Do Published Cooking Temperatures Correspond with Consumer and Chef Perceptions of Steak Degrees of Doneness?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess consumer and chef perceptions and knowledge of beef degrees of doneness (DOD) as well as to measure the changes in cooked color over time related to DOD. Steaks from strip loins (M. longissimus lumborum) from each of 5 quality treatments were used for this study. Steaks were cooked to an endpoint temperature of either very-rare (54°C), rare (60°C), medium-rare (63°C), medium (71°C), well-done (77°C), or very well-done (82°C). L*, a*, and b* were evaluated at 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 min post-cutting and digital pictures were taken immediately on an internal surface of the steak. Digital surveys for the evaluation of the images of the cooked steaks were created for consumers and chefs. There were time × DOD interactions (P < 0.05) for L*, a*, and b* values. For very-rare, rare, medium-rare, and medium, a* values increased (P < 0.05) over time. For L*, well-done and very well-done steaks became darker (P < 0.05) and very-rare, rare, and medium-rare steaks became lighter (P < 0.05) over time. Surveys indicated consumers determine DOD when cooking beef in their home primarily by using color, whereas chefs primarily use touch to determine DOD. There were no quality grade effects (P > 0.05) for DOD responses for steak pictures evaluated by consumers or chefs. Consumers identified the DOD of cooked steaks as the DOD that corresponds to published end-point temperatures 27 to 35% of the time. Chefs typically identified the DOD as 1 DOD higher than which the steaks were cooked for steaks cooked to medium or less and 1 DOD lower for steaks cooked to well-done and higher. This indicates differences exist in the perceptions of DOD between culinary professionals and consumers, and may contribute to decreased consumer satisfaction when ordering steaks in a restaurant.

Effects of increasing internal end‐point temperatures on physicochemical and sensory properties of meat: A review

“…Finally, for b *, the values increased over time within each degree of doneness, but the changes were more prevalent at lower (very rare, 54°C and rare, 60°C) degrees of doneness. The b * values increased at each successive time point within very rare samples, but were similar across the final three time points for well‐done steaks (Prill, Drey, Rice, et al., 2019).…”

“…In a similar study, the authors found time × degree of doneness interactions ( p < 0.05) for the Commission Internationale d’ Eclairage L *, a *, and b * (CIEL* a * b *) color values (Prill, Drey, Rice, et al., 2019). As the degree of doneness increased from very‐rare to well‐done, the internal color changed from lighter (high L * values) to darker (low L * values) over time.…”

“…They were given the option to use dry heat (indoor grill, broil, oven‐roasted uncovered, outdoor grill, pan‐fry, stir‐fry, and pan‐broil), moist heat (simmer, braise, and stew), or other (deep‐fry) methods (Lorenzen et al., 1999). Although the results indicated that different cooking methods lead to varying palatability ratings, a major implication of the study was the fact that all the consumers cooked the meat to different degrees of doneness, which is an important consideration when doing consumer‐specific research studies (Lorenzen et al., 1999; Prill, Drey, Rice, et al., 2019). Nonetheless, the cookery equipment selection and controlling the cooking process are crucial to ensure that variability among datasets and data interpretations among institutions are minimized (AMSA, 2016).…”

“…As discussed previously, when steaks are cooked to higher internal end‐point temperatures or increasing degrees of doneness, it is the greater amount of myoglobin denaturation that results in the internal meat color change from a typical raw‐red to a traditional cooked‐brown color (Mancini & Hunt, 2005). Consequently, it is the extent of this color change that most consumers use to assess the final degree of doneness of beef steak (Prill, Drey, Rice, et al., 2019).…”

“…As the degree of doneness increased from very‐rare to well‐done, the internal color changed from lighter (high L * values) to darker (low L * values) over time. Furthermore, the a * values (red color) increased over time from very‐rare to medium degrees of doneness, but changed minimally as steaks were cooked to well‐done (Prill, Drey, Rice, et al., 2019). Finally, for b *, the values increased over time within each degree of doneness, but the changes were more prevalent at lower (very rare, 54°C and rare, 60°C) degrees of doneness.…”