Chef at 06:11, 1 February 2025

2025-02-01T06:11:43Z

New page

{{#seo:
|title=How to check if meat is properly cooked Cooking Wiki
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=#beef #poultry #lamb #pork #game #turkey #chicken #steak#fish #eggs #safeminimumcookingtemperature
|hashtagrev=12032020
|description=Safe minimum cooking temperatures for meat game fish eggs and seafood.
}}

[[Image:Spend less time sitting on the toilet.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Spend less time sitting on the toilet!]]
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px perrow=5>
Image:Meat cooking thermometer.jpg|A meat cooking [[Food_thermometer|thermometer]]
Image:Oxo Good Grips thermometer.jpg|[https://www.amazon.co.uk/OXO-Digital-Thermometer-Stainless-Metallic/dp/B01N8RUOMB/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=good+grips+thermometer&qid=1603008996&sr=8-4 Oxo 'Good Grips' thermometer] £19 Amazon Uk - Oct 2020
Image:Thermapen.jpg|Thermapen digital [[Food_thermometer|thermometer]] with probe
</gallery>
===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]].
{{Template:AutoBanner}}
===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 meat]]s 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.
<div class="wikitable-responsive">
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
!style="min-width: 40%;"|'''Food Category'''
!style="min-width: 30%;"|'''Food Type'''
!style="min-width: 30%;" colspan=2|'''Safe Minimum Temperature'''
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align: center;"
|-
|[[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||Slow-roast recipes#Slow roast beef recipes|Roast beef||62 °C ''145 °F''
|-
|Beef, lamb, pork||Slow-roast recipes#Slow roast pork recipes|Roast pork||62 °C ''145 °F''
|-
|Beef, lamb, pork||Lamb fillet||62 °C ''145 °F''
|-
|Beef, lamb, pork||Lamb chops, mechoui with hot paprika and cumin salt|Lamb chops||62 °C ''145 °F''
|-
|Beef, lamb, pork||lamb steaks||62 °C ''145 °F''
|-
|Beef, lamb, pork||Slow-roast recipes#Slow roast lamb recipes|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''<br />Cook until flesh is pink and opaque
|-
|[[Eggs]]||Eggs||62 °C ''145 °F''<br />Cook until whites and yolks are firm
|-
|[[Fish]]||Finned fish||62 °C ''145 °F''<br />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 °C''170 °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|Minced ''ground'' meat||Beef ||71 °C ''160 °F''
|-
|Minced|Minced ''ground'' meat||Chicken ||74 °C ''165 °F''
|-
|Minced|Minced ''ground'' meat||Pork ||71 °C ''160 °F''
|-
|Minced|Minced ''ground'' meat||Turkey ||74 °C ''165 °F''
|-
|Minced|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||Whole Poulet rôti ''Roast chicken''|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
|}

</div>
<TemperatureConvert></TemperatureConvert>
===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. [http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html]

==See also==
* [[Carry-over cooking|Why you should rest meat]]
* [http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html US food safety information]
* [http://www.livestrong.com/article/445176-how-to-cook-wild-pig/ how to cook wild pig]
{{CategoryLineIngredients}}
[[Category:Cooking methods]]

<code 'hashtagrev:12032020'>[[Special:Search/beef|#beef]] [[Special:Search/poultry|#poultry]] [[Special:Search/lamb|#lamb]] [[Special:Search/pork|#pork]] [[Special:Search/game|#game]] [[Special:Search/turkey|#turkey]] [[Special:Search/chicken|#chicken]] [[Special:Search/steak|#steak]] [[Special:Search/fish|#fish]] [[Special:Search/eggs|#eggs]] [[Special:Search/safeminimumcookingtemperature|#safeminimumcookingtemperature]]
</code>

Safe minimum cooking temperatures - Revision history

Chef at 06:11, 1 February 2025