food safety temperature
Minimum Cooking Temperatures
Cook each food to its Food Code minimum and verify with a calibrated thermometer.
11 steps9 criticalLimit 5 minAlways tested
Steps
- 1Critical stepUse a food thermometer that is calibrated and accurate
- 2Critical stepCook raw animal food (eggs, fish, meat, poultry and foods containing them) until all parts reach the temperature and time for that food
- 3Critical stepPoultry; stuffed fish, meat, pasta or poultry; and stuffing containing fish, meat or poultry: 165 F (74 C) or above, with no hold time (instantaneous, less than 1 second)
- 4Critical stepGround and other non-intact meats, comminuted fish and game, and raw eggs not cooked to order: 155 F (68 C) for 17 seconds
- 5Critical stepFish (including shellfish) and intact meat such as steaks and chops: 145 F (63 C) for 15 seconds
- 6Critical stepRaw eggs broken and cooked to order for immediate service: 145 F (63 C) for 15 seconds
- 7Critical stepWhole meat roasts (beef, pork, lamb, corned beef, ham): use the Code time and temperature chart, for example 145 F (63 C) for 4 minutes; if cooked in an oven, use the oven setting the Code gives for the roast's weight
- 8Raw animal food cooked in a microwave: heat to at least 165 F (74 C) in all parts, rotate or stir, cover, and let it stand covered for 2 minutes
- 9Critical stepCook plant food for hot holding to at least 135 F (57 C)
- 10Critical stepReheat time/temperature control for safety food that was cooked, cooled and reheated for hot holding to at least 165 F (74 C) for 15 seconds, rapidly, with no more than 2 hours between 41 F and 165 F
- 11If the food has not reached its minimum temperature and time, keep cooking it until it does
What graders are watching for
Tips
- Use a calibrated thermometer to check that all parts of the food have reached the Code temperature and time. The Code sets each target by temperature and time.
- Poultry gets the highest cooking temperature because it generally carries more, and more varied, pathogens than other raw animal foods.
- In the 2022 Code, poultry's 165 F is an instantaneous reading (less than 1 second), while reheated food for hot holding needs 165 F for 15 seconds. Do not mix up the two.
Common mistakes
- Not checking that all parts of the food, including the inside of thick or large pieces, have reached the temperature.
- Cooking ground meat to the steak temperature of 145 F.
- Mixing up the hold times, such as adding 15 seconds to poultry in the 2022 Code.
- Using 145 F for eggs that are not cooked to order.
Practice this skill
Practise the sequence in the app with critical-step highlighting and a rationale for each step.
Start your 7-day free trial7 days free, then $9.99/month. Cancel anytime.
Sources and how we check them: How we verify.