Cooking Methods for Meats & Other Food Safety TIps

Cooking Methods for Meats & Other Food Safety Tips

 How To Use a Cooking Thermometer

To use a cooking or meat thermometer, insert it through the fat side of the meat, being careful not to touch bone. Bone conducts heat faster, and you'll get a false reading of the meat's temperature.

Where to Insert - To be an accurate indicator, a meat thermometer must be inserted properly. The sensing area of thermometers is approximately 1 inch to 2 inches long, and this area must be completely immersed in the deepest area of the food.

• Poultry - insert it in the inner thigh area near the breast of the bird, but not touching bone.
• Red meat, roasts, steaks or chops - insert in the center of the thickest part, away from bone, fat, and gristle.
• Ground meat and poultry - place in the thickest area of meat loaf; insert sideways in thin items such as patties.
• Casseroles and egg dishes - insert in the center or thickest area. Hot, cooked foods must be held at 140 degrees F or higher; cold foods, at 40 degrees F or below.

REMEMBER: After each use, wash the stem of the thermometer thoroughly in hot, soapy water.
Meat Resting Period - After desired cooking temperature is reached, remove meat from heat source and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving. The amount of time required for resting varies with the size of the cut of your meat. During this resting time, the meat continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 20 degrees after it is removed from the heat source) and the juices redistribute.

Beef and Lamb Internal Temperature Chart - Roasts, Steaks and Chops
Degree of Doneness	Internal Core Temperature	Internal Description	Touch Test Description
Extra-rare or Blue (bleu)	115 degrees F	deep red color and barely warm	feels soft and squishy
Rare	120 to 125 degrees F	center is bright red, pinkish toward the exterior portion, and warm throughout	soft to touch
Medium Rare	130 to 135 degrees F	center is very pink, slightly brown toward the exterior portion, and slightly hot	yields only slightly to the touch, beginning to firm up
Medium	140 to 145 degrees F	center is light pink, outer portion is brown, and hot throughout	yields only slightly to the touch, beginning to firm up
Well Done	160 degrees F and above	steak is uniformly brown or grey throughout	firm or hard to touch
Ground Meat	160 to 165 degrees F	no longer pink but uniformly brown throughout

 

Fish and Seafood Internal Temperature Chart
Fish (steaks, filleted or whole)	140 degrees F	flesh is opaque, flakes easily
Tuna, Swordfish, & Marlin	125 degrees F	cook until medium-rare (do not overcook or the meat will become dry and lose its flavor
Shrimp
Medium-size, boiling	3 to 4 minutes	cook until medium-rare (do not overcook or the meat will become dry and lose its flavor
Large-size, boiling	5 to 7 minues	cook until medium-rare (do not overcook or the meat will become dry and lose its flavor
Jumbo-size, boiling	7 to 8 minutes	cook until medium-rare (do not overcook or the meat will become dry and lose its flavor
Lobster
Boiled, whole - 1 lb.	12 to 15 minutes	meat turns red and opaque in center when cut
Broiled, whole - 1 1/2 lbs.	3 to 4 minutes	meat turns red and opaque in center when cut
Steamed, whole - 1 1/2 lbs.	15 to 20 minutes	meat turns red and opaque in center when cut
Baked, tails - each	15 minutes	meat turns red and opaque in center when cut
Broiled, tails - each	9 to 10 minutes	meat turns red and opaque in center when cut
Scallops
Bake	12 to 15 minutes	milky white or opaque, and firm
Broil		milky white or opaque, and firm
Clams, Mussels & Oysters		point at which their shells open - throw away any that do not open

Pork Internal Temperature Chart
Roasts, Steaks & Chops
Medium	140 to 145 degrees F	pale pink center
Well Done	160 degrees F and above	steak is uniformly brown throughout
Pork ribs, pork shoulders, and beef brisket	160 degrees F and above	medium to well done
Sausage (raw)	160 degrees F	no longer pink
Ham
Raw	160 degrees F
Pre-cooked	140 degrees F

Poultry Internal Temperature Chart
Poultry (Chicken & Duck)	165 degrees F	cook until juices run clear
Turkey NOTE: A 12-lb turkey can easily handle 60 to 90 minutes of resting. During that time, temperature can rise 30 degrees if not exposed to drafts.	165 degrees F	juices run clear - leg moves easily
Stuffing (cooked alone or in turkey)	165 degrees F

Why the Rest Time is Important 

After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs. 

Category	Food	Temperature (°F)	Rest Time
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures	Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb	160	None
	Turkey, Chicken	165	None
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb	Steaks, roasts, chops	145	3 minutes
Poultry	Chicken & Turkey, whole	165	None
	Poultry breasts, roasts	165	None
	Poultry thighs, legs, wings	165	None
	Duck & Goose	165	None
	Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)	165	None
Pork and Ham	Fresh pork	145	3 minutes
	Fresh ham (raw)	145	3 minutes
	Precooked ham (to reheat)	140	None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Eggs	Cook until yolk and white are firm	None
	Egg dishes	160	None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Leftovers	165	None
	Casseroles	165	None
Seafood	Fin Fish	145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.	None
	Shrimp, lobster, and crabs	Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.	None
	Clams, oysters, and mussels	Cook until shells open during cooking.	None
	Scallops	Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.	None

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

These short but safe time limits for home-refrigerated foods will keep them from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

For storage times for eggs and foods made with eggs, see Egg Storage Chart.

Category	Food	Refrigerator(40 °F or below)	Freezer(0 °F or below)
Salads	Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Does not freeze well
Hot dogs	opened package	1 week	1 to 2 months
	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meat	opened package or deli sliced	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Bacon & Sausage	Bacon	7 days	1 month
	Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Hamburger & Other Ground Meats	Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork	Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
	Chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
	Roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Fresh Poultry	Chicken or turkey, whole	1 to 2 days	1 year
	Chicken or turkey, pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Soups & Stews	Vegetable or meat added	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Leftovers	Cooked meat or poultry	3 to 4 days	2 to 6 months
	Chicken nuggets or patties	3 to 4 days	1 to 3 months
	Pizza	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months

Egg Storage Chart

For more information on egg safety, see Eggs. 

Product	Refrigerator	Freezer
Raw eggs in shell	3 to 5 weeks	Do not freeze. Instead, beat yolks and whites together; then freeze.
Raw egg whites	2 to 4 days	12 months
Raw egg yolks	2 to 4 days	Yolks do not freeze well.
Raw egg accidentally frozen in shell	Use immediately after thawing.	Keep frozen; then refrigerate to thaw.
Hard-cooked eggs	1 week	Do not freeze.
Egg substitutes, liquid Unopened	10 days	12 months
Egg substitutes, liquid Opened	3 days	Do not freeze.
Egg substitutes, frozen Unopened	After thawing, 7 days or refer to “Use-By” date.	12 months
Egg substitutes, frozen Opened	After thawing, 3 days or refer to “Use-By” date.	Do not freeze.
Casseroles with eggs	3 to 4 days	After baking, 2 to 3 months.
Eggnog Commercial	3 to 5 days	6 months
Eggnog Homemade	2 to 4 days	Do not freeze.
Pies Pumpkin or pecan	3 to 4 days	After baking, 1 to 2 months.
Pies Custard and chiffon	3 to 4 days	Do not freeze.
Quiche with filling	3 to 4 days	After baking, 1 to 2 months.