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Safe internal temperatures

Also called safe minimum internal temperature

The internal temperatures published guidance gives for cooked food, and how to measure them.

63–74 °C (145–165 °F)

What it is

Measure at the thickest part, away from bone, fat and the pan. Guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture gives 74 °C (165 °F) for all poultry and for stuffing and reheated leftovers; 71 °C (160 °F) for ground meats other than poultry; 63 °C (145 °F) with a three-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb; and 63 °C (145 °F) for fish. Egg dishes are given as 71 °C (160 °F).

Why it works

Heat kills bacteria as a function of temperature AND time — hotter is faster, and lower temperatures held long enough achieve the same reduction, which is the basis of published pasteurisation tables. The single figures above are the simple, safe version of that relationship: reached at the coldest point, they are sufficient on their own.

When to use it

Poultry, ground meat, stuffed dishes, pork, reheated food, and any meal for someone pregnant, very young, elderly or immunocompromised.

What goes wrong

Judging by colour or by juice colour, neither of which is reliable; measuring in the wrong place; leaving the probe in a thin edge; assuming carryover will finish the job in poultry.

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