On May 24, USDA made some important changes in their recommended cooking temperatures for meats. Here’s what you need to know:
Cooking Whole Cuts of Pork: USDA has lowered the recommended safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork from 160 ºF to 145 ºF with the addition of a three-minute rest time. Cook pork, roasts, and chops to 145 ºF as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source, with a three-minute rest time before carving or consuming. This will result in a product that is both safe and at its best quality—juicy and tender.
Cooking Whole Cuts of Other Meats: For beef, veal, and lamb cuts, the safe temperature remains unchanged at 145 ºF, but the department has added a three-minute rest time as part of its cooking recommendations.
Ground Meats: This change does not apply to ground meats, including beef, veal, lamb, and pork, which should be cooked to 160 ºF and do not require a rest time.
Poultry: The safe cooking temperature for all poultry products, including ground chicken and turkey, stays the same at 165 ºF.
What Is Rest Time?
“Rest time” is the amount of time the product remains at the final temperature, after it has been removed from a grill, oven or other heat source. During the three minutes after meat is removed the heat source, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful bacteria.
It’s just as safe to cook cuts of pork to 145 º F with a three-minute rest time as it is to cook them to 160 ºF, the previously recommended temperature, with no rest time. The new cooking recommendations reflect the same standards that the agency uses for cooked meat products produced in federally inspected meat establishments, which rely on the rest time of three minutes to achieve a safe product.
Having a single time and temperature combination for all meat will help consumers remember the temperature at which they can be sure the meat is safe to eat.
How Do You Use a Food Thermometer?
Place the food thermometer in the thickest part of the food. It should not touch bone, fat, or gristle. Start checking the temperature toward the end of cooking, but before you expect it to be done. Be sure to clean your food thermometer with hot soapy water before and after each use.
Note: There are three important temperatures to remember when cooking meat or eggs at home: Eggs and all ground meats must be cooked to 160°F; poultry and fowl to 165°F; and fresh meat steaks, chops and roasts to 145°F. Use a thermometer to check temperatures.
Ground meats: Cook raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 F as measured with a food thermometer. All poultry: Cook poultry (ground or whole) to an internal temperature of 165 F as measured with a food thermometer.
Safe internal cooking temperatures vary depending on the type of meat but are commonly around 145°F (65°C) for whole meats and 160–165°F (70–75°C) for ground meats. This includes traditional meats like chicken and beef, as well as wild game.
Cook beef, pork, veal, and lamb roasts, steaks, and chops to at least 145° F (63° C), with a 3 minute rest time. Cook ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork to at least 160° F (71° C). Cook ground poultry to 165° F (74° C). Cook all poultry to minimal safe internal temperature of 165° F (74° C).
Probe Thermometers: Probe thermometers consist of a long metal probe attached to a digital display unit. The probe is inserted into the meat, and the display unit shows the temperature reading. These thermometers are versatile and can be used for various cooking methods, including grilling, baking, and frying.
All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer. A whole chicken must reach this temperature throughout the bird.
This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code says that restaurants should cook ground beef to 155°F for 17 seconds. But CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture say that consumers should cook ground beef to 160°F.
Because of this, the USDA suggests cooking it to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the same temperature for every variation of pork you might choose from pork tenderloin to shoulder.
Some chefs who don't like using thermometers believe that relying on them can make you overly dependent on technology and take away from the creativity of cooking. However, the majority of chefs choose to use meat thermometers to avoid mistakes.
Use a meat thermometer. When cooking meat it's important to check that it is cooked thoroughly to protect yourself and others from food poisoning. Meat products that are minced or skewered along with poultry and pork products must always be cooked through to the centre.
This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, food should not be left out more than 1 hour.
refrigerator temperature of 40° F or below helps slow growth of these harmful microbes. Always refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the store.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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