Basic Cooking Terms & Tips for the Cooking Inept

Does anyone know a good way to tell if meat is done cooking, beyond just cutting it in a million pieces to make sure nothing's raw (which is what I do now... makes for terrible presentation when I have dinner parties.) :)

You could buy a meat thermometer. They aren't too expensive, and all you have to do is poke it into the meat, which is much easier and makes for better presentation.