Cook by temperature, not time

Summary

This pattern is for anyone cooking meat, poultry or reheated food at home. It describes how to use a food thermometer so food is safe and cooked as you like it, whatever the recipe’s timing says.

Recommendation	Why?
Use a digital instant-read food thermometer.	It’s the only reliable way to know the temperature inside. Colour and clear juices aren’t dependable signs.
Measure in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle.	The centre of the thickest part is the last place to heat up, and bone conducts heat and gives a false reading.
Cook poultry, minced meat, sausages, stuffed meats and offal to at least 75 °C in the centre.	Bacteria can be spread right through these foods, so the inside must reach a safe temperature. This is Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s guidance.
Reheat leftovers until they’re steaming hot all the way through, at least 75 °C.	Reheating has to kill bacteria that may have grown during storage.
Treat recipe times as an estimate and start checking early.	Thickness, fridge-cold food and different ovens all change the time needed.
Rest roasts and large cuts for 5 to 15 minutes, and take them off a few degrees before your target.	The temperature keeps rising a few degrees while resting (carry-over cooking), and the juices settle.
Check your thermometer in iced water now and then.	In a glass packed with ice and a little water it should read 0 °C. If not, recalibrate or allow for the difference.

Context

This pattern suits roasting, grilling, pan-frying, barbecuing and air-frying meat and poultry, and reheating cooked dishes.

It does not suit judging cakes and bread by the same numbers (use the recipe’s own test), or deep-frying, where you measure the oil temperature instead. Whole cuts of beef and lamb such as steaks can be eaten less well done because bacteria are mainly on the surface; this does not apply to mince, sausages or rolled and stuffed meats. People who are pregnant, elderly, very young or have weakened immune systems should follow the more cautious guidance from their national food-safety authority.

There’s a trade-off between safety and texture. Very lean meat and poultry can dry out at higher temperatures. This pattern keeps to the published safe temperatures and gets juiciness from resting and from not overshooting. Guidance on exact numbers varies slightly between countries, so follow your local food-safety authority.

Usage

Before cooking: take a reading in iced water if it’s been a while. Know your target temperature before you start, and note it next to the recipe.

While cooking: start checking about two-thirds of the way through the recipe time. Insert the probe from the side into the thickest part and wait for the number to settle. For whole poultry, check the thickest part of the thigh and the breast. In an air fryer or a hot pan, small pieces cook fast, so check early (see Getting crisp results from an air fryer and Caring for cast iron).

After cooking: rest the meat loosely covered, then check once more if it’s a safety-critical food. Wash the probe in hot soapy water between raw and cooked readings.

Leftovers: cool and store them promptly as described in Cooling and storing leftovers, and use the thermometer again when you reheat.

References

Food Standards Australia New Zealand and your national food-safety authority publish safe cooking and reheating temperatures, and your thermometer’s manual explains how to calibrate it.