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Do You Know What Temperature Your Chicken Should Be?
The first thing I learned when I started my business was that everything that leaves the kitchen cooked, must be checked for proper temperature. Even in my home kitchen, no one eats anything until the temperature has been taken. The last gift I gave my son, who lives in a college apartment, was a digital food thermometer.
As a personal chef, I go into client’s homes and prepare their meals. All of my food is labeled with cooking instructions, which include the temperature that food should be when it is thoroughly cooked. This includes the entrees, sides and desserts.
In order to know exactly what temperature your cooked food is, it is imperative to have a kitchen thermometer. I prefer a digital thermometer, so I am sure that the food is cooked to a safe temperature. They can be purchased inexpensively at Target, Walmart or Bed, Bath & Beyond. The one below was purchased at United Restaurant Equipment in Raleigh. Be sure that you put the probe into the center of the protein and that it does not touch the cooking surface. Also be sure to clean the probe correctly with soap and water (or if allowable as the thermometer in the picture) in the dishwasher, between proteins. You don’t want to cross contaminate food because you checked your chicken then your beef.
Here is a chart to tell you the proper temperatures of cooked food:
Digital Meat Thermometer
Ground Beef, Veal, Pork, Beef, Veal, Lamb-roast, steaks and chops
- Rare: 140 degrees
Medium Rare: 145 degrees
Medium: 160 degrees
Well Done: 170 degrees - Pork-roast, steaks and chops
Medium: 165 degrees
Well Done: 170 degrees - Hams
Fresh: 160 degrees
Precooked (to reheat): 140 degrees - Poultry:
Ground Chicken, Turkey: 165 degrees
Chicken, Turkey: 165 degrees
Breasts, Roasts: 165 degrees - Fish
Cook until opaque: 145 degrees - Stuffing
Cooked alone or in a bird: 165 degrees - Leftovers, Casseroles
165 degrees
Erin Cohen
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