What temperature is medium-rare?

Medium-rare is 130°F to 135°F after resting. Remove the steak from the heat at about 125°F.

What temperature is medium steak?

Medium is 140°F to 145°F after resting. Remove it at about 135°F.

Is pink steak safe to eat?

Whole beef steaks are generally safe with a pink center because bacteria are on the surface, which is seared. The USDA safe minimum is 145°F with a 3-minute rest. Ground beef should always reach 160°F.

Can you tell steak doneness by touch?

With practice, a steak firms up as it cooks, but the touch test is unreliable from cut to cut. An instant-read thermometer is faster and accurate.

Why remove steak before it reaches the target temperature?

Steak keeps cooking as it rests, rising about 3 to 5 degrees. Pulling it early keeps it from overshooting.

Steak Doneness Chart: Temperatures and Colors from Rare to Well Done

This chart shows what a steak looks like inside at each level of doneness, from a cool red rare center to well done with no pink. Under each one is the temperature to take the steak off the heat and the temperature it reaches after resting.

Steak temperature chart

Doneness	Remove from heat	After resting	What it looks like
Rare	120°F	125°F	Cool, bright red center
Medium-rare	125°F	130 to 135°F	Warm, red center
Medium	135°F	140 to 145°F	Warm, pink center
Medium-well	145°F	150 to 155°F	Slight trace of pink
Well done	155°F	160 and up°F	No pink, brown throughout

USDA safe minimum for beef steaks and roasts: 145°F with a 3-minute rest. Ground beef: 160°F.

How to check a steak

Slide an instant-read thermometer into the side of the steak so the tip sits in the very center of the thickest part, away from bone and fat. On a grill, check the thickest steak first. If you do not have a thermometer, make a small cut near the center and look at the color, comparing it with the chart above, but expect to lose a little juice.

How long does it take?

Time depends on thickness and heat. Over high heat, a 1-inch steak takes about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, and a 1 1/2-inch steak about 6 to 7 minutes per side. Our steak cooking times by thickness chart covers every thickness from 1/2 inch to 2 inches and every level of doneness, and the cooking time calculator gives you the numbers for your cut.

Choosing your doneness by cut

Lean, tender cuts like filet mignon are at their best rare to medium-rare; cooked further they dry out. Well-marbled ribeye and strip steaks can go to medium and stay juicy, because the fat melts and bastes the meat. Lean, long-grained flank and skirt steaks should stay rare to medium-rare and be sliced thin across the grain. See the beef cuts chart for where each steak comes from.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature is medium-rare?: Medium-rare is 130°F to 135°F after resting. Remove the steak from the heat at about 125°F.
What temperature is medium steak?: Medium is 140°F to 145°F after resting. Remove it at about 135°F.
Is pink steak safe to eat?: Whole beef steaks are generally safe with a pink center because bacteria are on the surface, which is seared. The USDA safe minimum is 145°F with a 3-minute rest. Ground beef should always reach 160°F.
Can you tell steak doneness by touch?: With practice, a steak firms up as it cooks, but the touch test is unreliable from cut to cut. An instant-read thermometer is faster and accurate.
Why remove steak before it reaches the target temperature?: Steak keeps cooking as it rests, rising about 3 to 5 degrees. Pulling it early keeps it from overshooting.

Steak recipes

More charts: Cooking times by thickness | Steak doneness chart | Beef cuts chart | Fish chart | Safe temperatures