A meat thermometer is the only way to tell whether meat has been thoroughly cooked.
How do you know when your meat has been cooked to the appropriate temperature and is free from harmful bacteria? There’s only one way to know for sure: Use a meat thermometer.
It’s Food Safety Education Month and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) want you to know:
The recommended minimum internal temperature for cooking ground meats is 160°F and 165°F for chicken. Steak, chops and roasts from beef, pork, lamb and veal should reach an internal temperature of 145°F. To determine when meat is thoroughly cooked, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. DON’T GUESS!! Different factors such as moisture and fat content affect the temperature at which bacteria are destroyed. A “blue” steak is definitely not hot enough in the middle while a burger completely burnt on the outside may still be raw on the inside if it was partly frozen when placed on a direct flame. Color, smell, texture or simply sticking your finger into meat will not reveal whether the appropriate, safe temperature has been reached. Buy a meat thermometer.
The College of AGNR and JIFSAN are providing weekly food safety tips all month long. Be sure to check out last week’s information on the “Four Cs:” Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.
For more information on JIFSAN, visit http://jifsan.umd.edu.
For more information on the College of AGNR, go to www.agnr.umd.edu.
