cookthrough

Cookthrough is a culinary term referring to cooking food to a complete, fully heated state from start to finish. It emphasizes that all parts of the dish have reached a safe and desirable level of doneness, rather than stopping while portions remain undercooked.

It is an informal term rather than a formal, standardized measure, and appears in recipe instructions, cooking guides, and food blogs. The word is typically hyphenated as cook-through or used without punctuation in modern prose.

In practice, achieving cookthrough involves ensuring even heat distribution and using proper techniques such as steady simmering, thorough searing followed by gentle cooking, and frequent checking of the center with a thermometer. Food safety texts recommend testing internal temperatures rather than relying solely on time or appearance, as certain foods can be unsafe even when they look cooked.

For example, poultry should reach about 165°F (74°C), ground meats about 160°F (71°C), and whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and fish commonly reach 145°F (63°C) with a rest period, though guidelines vary by product and local regulations.

Context and usage vary; some cooks reserve cookthrough for recipes that require long, slow cooking to break down connective tissue, while others use it to describe the final stage of any dish. The term is part of broader discourse on doneness and food safety.