Another way to check temperatures of beef
(as you make a fist one finger at a time, press on the meat of the hand)

To cook food properly you need to know...

•What type of food you are planning to prepare
•What setting to set your burner so your food cooks thoroughly
•About sanitation so you don't cross contaminate food or leave harmful bacteria in the kitchen
(try to dedicate a cutting board for each type of meat because even though you wash them bacteria can hind in the cracks)
•What kitchen utensils and cookware you will need to minimize clean up after

Stovetop Temperatures
(most appliances are calibrated differently so if it's burning take the flame down a little)

  Low - Medium low I use for as sauces, soups, and stews that have already been brought to a hot temperature, and need to simmer longer to bring the flavors together. I noticed that when people cook soup, for instance, that when it's time to throw in the meats, veggies, and seasonings with the egg noodles they let it boil for a minute then serve. That doesn't allow for the ingredients to absorb the flavors. People think "I have a busy schedule and can't do that." Next time you prepare pasta sauce or chili bring them to a boil stirring frequently let them simmer for a few hours. You will have time to accomplish other tasks during the duration.

  Medium - Medium high I use for my all my meats on the stovetop (remember to thaw-out the meat in a sanitized place before cooking). So coat both sides with your favorite seasoning to prepare it, and then cook it and savor the juicy taste, but remember that you have to cook chicken all the way through until it's white with clear juices.

  Medium High- High I use just for boiling water for pastas. The logic most people have is if the flame is up high that the food will cook faster. This is false because the chances are high that you will re-cook you food, do to a strong burnt taste or it won't be cooked in the middle.

Meat Temperatures

Chicken

There is only one method to cook chicken. No matter what seasoning you use, you have to make sure the meat is white w/ clear juices flowing. One thing I noticed is for chicken recipes many people turn the flames too high which leaves the outside of chicken brown and the inside well undercooked (very dangerous). To help with tenderness and cook times for boneless chicken you can place chicken on a cutting board, or a clean plastic wrapped counter top spaced about 1 inch apart, then coverer with plastic wrap. With a
meat tenderizer pound chicken enough so that meaty end is expanded but not tearing apart.

Fish

Certain fish taste good raw, but others need to be cooked. Fish is very versatile because you can deep fry, bake, cook in a skillet, or throw a nice piece of salmon on the grill. So you can make home cooking recipes and lite healthy recipes. White fish your looking for a flaky, white meat. Pink Fish when cooked turns to a orangish-pink, flaky inside.

Pork

I have heard a lot of chefs say cook pork to a rare, but I like mine a little more done. If I cook my chops in a skillet I turn my burner to a medium. The pork still has juices when it's done. If you bake pork in the oven try to sear it in a skillet on a medium- high flame before putting in the oven.

Beef (times vary by the size of the meat)

Rare- seared on both sides for 2 minutes w/ red meat in the middle, thin gray layer and red juices.
Med. Rare- cooked for about 5 minutes on the first side and about 3 minutes on the second w/ the middle red, some pink, and pink juices.
Medium- cooked about 5 minutes on both sides w/ the middle pink turning gray and clear with little pink juices.
Med. Well- cooked about 6 minutes on the first side and about 7 minutes on the second side w/ little pink and clear juices.
Well- cooked all the way through total time about 15 minutes w/ the middle gray with clear juices.