Meat & Cut
Thickness
Doneness
SIDE 1
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Getting a steak right comes down to two things: heat and timing. This free online steak timer guides you through all three stages — Side 1, Side 2 and Rest — with countdowns automatically calculated for your cut, thickness and preferred doneness. Select your meat, pick how thick it is, choose your doneness and press START.
Doneness is determined by internal temperature, not colour alone. A reliable instant-read meat thermometer is the most accurate way to check, but timing gives a strong guide for consistent pan or grill work. The temperatures below are target rest temperatures — pull the steak off heat 2–3°C below these figures, as carryover cooking raises the internal temperature while resting.
| Doneness | Pull Temp | Rest Temp | Centre Colour | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 43°C / 110°F | 46–49°C / 115°F | Deep red, cool | Very soft, almost raw |
| Rare | 50°C / 122°F | 52–55°C / 125°F | Bright red, warm | Soft, yielding |
| Medium-Rare | 55°C / 131°F | 57–60°C / 135°F | Pink-red | Springy with give |
| Medium | 61°C / 142°F | 63–65°C / 145°F | Pink centre | Firm but moist |
| Medium-Well | 66°C / 151°F | 68–71°C / 155°F | Slight pink | Mostly firm |
| Well Done | 72°C / 162°F | 74°C+ / 165°F+ | Grey-brown | Firm throughout |
| Cut | Blue | Rare | Med-Rare | Medium | Med-Well | Well Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fillet (Tenderloin) | 1+1 min | 1.5+1.5 | 2+2 | 2.5+2.5 | 3.5+3.5 | 4.5+4.5 |
| Entrecôte (Ribeye) | 1.5+1.5 | 2+2 | 2.5+2.5 | 3.5+3.5 | 4.5+4.5 | 5.5+5.5 |
| Sirloin | 1+1 | 1.5+1.5 | 2.5+2.5 | 3+3 | 4+4 | 5+5 |
| T-Bone / Porterhouse | 1.5+1.5 | 2+2 | 3+3 | 4+4 | 5+5 | 6+6 |
| Rump | 1.5+1.5 | 2+2 | 2.5+2.5 | 3.5+3.5 | 4.5+4.5 | 5.5+5.5 |
All times are per side. Add ~1 minute per side per extra centimetre of thickness. Always rest your steak after cooking.
Cut from the psoas major muscle which does almost no work, fillet is the most tender steak available and commands the highest price. It has very little fat or marbling, giving it a clean, mild flavour. Because it is lean it cooks quickly and can dry out at higher doneness levels — medium-rare is the sweet spot. It benefits from basting with butter, garlic and thyme while cooking.
Entrecôte — French for "between the ribs" — is cut from the rib section and is one of the most flavourful steaks available thanks to its generous marbling. The fat renders during cooking and bastes the meat from within, making it forgiving and self-basting. The ribeye cap (spinalis dorsi), the curved muscle around the outside, is considered by many chefs to be the most flavourful part of any steak. Best cooked medium-rare to medium so the intramuscular fat has time to render.
Sirloin sits at the back of the loin, directly behind the rib section. It has a good balance of tenderness and flavour — not as tender as fillet, not as richly marbled as ribeye, but with a clean, beefy flavour and a firm texture. The fat cap on the outside should be scored before cooking to prevent curling. Medium-rare brings out the best flavour.
The T-bone is essentially two steaks in one — a section of sirloin and a smaller section of fillet separated by a T-shaped bone. The porterhouse is a larger version cut from further back, giving a bigger fillet portion. The bone conducts heat unevenly, so the meat nearest the bone cooks more slowly. Cooking a T-bone to a uniform medium-rare requires slightly longer than a boneless steak of the same thickness and benefits from finishing in the oven after searing.
Rump (known as sirloin in the US and Australia) is cut from the hindquarter and has excellent flavour but is firmer than the cuts above. It benefits from a hot, quick sear and is best served no more than medium — beyond that it becomes noticeably tough. Allow slightly longer resting time than more tender cuts to let the muscle fibres relax fully.
