Is it done yet?

It’s important to make sure meat is cooked thoroughly before tucking in, but how? Here are some meaty tips that will give you the green light to whether your dish is cooked.

• Beef - The one thing about beef is that you can eat it any way you want, even raw! However, to test how rare or well-done it is the simplest way is to test the texture of it. The rarer the steak the softer it will feel and the firmer it feels the more well-done it is. 
  
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• Chicken/Pork - Unlike Beef, it’s a lot more important to check that chicken and pork is cooked thoroughly to avoid illness.  For those of you without a fancy thermometer you can check the meat by pricking it with the end of a knife to release the juices, if the juices are clear then the meat should be cooked, if not return it to the oven until they run clear. An alternative way is to cut the piece of meat and visually test the centre, if the colour is white and there is no sign of redness then your meat is cooked.
• Lamb - Simply use the same method as checking pork and chicken with the exception that when visually checking the meat it should be a brown, opaque colour throughout. Although similar to beef, lamb can also be served slightly more rare meaning a little pink won’t harm.
• Fish - The easiest way to check your fish is done is to simply place a knife into the centre of it, if you can feel a little resistance as you place it in, then the fish is not yet cooked. If the knife glides straight through, then your fish is cooked. 

Make sure you are 100% certain that whichever type of meat you are cooking is cooked thoroughly and safe to eat, then tuck in!

TIP: Always check the meat even before cooking to be sure it is safe to eat, you can do this by smelling whether the piece of meat is off or if the colour seems grey/blue.