What Temperature Should I Cook Meat To?

Food safety should be a major priority for you. Food borne illnesses are completely avoidable and they should be avoided because they can cause nasty bouts of diarrhea and even death. One of the easiest ways to avoid these uncomfortable fates is to make sure that your meats are cooked to the appropriate temperatures. This means that if you don’t already have one, go out and get a digital cooking thermometer. They are rather inexpensive and an essential tool for your kitchen.

Below is a clipping from a flyer put out by the USDA. You should print it out and put it on your refrigerator as a reference when cooking so you can always ensure that your meats are cooked to safe temperatures (Note: Click the Image for a Full Sized Printable Version).

Staying with the theme of food safety, here is an excerpt from an article written by Rachel Johnson PhD, MPH, RD regarding food safety. Rachel Johnson is and Professor of Nutrition and the University of Vermont’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.   The article was originally published in my favorite food magazine – Eating Well. Definitely check out EatingWell.com as they have a TON of free recipes. They have an incredible “Advanced Search” function where you can input ingredients you want to use or special dietary considerations (e.g high fiber, low calorie, etc) when looking for recipes.

Beware of Raw Dairy, Fish and Meat
When my kids were little we often visited my friend’s dairy farm where fresh-from-the-cow unpasteurized milk was always on hand. It was hard, but my boys learned to say “no thank you.” Sure, my friend grew up drinking it and never got sick. But that was 40 years ago, before the arrival of new virulent, antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Likewise, I love the taste of chilled raw oysters dipped in spicy cocktail sauce, but I stopped eating them when a new strain of the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus appeared, sickening hundreds of people. Some studies show that hot sauce has antibacterial properties, but it’s not enough to count on.

Clean with Hot Soapy Water
I temper my food-safety zeal with a little diplomacy when a dinner guest offers to do the grilling. To prevent cross-contamination, I send the raw meat out on one platter, then return myself with a clean platter and take away the dirty one. I also wash my hands with soap and water and wash cooking surfaces before and after handling raw meat, poultry and fish.

Use Pasteurized Eggs When in Doubt
Who doesn’t have happy memories of licking the beater when Mom baked cakes? Unfortunately about 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported every year in the United States. So that delicious frothy frosting made with raw egg whites is a bad idea for the birthday cake of my soon-to-be 89-year-old father. When you can’t thoroughly cook a recipe before tasters dig in, use liquid pasteurized eggs, found in the dairy case.

Take Risks with Open Eyes
There are times when I send caution to the wind. Although raw fish is on the list of foods we should avoid, I take my chances once a year and indulge in a few slices of sashimi. I know it was purchased that morning at a local fish market and kept on ice until it reached my mouth. When I mentioned this to my microbiologist friend, her response was, “You do know that the Japanese have the highest incidence of foodborne illness in the world—don’t you?” Gulp.

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