Safe Internal Temperatures
Color and firmness lie; a thermometer does not. Cooking food to its safe minimum internal temperature is what actually kills the bacteria that cause foodborne illness.
Harmful bacteria are invisible, and a piece of chicken can look cooked through while still holding enough of them to make you sick. The only reliable proof that heat has done its job is the temperature at the food's thickest part, read with an instant-read thermometer.
The standard safe minimums are worth memorizing. Poultry, whole or ground, is done at 165°F (74°C). Ground meats like beef and pork reach safety at 160°F (71°C). Whole cuts of beef, pork, and fish are safe at 145°F (63°C) followed by a three-minute rest, which lets the heat finish the job.
Guessing costs you either safety or a good meal, usually both. An inexpensive thermometer removes the guess entirely, turning doneness from an anxious judgment call into a simple reading.
Temp it, don't eyeball it
Probe the thickest part
Slide the thermometer into the deepest, densest part of the food, away from bone, fat, and the pan, where it heats slowest. That coldest spot is the one that has to reach the target.
Hit the standard minimums
Cook to the tested safe minimum for what you are making, then pull it from the heat. When in doubt, these are the numbers.
- Poultry, whole or ground: 165°F / 74°C
- Ground beef and pork: 160°F / 71°C
- Whole beef, pork, fish: 145°F / 63°C, then rest
Clean the probe between foods
Wash the stem with hot soapy water after checking raw meat so you don't carry bacteria from one food to the next on the tool itself.
You cannot see a safe temperature, taste it, or wish it. You can only measure it.