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TEMPERATURE GUIDE
TO FOOD SAFETY
It takes thorough
cooking to kill harmful bacteria. Eating raw and undercooked meat,
poultry, seafood, or eggs can increase the risk of foodborne illness.
The elderly,
pregnant women, very young children and chronically ill persons with
weakened immune systems are at greater risk. The consequences of foodborne
illness can be serious. Here are some recommendations to
cut your risk:
- Never taste
raw or partially cooked meat, poultry, eggs, or fish.
- Always thaw
or marinate raw meats or poultry in the refrigerator. Never reuse
marinade.
- Cooking temperatures
in conventional ovens should be at least 350° F. Partial or interrupted
cooking often produces conditions that encourage bacterial growth.
- Cooking food
to an internal temperature of 160° F usually protects against
foodborne illness. To make sure meat or poultry over two inches thick
is cooked all the way through, use a meat thermometer. Insert the
tip into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding fat, bone or gristle.
For poultry, insert the tip into the thick part of the thigh next
to the body. For meat and poultry less than two inches thick, look
for clear juices and lack of pink in the center as signs of "doneness".
- Cook frozen
meat or poultry about one and one half times the length required for
the same cut when thawed.
- Never make recipes
in which eggs remain raw or partially cooked. Salmonella, a bacteria
that causes food poisoning can grow inside fresh, unbroken eggs. Cook
eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Scramble eggs to
a firm texture.
- Stir and rotate
your food for even cooking in the microwave. The Microwave cooking
process sometimes leaves cold spots in foods. Bacteria can survive
in these spots. Observe the standing time called for in a recipe or
package directions. During the standing time, food finishes cooking.
Insert the oven temperature probe or a meat thermometer to check that
food is done.
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COOKING
TEMPERATURE CHART |
|
| |
Cook
to this Internal temperature |
Visual
Checks |
| FRESH
MEATS |
|
|
Ground
meats (veal, beef,
lamb, pork) |
160°F |
no longer pink |
| Fresh
beef |
|
|
| • rare
(some bacterial risk) |
140°F |
red
center |
| • medium |
160°F |
pale
pink center |
| • well
done |
170°F |
not
pink |
| Fresh
lamb, pork and veal |
|
|
| • medium |
160°F |
pale
pink center |
| • well
done |
170°F |
not
pink |
| Leftover
cooked meats |
165°F |
steaming
hot |
| |
| POULTRY |
|
|
| whole
chicken, turkey,
duck and goose |
180°F |
juices
run clear
leg moves easily tender |
| poultry,
breasts, roasts |
170°F |
clear
juice, fork tender |
| poultry,
thighs and wings |
170°F |
cook
until juices run clear |
| -ground
turkey, chicken |
170°F |
no
longer pink |
stuffing, cooked alone or
in the bird |
165°F |
|
|
fully-cooked poultry |
safe
to eat cold if
properly stored |
|
| to
reheat leftovers |
165°F |
steaming
hot |
| |
| FISH
AND SHELLFISH |
|
|
|
fish, filleted and whole |
140°F |
flesh
is opaque, flakes easily |
| shellfish
|
|
opaque,
steaming hot |
| |
| HAM |
|
|
| Fresh
(raw) |
160°F |
steaming
hot |
| Precooked
(to reheat) |
140°F |
steaming
hot |
| Shoulder
|
160°F |
steaming
hot |
| |
| EGGS |
|
|
|
fresh |
|
both
yolk and white firm |
|
eggs based sauces and custards |
160°F |
sauces
coat spoon, are firm |
Revised 6/00
University of Rhode Island
Cooperative Extension Food Safety Education
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