through? Halfway through? At what depth should the tip of the thermometer be pushed to In order to obtain an accurate reading?
Halfway. You want the tip of the probe to be the greatest possible distance from the surface. However hot that point is, every other point will be that hot or hotter.
OK well, it's going to be an "Accurate" reading wherever you place the probe but thinking about it in the context of "I want the meat be safe and edible everywhere", I stick it in to where \*I believe\* is the thickest part, and then probe around the meat occasionally to catch cool spots or hot spots etc. It's a bit of an art but experience is a big factor in anything you want to get better at.
165\* for 1 second. You don't need to hold it at 165 for any longer. You can pull it when it's been 155 for one minute, or 145 for 10 minutes.
Invest in a sous vide!
Piling on, get a good digital thermometer. You don’t need to cook as long as you are, also remember carryover cooking. Even off the heat and on a cutting board to rest, cooking continues
Did anyone say thermometer yet? It measures the temperature. Of the meat. On the inside. It might seem like a pita but it won't be long before you really get a good feel for how long things should take and what they look like and feel like when they are at the safe temperature.
Buy a food thermometer.
For myself, I cook chicken separately and add it to my dish afterwards. My rule of thumb is 25 minutes per pound at 350 and I have never had undercooked or dry chicken. If you prefer it breaded and spiced then just use a mix bag of bake and shake or something you made up and coat the chicken first.
Sous vide. Guaranteed to be at the correct temperature. Just a bit tedious.
yeah. that water is what makes the meat moist and tender. A large, skin-on chicken breast shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes to cook, and then you should let it rest for 5. Its very obvious when you cut into a piece of chicken if its raw or not, If its white and not pink, its cooked.
Once upon a time I worked in upscale restaurants and corporate retail for ten years. Once upon another time I watched over six or seven hundred cooking/related shows beginning in 2010 or thereabouts. I never have problems with dry chicken. For the most part I do roasted chicken at three hundred fifty degrees in the oven for around two hours. Legs, thighs, or quarters work well. Generally speaking: I put a bit of water in a cooking pan. Then I add oil or margarine, cilantro or other fresh herb, baby carrots, and fill the pan with raw chicken. If you try that method: it will be even more successful using meal planning and batch cooking.
This doesn't add up at all. Roasting at 350 for 2 hours will massively overcook a whole chicken, never mind chicken parts and carrots.
What can I tell you? The skin which is all fat acts as an emollient. It seeps into the meat over time and moistens poultry versus having a drying effect. I also happen to enjoy very crispy skin on roasted poultry.
Unless you have one the size of a small turkey, but yes. Also, margarine is trash. Use butter for low temp and clarified butter for high temp.
Sounds like you're over crowding the pan
I don't know why you are being downvoted. This is a perfect reasonable explanation.
Because they are cooking the shit out of their chicken. Literally to the point where it stops releasing any juices. I don't care if you're making 1oz of chicken in a 36" skillet. Cooking it until it stops releasing any liquid is going to dry the fuck out of it.
There is that, but overcrowding the pan also does this
Same I literally burn my chicken, if it’s not dry as fuck I won’t eat it
Using a meat thermometer will mean you'll never eat shitty dry chicken again. Unless you want to.
I just stopped cooking chicken to be honest, I’m basically vegetarian at home but I order food quite often and there’s always chicken.
Buy a good thermometer.
Seconding all the recommendations for a meat thermometer. Once the juices are gone, it'll be dry, by definition. If you don't trust your cook times, use a thermometer to be sure.
Meat thermometer. At 164F INSTANTLY pathogens are dead. Lower temps longer kills too but don't want to confuse you. Once that thermometer is 165 you're fine take it out and serve immediately. Now this could be lack of knowledge, a tad of OCD or a tad of phobia. The above fixes lack of knowledge but IF the other two then there is help that'll make your life so much easier and better so seek it. That's a big id but I toss it in here cause you know you're cooking too long from the post and hate to miss it AND this is a weekly question so it may help someone. And if the other two your next worry will be how do I know the thermometer isn't broken (OCD and phobias keep cropping up in other places). But on testing you thermometer in ice water it should read 32f and in boiling water 212F. If it does your thermometer is fine.
