Food Safety Temperature Guide
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure that meat, poultry, and seafood are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
- Keep hot foods hot (above 140°F) and cold foods cold (below 40°F).
- Cook ground beef and other ground meats to5 at least 160°F.
- Cook chicken and turkey to at least 165°F.
- Cook seafood to at least 145°F.
Remember to follow these guidelines and use a food thermometer to ensure that your food is cooked to a safe temperature. This is especially important when cooking for others, as foodborne illness can be more severe for people with compromised immune systems, older adults, and young children.
Try our handy Cooking Time Estimator, a convenient tool that helps you plan your meals and cook your food to perfection. Simply input the weight, and type of meat, and the estimator will provide you with an accurate estimate of the total cooking time, taking the guesswork out of meal planning.
Based on 350 degree Fahrenheit
Food temperature guidelines
The failure to adequately control food temperatures is one of the factors most commonly involved in outbreaks of foodborne illness. It is also one of the most preventable. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a series of guidelines for holding temperature for different types of foods, but even these are not absolute rules; they are simply designed to give you an idea of what temperatures are considered safe or unsafe for certain types of food products.
Holding Hot Foods
Foods that are served hot should be kept at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above. If you want to keep food warm after it’s been cooked, place it inside a slow cooker with hot water and turn on the setting to low.
Holding Cold Foods
Foods that are served cold should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. If you want to keep food cold after it’s been cooked, place it in an ice bath and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Thermometers
Thermometers are a great way to ensure that you’re keeping your food at the proper temperature. When using a thermometer, make sure it doesn’t touch bone or fat when testing meat so that you get an accurate reading of the internal temperature.
Each refrigerator should have a thermometer that is accurate and easy to read. In the food service industry, it is a requirement.
Thermometers are quite affordable and a great way to ensure your food stays at the proper temperature. They can be purchased anywhere from $10 to $30, depending on the type of thermometer you choose.
