🌡️ Cooking Temperature Calculator

How to Use This Temperature Calculator

Select your protein, the thickness of the cut, your cooking method, and your target doneness. The calculator outputs three numbers: the internal temperature you're aiming for, the temperature to pull the food from heat (accounting for carryover cooking), and how long to rest before serving.

Why Pull Temperature Matters

Carryover cooking is the temperature rise that continues after food is removed from heat. The exterior of protein is always hotter than the interior during cooking — when you remove it from the heat source, that heat continues conducting inward for several minutes. A 1-inch steak pulled at 125°F reaches 130-132°F during an 8-minute rest. If you wait until the steak reads 130°F on the thermometer before pulling it, you'll serve a 138-140°F steak — well past medium rare.

The pull temperature shown in this calculator accounts for typical carryover at each thickness. For thicker cuts and for the reverse sear method, carryover is much smaller because the temperature gradient is minimal.

Common Calculator Mistakes

• Measuring the wrong part: Insert the thermometer probe from the side into the geometric center — the thickest point equidistant from all surfaces. Inserting from the top gives the temperature of the outer layers, not the center.
• Not waiting for the reading to stabilize: Instant-read thermometers give accurate readings in 2-4 seconds. Don't pull the probe immediately — wait for the number to stop changing.
• Ignoring rest time: The rest period is where the pull temperature advantage is realized. Cut immediately and the juice runs onto the board instead of redistributing through the meat.

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