Cook food to safe time-temperature exposures. Use a clean sanitized thermometer to measure the temperature by placing the thermometer in the thickest part of the food. In sauces and stews, insert the thermometer at least two inches into the food.
Calibrate thermometers regularly by inserting into a mixture of ice and water and adjusting the reading to 32 F/ 0 C. Thermometers that have been dropped or exposed to extremes in temperature should be calibrated.
You are recommended to cook food to the following minimum internal temperatures for safety:
Stuffed meat and pasta, microwave-cooked foods
165 F for 15 seconds
Microwave-cooked foods should be stirred and rotated during cooking. After cooking, the food should be allowed to stand for two minutes for even distribution of heat.
Poultry
165 F for 15 seconds
Ground beef
155 F for 15 seconds
Beef, lamb roasts and steaks
145 F for 15 seconds
Allow three-minute stand time.
Eggs
145 F for 15 seconds (immediate
service)
155 F for 15 seconds (eggs that
will be held)
Cooked vegetables, commercially processed, ready-to-eat foods (cheese sticks, deep-fried vegetables, chicken wings)
135 F for 15 seconds
• Do not interrupt cooking times by partially cooking foods.
• Use tasting spoons – not the stirring spoon – to test foods. A clean tasting spoon should be used every time the food is tested.