Cooking food to the correct temperature is important because it ensures that harmful bacteria are reduced to a safe level, making the food safe to eat. This process eliminates bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause food poisoning and other serious health issues.
Common misunderstanding: If food looks cooked, it is safe to eat.
Appearance can be deceiving. Even if food looks cooked, it might not have reached a temperature high enough to kill all harmful bacteria. Always use a food thermometer to check.
Common misunderstanding: Cooking at a higher temperature for a shorter time makes food safe.
Each type of food requires a specific combination of temperature and time to ensure safety. Cooking at a higher temperature than recommended can compromise food quality without necessarily making it safe.
If food is not cooked to the recommended safe temperature, bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses may survive. This can lead to symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, more serious health issues such as kidney failure or even death.
Common misunderstanding: A little undercooking doesn’t affect safety if the food is served hot.
Serving food hot does not eliminate bacteria if the food has not reached its safe cooking temperature. The heat must be sufficient to kill bacteria throughout the food, not just on the surface.
Common misunderstanding: All foods have the same safe temperature.
Different foods require different cooking temperatures to be safe. For example, poultry needs to reach a higher internal temperature compared to some cuts of beef or pork.
The scientifically proven time and temperature combinations to reduce bacteria to safe levels are as follows:
Common misunderstanding: You can estimate the temperature without a thermometer.
Estimating temperature by touch or appearance is unreliable. Always use a food thermometer to ensure food reaches the safe temperatures listed above.
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our founder Liam Jones, click to email Liam directly, he reads every email.
To ensure food safety, monitor and accurately record the temperatures of cooked foods. Use a sanitised food thermometer designed specifically for cooking.
Deep fat fryers should be properly maintained and used to ensure food safety and quality.
Preheating cooking equipment is essential as it ensures consistent cooking temperatures from the start, aiding in evenly cooked food and optimal culinary results.
Hot holding equipment, such as bain-maries, is specifically designed to maintain already cooked food at a safe temperature before it is served.
Rolled joints of meat, including beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey, should be thoroughly cooked to ensure safety.
To cook whole cuts of meat safely, seal the outside by cooking at high temperatures to kill bacteria on the surface.
Burgers should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 75°C for at least 30 seconds to ensure food safety. This temperature eliminates harmful bacteria such as E. coli.
To ensure poultry is safe to eat, it must be cooked to reach an internal temperature of at least 75°C (167°F).
To cook chicken livers safely, sauté them in batches for a minimum of 5 minutes or until the internal temperature is above 70°C for at least 2 minutes.
If food has not reached the safe temperature, continue cooking it until it does. Always use a food thermometer to accurately check the food's internal temperature.