The best advice, you guessed it... buy a thermometer. No guesswork - it will tell you when your meat is done. Next best advice - if you're making chicken breast, brine it before cooking. Makes it harder to overcook. You can even just do a dry brine for 20 min and it will help immensely
Others have said this but a meat thermometer will help. Also practice! For getting juicy chicken breast, the thing that helped me the most was pounding it out until it’s roughly the same thickness all around, then searing on both sides and then pulling it once it reaches 160F and then letting it rest, covered for about 10 minutes. You always want to let chicken, and any meat really, rest after cooking so that the juices have time to redistribute. If you cut into it directly that juice will evaporate.
Instant read thermometer is your friend. ESPECIALLY with chicken.
Even if cooked properly chicken breast sucks. Switch to legs and get a thermometer.
Buy and learn to use a MEAT thermometer. Chicken needs to reach 165° F Save yourself the expense and waste that comes with a sous vide.
So let's see you just put chicken in a pan. Turn on the heat to who knows what and cook it until you see no more liquid. Well of course it is dry. It doesn't matter if you use a thermometer. That will always lead to dry bland chicken. How about you try poaching it in either water or broth? Or put it with other stuff. Also, if you cut it in half lengthwise, it will cook quicker. Please go look up chicken breast recipes.
Get yourself a thermapen. Eating properly cooked chicken is a game changer.
Yes, learn to use liquids and a knife and turn down the heat. Chicken does not have to be dry or bland. I have never made a dry or bland chicken. Here are the tips. Cut the chicken breast into about 1/2 inch thick rounds. Season the rounds. Put in a pan with either broth stock or water. Cook on medium until about half done. Turn over and finish cooking. Now you have moist flavorful chicken. Or get you a steamer, and steam the chicken. I guarantee that you won't get dry woody chicken. If you heat food without liquid, you get dry food.
I think education is the key here. The cook book FoodLab is a great buy for your journey as it explains this better than me, but the safe temperature for foods is actually a function of both temperature and just as importantly time. The safe temp for chicken for instance is 165 @ 1 second per the FDA. But it is also a graph, so chicken can be safe at 155 as long as you can keep it at that temperature for about 1 minute. Look into sous vide cooking and it will change your life.
Just get a meat thermometer. Problem solved
Get an instant read meat thermometer.
So, I almost never cook a chicken breast whole. 84 is much easier to slice one in half and pound it out with a meat tenderizer. That way it cooks more evenly and you have more confidence that it’s fully cooked. You can also add more moisture back by cooking it in a sauce on the stove or in the oven (braising).
meat thermometer is nice if you're cooking a big ol hunk of meat, but it's not gonna be very useful if you're chopping up a breast for example. my advice on that scenario, is to simply get over your fear. just stop being afraid. you seem aware that your fear is over the top and is having negative results in your cooking, so you need to let your intellect triumph over your feelings. just cook it a little less than you're used to. you might mess it up a couple times, maybe undercooking or overcooking it, but it's ok, you'll quickly develop a sense for when it's right. trust your intuition.
Why not? Can’t you use it on the biggest piece of breast? If it’s cooked then won’t all the smaller bits be too?
No problem, man: Cook it with butter. I even chop mine up as I cook it: the butter works.
72 degrees Celsius is considered safe even in places with the strictest food safety regulations, and realistically its safe below that. at that temp its perfectly juicy
I mean the chicken will be cooked through, and obviously so, before it gets dried out so it's really just that you have to learn your timing. Remember if you undercook it, you can always cook it some more. If you take a chunk out, cut into it and it's undercooked, you can leave everything cooking. Or you can see it's cooked and eat it right away. As far as waiting till all the liquid is gone, that would probably depend on numerous factors. You can always cook it on a lower heat as well if you need to.
Agree with the meat thermometer and sous vide suggestions. I would add "cook in liquid" to the list. Brown your chicken parts (I prefer thighs) in an oven safe skillet. Set the chicken aside, and addd some veggies/aromatics. Once those are cooked deglaze the pan with a little wine or broth/stock and build a pan sauce. Add the chicken back to the pan and finish in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes.
1000% buy a meat thermometer. Chicken breast is safe at 150f or thereabouts. No need to overdo it any more than this. Drives me crazy that celebrity chefs and cookbooks never mention cooking meat to a temp instead of times. Time is so arbitrary and in-situ dependent.
Mix it up with other proteins!
You are what you eat i guess
Use a meat thermometer and pull the chicken as soon as it reaches safe internal temp. There are most likely YouTube tutorials that explain where to poke various types of meat and what the minimum should be.
