Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures: What Published Guidance Supports

Key takeaways

• Poultry, whole or ground: 165°F (74°C)
• Ground beef, pork, veal and lamb: 160°F (71°C)
• Most useful single change: Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and gristle.
• Commonest mistake: Relying on "no longer pink" or clear juices for burgers or chicken.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What it is

The minimum temperatures, measured with a food thermometer, that meat, poultry, seafood and egg dishes need to reach to kill harmful germs. It sits within Food Safety. Below are the published figures, in one place.

The numbers, in one place

What helps

You do not have to do all of it, and you do not have to start today.

• Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and gristle
• Check several spots in larger items such as a turkey or a casserole
• Clean the thermometer probe with hot, soapy water after each use
• Stir and rotate microwaved food and let it stand before checking the temperature

What to avoid

Things that seem reasonable and are not.

• Relying on "no longer pink" or clear juices for burgers or chicken
• Partially cooking meat or poultry and finishing it later
• Placing a cooked burger back on a plate that held raw patties

In depth

Safe minimum internal temperatures are set at the point where harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli are reliably destroyed. The key word is internal: the outside of a roast or burger can look well done while the center is still cool enough for germs to survive. A food thermometer measures what is happening in the part of the food where risk is highest, which is why US guidance treats it as the only dependable test.

The temperatures differ by food for good reasons. On a whole steak or roast, bacteria live mainly on the surface, which gets very hot during cooking, so a lower center temperature of 145°F (63°C) plus a rest time is enough. Grinding meat mixes surface bacteria all the way through, so ground meat must reach 160°F (71°C) throughout. Poultry is more likely to carry Salmonella and Campylobacter, so both whole and ground poultry need 165°F (74°C).

The rest time matters too. After you take meat off the heat, its temperature stays at or continues to rise for a few minutes, and that holding period helps kill germs. Color is misleading in both directions: ground beef can turn brown before it is safe, a problem known as premature browning, while smoked or properly cooked poultry can stay pink. Trusting the thermometer rather than your eyes removes the guesswork and also helps you avoid overcooking.

Signs and symptoms

• Stomach cramps, diarrhea and fever after eating undercooked meat or eggs
• Vomiting, which may start within hours or after a day or more
• Bloody diarrhea, which can be a sign of a dangerous type of E. coli
• Headache and muscle aches alongside stomach symptoms
• Reduced urination or unusual tiredness, which can signal a kidney complication

Causes and risk factors

• Cooking by time, color or juices instead of measuring the temperature
• Uneven heating in microwaves, on grills or in thick cuts of meat
• Placing the thermometer in the wrong spot, such as near bone or in a thin edge
• Thermometers that read inaccurately and have not been checked
• Stuffing cooked inside poultry, which heats more slowly than the bird
• Pausing cooking partway and finishing it later

How it is checked

If you become ill after eating undercooked food, your doctor will ask what you ate and when, and about your symptoms. Most cases need no testing. A stool test is more likely if you have bloody diarrhea, a high fever, symptoms lasting several days or a higher-risk condition, and it can identify germs such as Salmonella, Campylobacter or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

Identifying the germ matters because it changes the treatment. For example, antibiotics are generally not recommended for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli because they may raise the risk of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney complication, so your doctor may also order blood and urine tests to watch kidney function.

Treatment and support options

Choose a thermometer that suits you

Digital instant-read thermometers give a reading in seconds and are easy to use for burgers, chicken breasts and chops. Oven-safe dial or probe thermometers can stay in a roast or turkey while it cooks, and some have an alarm that sounds at the target temperature. Pop-up timers in some turkeys are a helpful sign, but checking with a separate thermometer in several places is more reliable.

Check accuracy

Thermometers can drift over time. A simple check is the ice-water test: fill a glass with ice and add water, stir, and place the probe in the center for about 30 seconds without touching the glass. It should read 32°F (0°C). If it is off, follow the manufacturer's instructions to adjust it, or replace it if it cannot be calibrated.

Use the right technique for each food

For burgers and thin cuts, insert the probe sideways into the middle. For poultry, check the innermost part of the thigh, the wing and the thickest part of the breast. For casseroles and egg dishes, check the center. If you are cooking stuffing, check it separately, because it must also reach 165°F (74°C), and cooking it outside the bird is simpler.

Cook in one go

Partial cooking warms bacteria into their growth range without killing them. If you precook meat on the stove or in the microwave to save time on the grill, move it to the grill right away and finish cooking. Slow cookers are fine for raw meat when you follow the manufacturer's guidance, but thaw frozen meat first so it does not linger at unsafe temperatures.

