Steak Doneness & Temperature Calculator
Pick your meat, doneness, and thickness for a pull temperature and carryover estimate, with the USDA safe minimum shown first.
This pull temperature is below 145°F, USDA's minimum for steaks, which USDA measures before the meat leaves the heat, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes. Rare through medium are preferences below that minimum; pulling at 145°F or higher meets it. Carryover during the rest doesn't count toward 145°F.
Doneness temperatures are culinary preferences; the USDA minimum is the safety standard. See our food-safety note.
Doneness vs. safety
Doneness temperatures (rare, medium-rare, etc.) are culinary preferences. The USDA safe minimum is the food-safety standard: 145°F, then a rest of at least 3 minutes, for beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts; 160°F for ground meat; 165°F for poultry. USDA measures these with a food thermometer before the meat leaves the heat. Rare through medium steaks are preferences below the 145°F minimum, and ground meat and poultry have no lower-doneness option.
Carryover is for quality, not safety: meat keeps rising 3-10°F after you pull it, so pulling early helps you land on a doneness target, but carryover never counts toward a USDA minimum, which is measured at the pull. Browse cuts and our food-safety note.
Rate your actual cook
On iPhone, snap your steak and Seared scores the cook and the crust.