What is the most accurate way to tell if meat and fish are done, aside from prodding them with a meat thermometer? Are there some visual clues I can use?

A thermometer is always the most accurate way to ensure your meat is cooked all the way through, but there are visual cues as well.

When you do use a thermometer, insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat but do not let it touch the bone; chicken needs to be cooked to 170 degrees, beef 145 degrees, pork 160 degrees, ground beef 165 to 170 degrees and fish (if fresh) is safe to eat raw. You should also account for carry-over cooking, which means that the meat's temperature will rise 5 degrees once removed from the heat source.

Luckily, there are also some simple tricks to determine if your proteins are cooked thoroughly just by looking at them. For poultry, the juices should run clear when you cut it, the meat should be opaque and there should not be any pink coloring at all. Pork should also be white, not pink, in the center. Beef can be served with a red or pink center (if handled properly), but ground beef should be cooked until dark in color throughout.

I always have a problem with lemon-meringue pie. I make sure that I am using a clean steel bowl and clean utensils. But whenever I bake it, it still comes out undercooked in the center and not crispy. Please show me how to fix this problem.

Meringue is tricky. The basic recipe is to beat three egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Then slowly add six tablespoons of sugar until the mixture forms stiff peaks. You should bake the lemon curd in the pie crust before topping with the meringue, and then bake it for an additional 15 minutes until the peaks are golden in color. If you want to add more color to the peaks, try a kitchen torch.

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