Prevention

• Keep a working food thermometer within reach whenever you cook meat, poultry, seafood or eggs
• Cook ground meat and poultry all the way through, even when serving others who prefer them rare
• Use a fresh, clean plate and utensils for cooked food
• Let whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb rest for 3 minutes before carving
• Follow standing times on microwave food labels so heat can spread through the center

Day to day

At first, using a thermometer can feel like an extra step, but most cooks find it makes cooking easier, because you stop cutting into meat to check it and stop overcooking it out of caution. Keeping a short list of the main temperatures on the refrigerator door helps until you know them by heart. When grilling for a crowd, check each burger rather than assuming the whole batch is done because one is.

Restaurant and fast-food meals are covered by state and local food codes, but you can still ask for ground beef to be cooked well done and send back chicken that looks undercooked. When you host, reheat dishes that were cooked earlier to 165°F (74°C), and keep hot foods hot, at 140°F (60°C) or above, with chafing dishes, warming trays or slow cookers on a warm setting.

For specific groups

Pregnancy

Undercooked meat can carry Toxoplasma, a parasite that can harm an unborn baby, as well as bacteria. Cook meat to the safe minimum temperature, avoid tasting raw meat while cooking, and wash hands and boards carefully after handling it.

Young children

Children under 5 are more likely to develop hemolytic uremic syndrome after an E. coli infection. Serve them burgers cooked to 160°F (71°C) and eggs cooked until firm, and seek care quickly for bloody diarrhea.

Older adults

Stomach acid and immune defenses tend to weaken with age, so a smaller dose of germs can cause illness, and dehydration sets in faster. Using a thermometer every time is especially worthwhile.

Questions to ask your doctor

• Could my symptoms be from undercooked food, and should I be tested?
• What warning signs of a kidney complication should I watch for?
• Are antibiotics appropriate for this type of infection?
• Should my family members who ate the same food be checked?
• Is it safe for me to eat medium-rare steak or runny eggs with my health condition?
• How long should I stay home from work or school?

More questions, answered

Why can steak be pink but burgers cannot?

On a whole steak, bacteria sit mostly on the surface, which gets hot enough to kill them. Grinding moves surface bacteria into the center of a burger, so the whole patty must reach 160°F (71°C). A steak cooked to 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest meets the safe minimum.

Is pork still pink when it is safe?

It can be. Whole cuts of pork are safe at 145°F (63°C) followed by a 3-minute rest, and at that temperature the center may still look slightly pink. Ground pork, like other ground meats, needs 160°F (71°C).

What temperature should fish reach?

Fish should reach 145°F (63°C), or cook until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. Shrimp and lobster turn pearly and opaque, and clams, mussels and oysters are done when their shells open. Discard any that stay closed.

Is sushi or raw fish safe to eat?

Raw fish always carries some risk of bacteria and parasites. Fish intended to be eaten raw is often frozen first to kill parasites, but freezing does not kill all bacteria. People who are pregnant, young children, older adults and those with weakened immunity are generally advised to choose cooked seafood.

Can I rely on the pop-up timer in my turkey?

A pop-up timer is a useful signal, but it measures only one spot. Check the turkey with a food thermometer in the innermost thigh, the wing and the thickest part of the breast, making sure each reaches 165°F (74°C).

Does cooking kill everything harmful in food?

Cooking to the right temperature kills most harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites, but some bacteria leave behind toxins that heat does not destroy. That is why chilling food promptly and avoiding long periods at room temperature still matters, even for food you will cook or reheat later.

Related topics

• What the Guidance Really Says About Cooking Methods (Healthy Recipes)
• Food and Water Safety Abroad: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Travel Health)
• Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy: What the Evidence Actually Says (Pregnancy and Postpartum)
• The Evidence on Fever, Without the Hype (Immunity)

Where to go next

• Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures, Explained Without the Jargon
• Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures: A Practical Checklist
• Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures — the reference entry
• Food Safety: The Complete Guide
• Storing and Reheating Leftovers: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
• Food Recalls: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise

When to speak to a doctor

Call your doctor if you develop fever, stomach cramps, vomiting or diarrhea after eating undercooked meat, poultry or eggs, especially if you are pregnant, over 65 or have a weakened immune system. Call 911 for bloody diarrhea with very little urine, confusion, fainting or trouble breathing.

Where this comes from

• USDA — Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart
• CDC — Four Steps to Food Safety

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.