Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough
time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.
The best way to Fight BAC is to:
- Use a meat thermometer, which measures the internal
temperature of cooked meat and poultry, to make sure that the meat is cooked all the way through.
- Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145°F. Whole poultry should be cooked to
180°F for doneness.
- Cook ground meat, where bacteria can spread during grinding, to at least 160°F.
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) links eating undercooked,
pink ground beef with a higher risk of illness. If a thermometer is not available, do not eat ground beef
that is still pink inside.
- Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Don't use recipes in which eggs
remain raw or only partially cooked.
- Cook fish until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- Make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive) when cooking in a microwave oven.
For best results, cover food, stir and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish
by hand once or twice during cooking.
- Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165°F.
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