Growing up, I thought pink meat would kill me, if consumed.

Now, if there’s not pink in my steak, I will kill the cook.

Earlier this year, I made steaks for a group of friends, and one of them asked why I was poking at the meat with my tongs. I explained to her how to tell if the meat is cooked to your liking by touching it — because watching people cut into their cooking steaks makes me cringe.

It’s easy enough to explain in words, but vlogging is what all the cool kids are doing now. And I’ve always wanted to be part of the in-crowd.

Simply put:

• Pointer finger: Rare. Cook it to this liking if you just want to sear the outside and then cut super thin for something like carpaccio.
• Middle finger: Medium-rare. This will have a a slightly pink center, but mostly it will be red and the temp will be warm.
• Ring Ringer: Medium. Hot pink center. I recommend cooking and eating your steaks to this setting.
• Pinky: Well-done. As in, well done, you’ve ruined your steak.

Also, don’t forget to give that meat a rest!

How do you like your steak cooked? Tell me in the comments below!