Safe minimum cooking temperatures
How to check that meat is properly cooked and safe to eat.
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A meat cooking thermometer
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Oxo 'Good Grips' thermometer £19 Amazon Uk - Oct 2020
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Thermapen digital thermometer with probe
Test the temperature of your food to ensure it's 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:
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Why you should rest meat
- US food safety information
- Minnesota dept. health
- how to cook wild pig
- Safe cooking (pdf)
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