Thermometers Aren't Just for Turkey Anymore

These days, food thermometers aren't just for your holiday roasts—they're for all cuts and sizes of meat and poultry, including hamburgers, chicken breasts, and pork chops.

Using a food thermometer when cooking meat, poultry, and even egg dishes is the only reliable way to make sure you are preparing a safe and delicious meal for your family.

How To Use a Food Thermometer

1. Use an instant-read food thermometer to check the internal temperature toward the end of the cooking time, but before the food is expected to be "done."
   
2. The food thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the food and should not be touching bone, fat, or gristle.
   
3. Compare your thermometer reading to the USDA Recommended Internal Temperatures to determine if your food has reached a safe temperature.
   
4. Make sure to clean your food thermometer with hot, soapy water before and after each use!

Large-dial oven-safe or oven-probe thermometers may be used for the duration of cooking. Because there are so many types of food thermometers, it is important to follow the instructions for your food thermometer.

USDA-recommended Internal Temperatures

Seeing Isn't Believing

Many people assume that if a hamburger is brown in the middle, it is done. However, looking at the color and texture of food is not enough—you have to use a food thermometer to be sure! According to USDA research, 1 out of every 4 hamburgers turns brown before it reaches a safe internal temperature. The only safe way to know if meat, poultry, and egg dishes are "done" is to use a food thermometer. When a hamburger is cooked to 160 °F, it is both safe and delicious!

Be Food Safe! Prepare With Care

Know how to prepare, handle, and store food safely to keep you and your family safe. Bacteria can grow on meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy products, as well as cut-up or cooked vegetables and fruits and on the packaging.

CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often. Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Wash your cutting boards, dishes, etc., with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item. Wash fruits and vegetables with cold water before using. There is no need to wash or rinse meat or poultry.

SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate Separate raw, cooked, and ready-to-eat foods while shopping, preparing, or storing. Never place cooked food on a plate which previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

COOK: Cook food to proper temperatures. Use a food thermometer to be sure!

CHILL: Refrigerate Promptly. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods, and leftovers within 2 hours or sooner.

Try Your Meat Thermometer with this Receipe

Fiesta Burgers
Makes 4 servings.

1 ½ pounds ground beef
¼ cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoons picante sauce or salsa
2 teaspoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
leaf lettuce and sliced tomatoes

Preparation Directions

• Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before handling the meat.
  
• In a bowl, mix ground beef with onion, red pepper, picante sauce or salsa, mustard, horseradish (if desired), salt and pepper.
  
• Form into four burgers, about ¾ inch thick.
  
• Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds after handling the meat.
  
• Using utensils, place burgers on grill that has reached medium-high heat.
  
• Check each burger with a food thermometer after approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn burgers as needed. A hamburger is done when it reaches 160 °F.
  
• Clean the thermometer between uses with hot, soapy water.
  
• Place burgers on buns and top with condiments and garnishes of choice.
  
• After checking the final temperature, remember to clean the food thermometer with hot, soapy water.

Why Use a Food Thermometer?

Everyone is at risk for foodborne illness. One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. Using a food thermometer not only keeps your family safe from harmful food bacteria, but it also helps you to avoid overcooking, giving you a safe and flavorful meal.

Some people may be at high risk for developing foodborne illness. These include pregnant women and their unborn babies and newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and individuals with certain chronic illnesses. These people should pay extra attention to handle food safely.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from harmful bacteria in food; of these, about 5,000 die.  (Isn't that reason enough?)

What Are the Signs of Foodborne Illness?

The signs and symptoms of foodborne illness range from upset stomach, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and dehydration, to more severe illness—even death. Consumers can take simple measures to reduce their risk of foodborne illness, especially in the home.

For more information visit the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIC) website at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/is_it_done_yet.

Recognizing the symptoms of food poisoning

We've all heard about the food recalls in the past year but we don't hear much about the number of accidental food poisoning cases.  This is mostly due to improper diagnosis where food poisoning is mistaken for flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.  Unless people recognize their illness is actually caused by bacteria or other pathogens in their food, they may not seek medical treatment and the incident goes unreported.

Age and physical condition are import factors

Some persons are at a higher risk because of age or physical condition.  The elderly and the very young are at greater risk but so are pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems such as cancer patients undergoing treatment.  While some become ill, others with good immune systems may remain symptom free.

