The Thumb Test for Firmness

An easy way to judge the doneness of a piece of fish, meat, or poultry is to compare its resilience to muscle on the base of your thumb. The further the thumb has to reach, the more resilient the ball of muscle becomes, which is similar to what cooking does to the proteins in meat. You will know if the meat is done enough for you when it matches the Finger Stage you prefer.

First-finger stage - for lightly cooked fish and underdone/ blue meat. Touch your thumb to the tip of your index (first) finger. With a finger on the other hand, press the ball of your thumb with. The ball will offer no resistance.

Second-finger stage - for rare meat. Touch your middle (second) finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel spongy.

Third-finger stage - for well-done fish and medium-cooked meat, game or duck. Touch your ring (third) finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel resistant.

Fourth-finger stage - for well-done meat or poultry. Touch your fourth finger to your thumb and press the ball of your thumb. The ball will feel firm.

From page 28 of Anne Willan's Cook It Right cookbook.

This is an excellent book. There are color photographs for each main ingredient she describes showing the underdone, perfect, and overdone stages along with an explanation of what might have gone wrong. There are also Quick Fix sections that offer ways to possibly salvage the ingredient, dish, or meal.

The recipes are easy to follow and the measurements are given in both Imperial and Metric.

The sections are Perfect Sauces, Perfect Vegetables, Perfect Breads, Perfect Meats, Perfect Pasta, and Perfect Desserts.

It's a Reader's Digest book and winner of the IACP Julia Child's Cookbook Award