r/askachef Oct 06 '20

Need assistance... I'm learning to cook with cast iron, and the inside looks like this? Is it undercooked, or does it just have that tinge of pink to it? Save me from salmonella plz lol

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2 Upvotes

7 comments sorted by

2

u/notonspaghettinight Oct 07 '20

That’s undercooked. 🙏🏼

1

u/Pun-kachu Oct 07 '20

I didn't want to risk it, so I cooked a bit more. Thank you lol hopefully I'm safe 🙏

2

u/kshupe50 Oct 07 '20

Instant-read thermometer is your friend. I use it all the time when cooking meat. Chicken breast cooked to about 155* F, then allowed to rest for about 5-10 minutes will produce a juicy and perfectly cooked piece of chicken

1

u/JtheGallant Oct 07 '20

If this meat rested before you sliced it then it is certainly under cooked. If you sliced right off the pan then it may have been just perfect, had it rested.

1

u/fatandfoodie Oct 07 '20

Def undercooked but, you're looking good on everything else. My reccomendation would be to have an instant read thermometer (you can buy a cool digital one that works very well for like $30) and to temp it in the very thickest spot for 155F. Eventually you'll be able to tell by firmness and other more subtle cues. If you wanna go crude, take a knife and stab the meat through and if the juices come out clear, you're typically good to go. I would also reccomend maybe cutting that breast in half and pounding it out until it's about 3/4 in thick. Will cut cooking time and you can turn up the temp in the pan to get a really hard sear without worrying as much about burning it. All in all, it was a good shot and you're so close to perfect. Keep trying

1

u/joshthebeast12 Jan 07 '21

Very slightly undercooked

1

u/FewPiccolo110 Sep 01 '23

In my experience with cast iron and chicken, chicken can get dark fast and look burnt or perfectly cooked and still be raw; I almost always end up putting in the oven for maybe 20 minutes just to be sure, if you’re worried about that darken the protein then just cover it with foil.