How Bacteria gets in food

Assume that all uncooked meat contains bacteria because it originated from what was once live chicken or cattle living in unclean environments.  Likewise, other raw meats, seafood, and eggs are not sterile.  This includes the plastic wrappers and containers where bacteria may be present.  Remember also that fresh produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons need to be thoroughly washed.

Avoid cross-contamination with ready-to-eat foods by preventing exposure to meat juices, previously used tools, or food handlers with unclean hands.

Be Food Safe

So let's review some food safety measures.

Food handling goals

Clean -- Wash hands and surfaces often.
Separate -- Don’t Cross Contaminate.
Cook -- Cook to proper temperatures.
Chill -- Refrigerate promptly.

Shopping reminders

Do not purchase canned goods that are dented, cracked, or bulging.  These are the warning signs that dangerous bacteria may be growing in the can.

Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery-shopping cart and in your refrigerator.

Buy cold foods last.  Drive immediately home, or to the picnic site from the grocery store.  If the destination is farther away than 30 minutes, bring a cooler with ice or commercial freezing gels from home; place perishables in it.

Food preparation 

Cutting boards

• Always use a clean cutting board.
• Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood when possible.
• Replace worn cutting boards as proper cleaning may be difficult.

Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food:

• In the refrigerator.
• In the microwave then cook the food immediately.

Food may also be thawed in cold water.  Be sure that the sink or container that holds food is clean before submerging food.  Two methods may be used when thawing:

• Completely submerge airtight wrapped package and change water every 30 minutes.
• Completely submerge airtight wrapped food in constantly running cold water.

Refrigerate or cook food immediately after thawing.

Marinades may be used to tenderize or add flavor to food.  When using marinades:

• Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
• Use food-grade plastic, stainless steel, or glass containers to marinate food.
• Sauce that is used to marinate raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood should not be used on cooked foods, unless it is boiled before applying.
• Never reuse marinades for other foods.

Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, casseroles, and other food.  Check temperature in several places to be sure the food is evenly heated.  Wash the thermometer with hot, soapy water after use.

Several types of thermometers are available, including:

• Oven-safe -- insert 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep in the thickest part of the food, at the beginning of the cooking time. It remains there throughout cooking and is not appropriate for thin food.
• Dial instant-read -- not designed to stay in the food during cooking. Insert probe the full length of the sensing area, usually 2 to 2 1/2 inches. If measuring the temperature of a thin food, such as a hamburger patty or boneless chicken breast, insert probe sideways with the sensing device in the center. About 15 to 20 seconds are required for the temperature to be accurately displayed.
• Digital instant-read -- not designed to stay in food during cooking.  The heat sensing device is in the tip of the probe.  Place the tip of the probe in the center of the thickest part of the food, at least 1/2 inch deep. About 10 seconds are required for the temperature to be accurately displayed.

Note:  Never partially cook food for finishing later because you increase the risk of bacterial growth on the food.  Bacteria are killed when foods reach a safe internal temperature.

Food transportation and temperatures

• Keep cold food cold. Place cold food in cooler with a cold source such as ice or commercial freezing gels.  Use plenty of ice or commercial freezing gels.  Cold food should be kept cold, held at or below 40 °F.
• Hot food should be kept hot, at or above 140 °F.  Wrap well and place in an insulated container.

Serving

• Use clean containers and utensils to store and serve food.
• When a dish is empty or nearly empty, replace with fresh container of food, removing the previous container.

Cleanup

• Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• Immediately refrigerate or freeze remaining leftovers in shallow containers.

Steps to take when food poisoning is suspected

Seek treatment as necessary.  If the victim is in an "at risk" group, seek medical care immediately.  Likewise, if symptoms persist or are severe (such as bloody diarrhea, excessive nausea and vomiting, or high temperature), call your doctor or seek emergency room treatment immediately.

Preserve the evidence.

If a portion of the suspect food is available, wrap it securely, mark "DANGER" on the wrapper, and freeze it.  Save all the packaging materials, such as cans or cartons.  Write down the food type, the date, other identifying marks on the package, the time consumed, and when the onset of symptoms occurred.  Save any identical unopened products.

Notify the local health department if the suspect food was served at a large gathering, from a restaurant or other food service facility, or if a commercial product is suspected.

IF a USDA-inspected product is suspected and you have all the packaging, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-800-535-4555; Washington, DC 202-720-3333; TTY 1-800-256-7072.

To find out more about food safety, visit the USDA befoodsafe.gov website.