The Culinary Works

Until you get used to the texture and feel of safely cooked foods, use a probe thermometer every time you prepare foods like poultry, roasts, hams, casseroles, meat loaves and egg dishes.

Many recipes tell you the temperature to cook your foods, many just leave that part out. The internal temperature of your food is important to avoid being the victim of a foodborne illness.

Cooking thermometers take the guesswork out of cooking as they allow you to keep track of the internal temperature of your meat, poultry, fish and casseroles. It is important that a safe internal temperature has been reached to insure that any harmful bacteria have been destroyed before you consume it.

Until you get used to the texture and feel of safely cooked foods, use a probe thermometer every time you prepare foods like poultry, roasts, hams, casseroles, meat loaves and egg dishes.

Note: You can safely remove larger dishes from the heat source with the internal temperature is withing five degrees of your target. The residual heat will take it the rest of the way leaving your meal perfectly cooked.

Your goal is to measure the lowest internal temperature of your food while it is cooking. To properly use a probe thermometer, insert it through the thickest section of the the meat or dish, being careful not to touch bone or the bottom of the dish. Once you get your reading, clean your thermometer so you do not run the risk of cross-contamination.

Note: The way to find the center of your food  is to push the probe thermoter into the thickest portion and watch the reading drop.  As soon as the reading starts climbing, pull back a bit until the reading is at its lowest.  You have just found the center.

Here is a handy table giving safe internal temperatures.