Is Your Food Cooked?
How can you tell when meat is properly cooked? Is looking at the color good enough? Fact of the matter is...color can be deceiving. For example, a hamburger that is brown in the middle may not be cooked long enough to destroy E. coli. Studies have shown that some meats, which have been stored a long time may turn brown before their internal temperature reaches the desired 160°F (71.1°C) mark. On the other hand, fat content or excessive pigment in some ground beef may cause it to stay pink even though it has been cooked to 160°F (71.1°C). What is the best way to judge doneness of a burger? Use a Cooper pocket test or meat thermometer; insert it into the side of the burger to the middle rather then from the top down.

Poultry can be just as deceiving when trying to judge doneness by color alone. USDA recommends that you use a thermometer to check internal temperatures of chickens or turkeys to make sure they have reached 180°F (82.2°C) - or 170°F (76.7°C) for smaller parts.

The 1997 Food Code recommends that burgers prepared by restaurants be cooked to a minimum of 155°F (68.3°C) and held there for at least 15 seconds prior to serving and poultry to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C) and held for 15 seconds. Local requirements may vary, so consult your local health department for more information.

Helpful Temperature Talk
- Optimal holding temperature of frozen foods: 0°F (-17.8°C) or below
- Cool foods from 140°F (60°C) to 40°F (4.4°C) in less then 4 hours - Maximum refrigerator temperature: 41°F (5°C)
- Minimum hot-holding temperature for potentially hazardous foods: 140°F (60°C)
- Minimal safe internal temperature of fish: 145°F (62.8°C) for 15 seconds
- Minimum reheating temperature of potentially hazardous foods: 165°F (73.9°C) within 2 hours
- Temperature at which Botulism toxin is destroyed: 212°F (100°C)