Lamb chops — whether loin chops or rack cutlets — are best served pink. Unlike beef, lamb at rare can feel slightly under to most people, so medium-rare (an internal temperature of around 60°C / 140°F) is the standard recommendation. The fat on the outside of a lamb chop should be rendered and lightly crisped; this takes a bit more time on the fat edge before searing the flat sides.
Food safety guidelines recommend pork reaches a minimum of 63°C / 145°F (medium). Modern pork raised in controlled environments is safe at this temperature — the era of mandatory well-done pork belongs to a different era of food safety. A pork chop cooked to 63°C will be juicy, slightly pink in the centre and far more flavourful than an overcooked grey one. Brine thick pork chops for 30–60 minutes before cooking for the best results.
Salmon does not require the same resting period as red meat. The stages on this timer still follow Side 1 → Side 2 → brief Rest to allow the heat to redistribute. The doneness levels refer to the centre texture: rare leaves the centre translucent and silky; medium-rare means the very centre is barely set; medium gives a fully flaking but still moist fillet. For food safety with higher-risk individuals, cook to well done (internal temp 63°C / 145°F).
Chicken must always reach a safe internal temperature of 74°C / 165°F throughout. Chicken breast dries out quickly above this temperature, so the goal is to hit 74°C and rest immediately — the timer is calibrated for a standard breast of approximately 2.5cm at its thickest point. For thicker breasts or uneven cuts, use a thermometer rather than relying on time alone. Butterflying (cutting horizontally so the breast opens flat) ensures even thickness and faster, more consistent cooking.
Bring meat to room temperature. Remove steaks from the fridge 30–45 minutes before cooking. A cold steak hitting a hot pan drops the surface temperature sharply and can result in an uneven grey band around the outside before the centre reaches temperature.
Pat dry before seasoning. Surface moisture creates steam in the pan, which prevents proper browning. Patting dry with kitchen paper gives you the Maillard reaction — the deep brown crust that provides flavour.
Get the pan ripping hot. A cast iron or heavy stainless pan needs 3–4 minutes over maximum heat before the steak goes in. Add a high-smoke-point oil (rapeseed, avocado, refined sunflower) — never olive oil for high-heat searing. The steak should sizzle loudly and not stick within the first 30 seconds.
Do not press the steak. Pressing forces out juices and reduces moisture. Leave it alone until it releases naturally from the pan before flipping.
Always rest after cooking. Resting allows the muscle fibres to relax and reabsorb juices that were forced toward the centre by heat. Cut into a steak immediately and the juices run out onto the board. Rest for the time shown in the timer and the same cut stays juicy on the plate.
Season generously. Salt draws moisture to the surface briefly, then it is reabsorbed along with the dissolved salt — this is the basis of dry-brining. Season either 45+ minutes before cooking or just before it hits the pan. Never season 5–30 minutes before, as the drawn moisture does not have time to reabsorb.
As a rule, rest for roughly half the cooking time — a steak that took 6 minutes total needs around 3 minutes rest. Resting under loose foil (not tightly sealed — that traps steam and softens the crust) retains heat while allowing the muscle fibres to relax. The timer's REST stage is pre-calculated for each cut.
Either works. The traditional method of flipping once per side gives you maximum contact time for crust development on each face. Flipping every 30 seconds — popularised by Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats — can produce slightly more even cooking in the cross-section because neither side gets too hot for too long. This timer uses the single-flip method as it is easier to manage at home.
They are the same cut — entrecôte is the French and European name for what English-speaking countries call ribeye. Both are cut from the spinalis section of the rib primal (ribs 6–12). A bone-in ribeye is sometimes called a côte de bœuf (if thick) or tomahawk (if the long rib bone is left on).
Yes. The times are calibrated for a very hot surface — whether cast iron, stainless steel or a charcoal or gas grill at high heat (around 260°C / 500°F). If your grill runs cooler, add 20–30% to the side times and use a thermometer to verify doneness.
Pork chops are often thick and benefit from a full 5-minute rest so the centre finishes cooking from residual heat and the juices redistribute. A pork chop cut immediately will lose a significant amount of moisture onto the board.
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