Meatloaf is a classic American dish, but it can be tricky to cook properly. It’s such a dense food that it’s hard to know when it’s done, and undercooked meatloaf can lead to food poisoning. Overcooked meatloaf tastes dry and rubbery—not exactly something you want from one of your favorite dishes! The good news is there are two easy ways to prevent this issue: Use an instant-read thermometer or use a digital meat thermometer in conjunction with the guide below.
The baked meatloaf is a classic side dish.
Meatloaf is a classic side dish. It’s made with ground beef, bread crumbs, and other ingredients like onions, garlic and eggs. The baked meatloaf can be served with mashed potatoes or gravy for an easy dinner everyone will love! You can even use the baked version as a sandwich on crusty bread with lettuce and tomato slices. Meatloaf makes for a great main course too!
But due to the large amount of meat, it can be tricky to know how long to cook meatloaf.
But due to the large amount of meat, it can be tricky to know how long to cook meatloaf.
Meatloaf is a dense dish with lots of moisture and fat. That means that it takes longer to cook than other types of meat dishes. In general, you should plan on cooking your meatloaf for at least an hour in order for it to reach a safe temperature all throughout–and probably closer to two hours if you want it super juicy!
You don’t want to undercook it or risk getting food poisoning, but overcooked meatloaf tastes dry and rubbery.
You don’t want to undercook it or risk getting food poisoning, but overcooked meatloaf tastes dry and rubbery. There’s no exact time for how long you should cook meatloaf, but there are a few guidelines that can help you figure out the best cooking time for yours:
- The recipe will tell you how long to cook your loaf based on its size and desired doneness level. If your recipe doesn’t specify an internal temperature range (for example, “160 degrees F”), use an instant-read thermometer to check the center of the loaf after 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven and adjust as necessary until it reaches 160 degrees F internally or higher.*
Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness in the center of the loaf.
Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness in the center of the loaf. The temperature should be 160 degrees F (71 C).
The internal temperature should be 160 degrees F (71 C).
- Don’t use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
- Use an instant-read thermometer instead.
- Do not remove the meatloaf from the oven until it reaches 160 degrees F (71 C).
- If you poke holes in your meatloaf, they’ll leak out all its juices and cause it to dry out while cooking!
Conclusion
If you’re not sure how long to cook meatloaf, just remember that it should be cooked through and the center should reach 160 degrees F (71 C). You can use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness in the center of the loaf. If you don’t have one handy, then use our guide above!