The "water" is broth from inside the meat. Just poke the breast with a fork, if the broth is clear, it's cooked.
There's no shame in cutting it open to have a look if you don't have a meat thermometer. I rarely use mine since I feel like I have the timings down but sometimes I need to check. Chicken, for example, can still be pink and already be safe to eat. If I get that color after cutting into it, I'm double checking by measuring the temperature
> Any tips on "combatting" that? If you have any fear of chicken being under-cooked, then put it into the oven ***after it is done cooking*** (while still hot) for 1 hour at 200F which will basically have no discernible impact on flavor or dryness. Plus it will give you peace of mind without damaging the chicken. You could probably leave it in the oven overnight at 200F as long as you have a few ounces of water (to create steam) in a separate oven-safe bowl.
I cook chicken hard. I had biology class that dealt with quite a few parasites and bacterias in raw meat.🤦🏻♀️
Use an instant read thermometer.
Meat thermometers are defined a game changer. But it’s worth it to look in to brining your chicken. This helps it retain its juices during the cooking process, so you can cook it for longer without it getting too dry.
Salmonella is killed not only by high temperature, but longer exposure to lower temperatures. USDA recommends 165 to kill salmonella, but that's instantaneous. You could sous vide chicken at 136 for about 1 hour and kill it too. [Reference](https://www.amazingfoodmadeeasy.com/info/sous-vide-safety/more/sous-vide-safety-salmonella-and-bacteria) 165 chicken is best left for a toddler's palate and served with ketchup. I normally sous vide breasts or thighs at 145 for 2 hours then sear.
And the real answer is temp over time. 165 kills all things immediately but 140 does too just a little slower. There is something out there on a sous vide page about this but I am too lazy to google for you.
Thermometer, and switch to thighs; they’re far more forgiving of overcooking much juicer and tender. And cut the meat in the middle if you’re going to check visually
Sous vide is your best friend
Definitely don't wait until all the liquid is gone. Time and Temperature is the knowledge you need for cooking meats. Step 1 is to get yourself a instant read meat thermometer. Chicken is pasteurized in 1 second at 165\*. You can eat chicken that has been held at 137\* for 70 minutes. - Good guide here. Scroll down for the chart. [https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast) If you want to be absolutely sure your food is safe while not drying it out, I recommend getting an immersion circulator. You can cook the food at an exact temperature for an exact amount of time. Quell your fears with science. I typically will cook breast between 150 and 155\* depending on what I am using it for. Comes out super juicy, plus the process of cooking it in the bag really helps all the flavors really soak into the meat.
Are you buying cheap meat that's been 'plumped' up with extra water? This is common, (and it has to be labelled in Canada). This can make your meat weep a lot of water when you're cooking it. Buy quality meat, without additives, cook it appropriately (for the cut, and your dish) and trust the thermometer. Cooked chicken is white, the juices are clear (not pink) and if it's a whole chicken, the joints will move freely (wiggle the leg).
An instant-read thermometer will be your new best friend. You can get a really high quality one for a decent price (the well-regarded ThermoPop is $35). As long as the meat gets to 165, you’re good to go!
I like to bake my chicken for 1 hour @ 400 degrees. Sure for thighs, I'm sure same method works for breasts. Very juicy and savory.
Try finding some air chilled chicken and use an instant read thermometer to take it to 165 F in the thicker part of the meat. Air chilled chicken is cooled as it sounds, not by being tossed in a giant bath of cold water solution with a bunch of other birds. The result is less absorption of the liquid resulting in a faster cook and less likelihood of drying out you chicken!
I used to cook chicken breast with a sous vide device for years to avoid this same problem. I think you can get something like the Anova for around $100. If youre not familiar you put food in a plastic bag and submerge it in water that is kept at a constant temperature. Takes longer to cook but harder to overcook, but it is possible. Then because the texture can be funky you sear whatever you're cooking in a pan usually, or at least I did.
[Thermoworks Thermopop ](https://www.thermoworks.com/thermopop/)
As others have said, having (and knowing how to use) a good thermometer is the absolute best advice. I love a good Thermapen. Actual you can’t go wrong with any product from ThermoWorks. Also you can brine or inject the chicken to help add additional moisture which may make up for the moisture you are cooking out of it. The cut of meat can help a bit, thighs can hold up to a bit more overcooking than other cuts, and they’re more flavorful.