Steak Doneness Chart UK: Temperatures & Guide
Steak Doneness Chart UK: Temperatures & Guide
This website is independent and not affiliated with Miller & Carter. It is a cooking temperature guide for home cooks in the United Kingdom.
This steak doneness chart UK gives you the internal temperatures for every level, from rare to well done. The short answer: use a meat thermometer and aim for the final temperatures in the table below, but take the steak off the heat a few degrees early, because the temperature keeps rising while it rests. That rise is called carryover cooking, and it is the detail most home cooks miss.
Steak Doneness Chart UK: The Full Temperature Table
All temperatures are the reading at the thickest part of the steak, taken with a digital meat thermometer. Treat the figures as ranges rather than single numbers, because every steak behaves slightly differently.
| Doneness | Pull temperature (take off heat) | Final temperature (after resting) | Centre colour and texture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 45 to 49°C | 49 to 52°C | Cool red centre, soft and tender |
| Medium rare | 49 to 52°C | 54 to 57°C | Warm red centre, juicy and tender |
| Medium | 54 to 57°C | 60 to 63°C | Warm pink centre, firmer but still moist |
| Medium well | 60 to 63°C | 65 to 68°C | Slightly pink centre, firm |
| Well done | 66 to 68°C | 71°C and above | Brown throughout, very firm |
Temperatures follow widely used UK butchery and cooking guides; exact figures vary slightly between sources. Rest every steak for 5 to 10 minutes, longer for very thick cuts.
Pull Temperature vs Final Temperature: Carryover Cooking Explained
When a steak comes off the heat, its outside is much hotter than its centre. That heat keeps travelling inward, so the internal temperature keeps climbing for a few minutes. This is carryover cooking, and it usually adds 3 to 6°C to the reading.
Thick steaks climb more than thin ones, because a thick cut holds more heat and a fierce sear creates a bigger gap between the crust and the core. Thin steaks, under about 2 cm, lose heat fast, so they rise less. This is why the chart shows two columns: pull the steak at the lower temperature, then let the rest bring it up to the final one.
How to Use a Meat Thermometer Properly
A thermometer is the single most useful tool for hitting your target doneness. Time based cooking fails because pans, ovens and steak thicknesses all vary. The temperature at the centre of the meat does not lie.
- Choose a digital instant read thermometer. They read in seconds and cost little. A leave in probe thermometer also works if you cook thick steaks in the oven.
- Insert the probe into the thickest part. Push it in from the side or the top until the tip reaches the middle of the meat. Keep it away from bone and large pockets of fat, which read hotter than the muscle.
- Check in more than one spot. On thick cuts, test two or three places. If the readings differ, use the lowest one, because that is the least cooked part.
- Pull early and rest. Take the steak off the heat when it hits the pull temperature for your target doneness. Rest it on a warm plate, tented loosely with foil, for 5 to 10 minutes while the temperature finishes climbing.
- Calibrate now and then. A thermometer that reads wrong ruins everything. Check yours in a glass of iced water, which should read close to 0°C.
Ordering Doneness in UK Restaurants
UK kitchens understand the same five levels, plus one below rare: blue, also called bleu or blue rare, where the steak is seared on the outside and essentially raw inside. If you order rare in a steakhouse, expect a warm seared crust with a cool red centre, matching the top row of the chart above.
Some restaurants use the French names on their menus. Saignant means rare, à point means medium, and bien cuit means well done. Asking for medium rare usually gives the best result with premium cuts, because the fat has time to soften while the centre stays juicy. Our Miller and Carter main menu guide shows how the steakhouse chain serves its own cuts.
Which Doneness Suits Which Cut?
Lean, tender cuts like fillet taste best at rare to medium rare, because cooking them further dries out the little fat they have. Well marbled cuts like ribeye shine at medium rare, where the marbling melts. Firmer cuts like rump handle medium to medium well. For a full method on one of the firmer cuts, see our guide to cooking rump steak.
For a deep dive into each level, our per level guides cover rare steak temperature UK (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live), medium steak temperature UK (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live), medium well steak temperature UK (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live) and well done steak temperature UK (note: this page is published alongside this one and the link will resolve once both are live) separately, with cooking tips specific to each.
FAQs
Do I really need a thermometer for steak?
You can use the hand firmness test as a rough guide, but a thermometer is far more reliable. Hands and steaks vary, and a thermometer removes the guesswork entirely.
Why does the temperature keep rising after I take the steak off the heat?
Because the outside is much hotter than the centre. That heat keeps moving inward while the steak rests, adding 3 to 6°C. Pulling the steak early accounts for this rise.
Is pink steak safe to eat?
Whole cuts of beef can be eaten pink, because harmful bacteria live on the surface, which the sear kills. Minced beef and burgers are different: the surface is mixed through the meat, so they must be cooked through, to at least 70°C.
How long should steak rest?
Rest thin steaks for 5 minutes and thick steaks for 10 minutes or more. Resting lets the juices redistribute, so they stay in the meat instead of running out onto the board.
Temperature guidance follows published UK butchery and cooking sources checked on 13 October 2026. Figures are approximate ranges, not exact targets. This website is independent and not affiliated with Miller & Carter.
