

That means the meat needs to reach 145☏ internally and stand for three or more minutes before cutting or consuming. If the fresh meat is a steak, roast or chop, then yes - medium-rare can be safe. (Dishes prepared with ground turkey or chicken need to reach an internal temperature of 165☏.) Ground meat needs to reach 160☏ internally - at least a doneness of medium.

That's mainly because the process of grinding can introduce potentially harmful bacteria on the meat surface into the ground meat. Is rare or medium-rare meat ever safe to eat? If beef, veal, pork or lamb are ground, the answer is no. A food thermometer will provide the final answer on proper doneness. Likewise, a pink color doesn't necessarily mean that a meat is undercooked. Specifically, a brown color, firm texture or clear juices should not be counted on to determine doneness or confirm safety. Color and texture are not reliable indicators of properly prepared meat. However, don't rely exclusively on your senses to determine if your meat is cooked safely. Your senses play an important role in deciding what foods to eat. Ultimately, a food thermometer helps guarantee you're cooking meat until the "just-right" doneness for juiciness and deliciousness. The better approach is simply checking the temperature of your meat to assure you're not undercooking or overcooking it. Is well-done the way to go? You don't need to aim for well-done meat to make it safe to eat - unless, of course, you prefer it that way. It's priceless if it prevents food poisoning. An instant-read food thermometer is inexpensive and only takes a few seconds to use. When not destroyed, these bacteria can lead to serious illness or possibly death.

And using it is the only way to ensure meat is prepared to a safe minimum internal temperature when harmful food bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. What's the Temperature?Ī food thermometer is the most important tool in your food safety toolbox. But you should know the safest way to savor lightly cooked meat. You don't need to give up enjoying foods prepared the way you like. Do you enjoy meat that is cooked until it is just rare or medium-rare? It's OK if you're not a fan of well-done meat.
