Cooking meat and poultry to that perfect state of “just right” is not as elusive as it sounds. While judging doneness by look and feel is an uncertain art at best, it is actually pretty easy to get great results all the time when you use an instant-read thermometer. A thermometer is the only reliable way to measure internal temperature. Take a few minutes to commit these temperatures to memory, or jot them down in a place near where you keep your thermometer. (or use a Sharpie and write them on your grill ) Factor in carryover cooking, which happens when meat keeps cooking for a few minutes after you remove it from the heat source. Rely on the thermometer for doneness, and save your creativity for seasoning and presentation.Note: The following table shows Food Network Kitchen’s preferred internal temperatures for meat and poultry based on taste and texture. Out of a concern for safety, the USDA recommends higher temperatures for whole cuts of beef and lamb than we do. We have included the USDA recommendations, leaving it up to you to decide.
A Few Notes on Meat Safety:When determining the temperature to cook your meat to, there’s a crucial distinction to be made between whole muscle cuts and ground meat. The food scientist Harold McGee explains: “… meats inevitably harbor bacteria, and it takes temperatures of 160° or higher to guarantee the rapid destruction of the bacteria that can cause human disease — temperatures at which meat is well-done and has lost much of its moisture. So is eating juicy, pink-red meat risky? Not if the cut is an intact piece of healthy muscle tissue, a steak or chop, and its surface has been thoroughly cooked: bacteria are on the meat surfaces, not inside. “In other words, with whole cuts of meat it is the external temp, not the internal temp, that must exceed 160°. Normal cooking methods — sauteing, grilling, roasting, braising, etc. — raise surface temperatures far above 160°. (To get a sense of this, consider that meat only begins to brown at 230°.) People very rarely get sick from rare or medium-rare meat. Overwhelmingly, people get sick from the way meat is handled in the home: from cross-contamination, lack of cleanliness and holding meat at dangerous temps. Internal temperature should be the least of your worries.When raw meat is ground up, the distinction between internal and external no longer applies. McGee says: “Ground meats are riskier, because the contaminated meat surface is broken into small fragments and spread through the mass. The interior of a raw hamburger usually does contain bacteria, and is safest if cooked well done.” Because E. coli is killed at 155°, the USDA sets the minimum safe temperature for ground beef at 160°. We can only second this.
