I cannot cook a meal without my trusty digital food thermometer. It gives me peace of mind and better health. It may be ever so tempting to assume food is fully cooked by looking at it, but this is not a reliable way to confirm food is safe to eat. The recent EDIS publication FSHN25-9, “Cook It Right: A Guide to Safeguard Your Food Through Proper Cooking,” explains how to cook food safely, including the importance of using a food thermometer.
Safe cooking temperatures can range from 140°F to 165°F. Be sure to find out the exact minimum temperature your food needs to reach. Some thermometers even supply a convenient chart on the device. Remember that the danger zone is between 40°F and 140°F, so store perishable food in the fridge or freezer within two hours after cooking.
When measuring meat, insert your thermometer into the center of its thickest part. This is where the meat will take the longest to cook. Avoid inserting the needle into any tendons or fatty areas and avoid touching bone. These parts may skew your reading to a higher temperature than the rest of the meat, preventing an accurate measurement.
Also, check more than one piece or part of the meat. This is because some cooking methods can distribute heat unevenly, thus highlighting the importance of using a food thermometer. Between temperature checks, you may need to let the needle cool. I prefer to save time by dunking the needle into a glass of ice-cold water for about 30 seconds. Consider cleaning or sanitizing the needle if you need to take the temperature of different foods with the same thermometer.
Not only is visually inspecting food for doneness unreliable, but it is often more difficult. If I only went by looks when cooking, I would have to cut into foods, likely ruining the aesthetic appeal of the final dish. Meanwhile, thermometers create an insignificantly minuscule defect. Without using a thermometer, I might risk overcooking my steak by only guessing its doneness. Also, I find that homemade soups hold heat for a while, so using a thermometer helps me know when it’s cool enough for proper storage. Overall, I enjoy certainty, especially when good health is on the line. Food thermometers deliver that peace.
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The way you cook your food, how long you cook it, how you prepare it, and where you prepare it are all additional factors that influence food safety. EDIS publication FSHN25-9 succinctly covers them all. Find it, among many others about food safety, on Ask IFAS.
See also a recent EDIS publication that guides 4-Hers on maintaining personal hygiene and reducing cross-contamination during food preparation: 4H453, “Proper Personal Preparation for the Florida 4-H Food Challenge Competition.”
Find additional relevant IFAS blogs on general food safety when cooking for large gatherings and on storing the leftovers.
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