CookingFrenzy said:
Hey everyone, i'm new here, and hoping that i'm doing this right. I'm having a get together at my house shortly and asked everyone what they wanted to eat, and the majority said Pork, and Chicken... the two hardest things for me to cook. For some reason i can never get them right. I dont cook them enough, or i over cook them... can someone please give me some helpful tips... i'd greatly appreciate it.
(Its Bonless, Skinless Chicken Breast, and Bonless Pork Loin Chops)
I don't normally recommend a thermometer for small pieces
like chicken breasts or pork chops,but if you use it for a while and cross reference that with the feel of the meat
eventually you'll be cooking meat to order.
Time cooking is generaly not a good method because temps
need to be determined and thickness will be different everytime,so stay away from that.
Feel is what I use for small cuts like steaks,chicken parts
or seafood.Everyone that does this method has learned through experience with trial and error,but again for small
proteins like this I would recommend you give it a go.Worst
case scenario hopefully,is you have to cook it a little longer.
Thermometer is the best way to determine doneness.
Some cooking methods are not as susceptable to overcooking,or should I say mask well the fact.For example
wet cooking methods like stews,braising and even sauteeing
then simmering in a liquid will mask over doneness.But if
you roasting,pan frying,sauteing,grilling that kind of thing
then the doneness will need to be more exact.
There will always be chatter about what is considered cooked when it comes to chicken or pork.If you
follow guideline set out by the gov everything would be overcooked and not fit for consumption.So to determine
what internal temp you consider done you'll have to experiment a few time to establish that.
And of course the last answer is cook the meat until it's done.