Safe minimum cooking temperatures

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Test the temperature of your food to ensure it's safe to eat

How to check that meat is properly cooked and safe to eat.

Using a food thermometer in combination with the chart below to check the food has reached a safe minimum temperature will ensure that the food you cook is safe to eat.

The chart includes not only meat but also eggs, game, fish and seafood.

The source of this data

The following data is mostly taken from the website of the US Department of Health and Human Services. However these temperatures are not written in stone, so please read the notes which follow.

Notes

Temperatures of 75°C or above are effective in destroying almost all types of bacteria. However, cooking temperatures below this level are also effective provided that the food is held at these temperatures for a suitable time period. According to the FSA, you should observe the following:

  1. When cooking poultry, rolled meat joints, stews, casseroles, minced meats and meat products, ensure the centre reaches a suitably high temperature for example 75°C or above
  2. Whole cuts of beef and lamb which have not been rolled or skewered and are to be served pink or rare, may not need to reach this temperature but should be properly cooked at a suitably high temperature
  3. Similarly, steaks cooked “rare” need not be cooked to this temperature but you should ensure that the external surface has been cooked at a suitably high temperature to kill any bacteria on the surface of the meat

However, cooking food at what would normally be considered an 'unsuitably' high temperature, will also kill of the bacteria PROVIDED THAT the cooking TIME is long enough and that the core temperature is maintained. This is why food cooked sous vide is safe, even though it is cooked at a comparatively low temperature. For example, surface bacteria will be destroyed it you cook at

• 60°C for a minimum of 45 minutes • 65°C for a minimum of 10 minutes • 70°C for a minimum of 2 minutes

Note that this applies to steaks and whole cuts only. Anything like mince or rolled joints will have come into contact with bacteria on the inside, as well as the surface.

Food Category Food Type Safe Minimum Temperature
Beef, lamb, pork Beef steaks & chops 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Gammon from raw 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Ham from raw 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Roast beef 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Roast pork 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Lamb fillet 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Lamb chops 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork lamb steaks 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Roast lamb 62 °C 145 °F
Beef, lamb, pork Pre-cooked Ham reheating 60 °C 140 °F
Crustaceans Prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish 62 °C 145 °F
Cook until flesh is pink and opaque
Eggs Eggs 62 °C 145 °F
Cook until whites and yolks are firm
Fish Finned fish 62 °C 145 °F
or until flesh opaque or easily separated
Game Hare 74 °C 165 °F
Game Rabbit 74 °C 165 °F
Game Whole roast grouse 74 °C 165 °F
Game Whole roast Pot-roast Guinea fowl|Guinea fowl 74 °C 165 °F
Game Roast wild boar 76 °C170 °F
Game Roast venison 71 °C 160 °F
Game Whole roast partridge 74 °C 165 °F
Game Whole roast pheasant 74 °C 165 °F
Game Whole roast pigeon 74 °C 165 °F
Game Whole roast quails 74 °C 165 °F
Left-over food Reheating 74 °C 165 °F
Minced ground meat Beef 71 °C 160 °F
Minced ground meat Chicken 74 °C 165 °F
Minced ground meat Pork 71 °C 160 °F
Minced ground meat Turkey 74 °C 165 °F
Minced ground meat Veal 71 °C 160 °F
Poultry Chicken wings 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Chicken breasts 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Chicken legs 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Chicken thighs 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Turkey breasts 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Turkey legs 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Turkey thighs 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Turkey wings 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry roast chicken 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Whole roast turkey 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Whole roast duck 74 °C 165 °F
Poultry Whole roast goose 74 °C 165 °F
Ratites Emu steaks 63 °C 145 °F
Ratites Ostrich steaks 63 °C 145 °F
Ratites Rhea steaks 63 °C 145 °F
Shellfish Clams, mussels, oysters Cook until shells open during cooking

A two-way temperature calculator

A Centigrade to Fahrenhiet / Fahrenhiet to Centigrade temperature converter.

Pink pork can be ok to eat

The colour of cooked uncured red meat is not a measurement of safety. Even pork can be pink, yet still be safe to eat. [1]

See also

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