Avoid food poisoning

Undercooking meat, poultry, and other foods can be very dangerous. Raw meat and poultry can contain harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning such as Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, and E. coli. That’s why it’s essential that the correct cooking temperatures are used as these can destroy harmful bacteria.

The danger zone is food between 5°C and 60°C (41°F to 140°F). This is the temperature that bacteria loves. Cooked food should be OK for up to 4 hours. However, the recommendation is to try to get leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking them.

Using a food termometer

You can check the temperature by using a food thermometer. This will let you know whether meat has reached a safe minimum internal temperature that is hot enough to kill harmful bacteria.

• Poultry – insert the thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast of the chicken or turkey, but not touching the bone.
• Ground meats and poultry – place the thermometer in the thickest area of ground meat or poultry dishes (eg. meatloaf)
• Beef, pork, lamb, veal, ham (roasts, steaks or chops) – insert the thermometer into the centre of the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle.
• Casseroles and egg dishes – insert the thermometer into the thickest portion.

Rest time

Some meats also need rest time after cooking. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and be reabsorbed. It means the meat will lose less juice when cut, and will be more tender and juicy.

If you have a recipe that includes rest time, remove the meat from the oven or grill prior to it reaching target doneness temperature.

The internal temperature of the meat will always continue to rise a little during the resting period, If you don’t, it will be overcooked. The internal temperature of the meat will always continue to rise a little during the resting period.

Below is a guide on cooking temperatures.

Download a copy of this guide in PDF format.

Source: foodauthority.nsw.gov.au, taste.com.au