How do you know if it is safe to eat a food?

(EN) Most of us wash our hands before preparing meals and disinfect kitchen counters to avoid cross contamination, but we may be forgetting to check the internal cooking temperatures of meat, poultry and fish.

Many use a thermometer when cooking a turkey, but many of us don’t use a thermometer to check the cooking of burgers, chicken breasts or pork chops. With the barbecue season coming, it’s a good idea to remember what the safe internal cooking temperatures are for the most popular meats.

Start by using a digital thermometer, which is both fast and precise. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat to the center, avoiding the bones. Check the temperature of each piece of meat.

Here are the safe internal cooking temperatures for meat, poultry and fish.

Poultry.

Consumption of chicken, turkey and duck can cause food poisoning if these meats are not properly stored, prepared and cooked. You should cook poultry at a safe internal temperature to kill bacteria like Salmonella or Campylobacter. The internal cooking temperature for poultry pieces and ground meat is 74 ° C (165 ° F) and 82 ° C (180 ° F) for whole poultry.

Beef, veal and lamb.

Consumption of raw ground meat can be particularly dangerous, as the meat can be contaminated with bacteria such as E. coli. To obtain medium rare meat, cook it up to 63 ° C (145 ° F); for medium cooking, 71 ° C (160 ° F); for well-cooked meat, 77 ° C (170 ° F). The safe internal cooking temperature for minced meat is 71 ° C (160 ° F). For burgers, insert the thermometer into the side of the patty.

Fish and seafood.

The main food safety concern is seafood which is a filter feeder (such as oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and cockles), and may contain bacteria, viruses and toxins that can cause food poisoning. The internal cooking temperature of the fish should be 70 ° C (158 ° F). As for seafood, it should be 74 ° C (165 ° F), and you should discard those whose shells did not open during cooking.

Pork.

Whether you are cooking ham, pork loin or ribs, cuts or a whole piece of pork. The internal cooking temperature should reach 71 ° C (160 ° F).