Food Thermometer Food Safety Tips
Preventing foodborne illness
PDF
(182kb)
What is foodborne illness?
Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites can make you sick. Many people
have had foodborne illness and not even known it. It’s sometimes called food
poisoning, and can feel like the flu. Symptoms may include the following:
- stomach cramps
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- fever
Symptoms can start soon after eating contaminated food, but they can hit up to a month
or more later. For some people, especially young children, the elderly, pregnant women and
people with weakened immune systems, foodborne illness can be very dangerous.
Public health experts estimate that there are 11 to 13 million cases of foodborne
illness in Canada every year. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented by using
safe food handling practices and using a food thermometer to check that your food is
cooked to a safe internal temperature! |
 MP3
(9.66mb) |
Why should I use a food thermometer?
The answer is simple: for your safety. By cooking your food to a safe internal
temperature, you can destroy harmful bacteria. Most of us have years of experience in the
kitchen, but some of the old methods and myths are not reliable.
Using a food thermometer lets you check the inside temperature of the food to find out
if it is cooked to a high enough temperature to be safe to eat. Help prevent foodborne
illness by always using a food thermometer.
Myth-Buster #1:
Can I tell if meat is cooked by cutting it open and looking at it?
No you can’t. The only way to be sure that food is cooked to a safe internal
temperature is to use a food thermometer to check.
Research has shown that the inside colour of a hamburger and its running juices are not
reliable indicators of how well the burger is cooked. Sometimes previously frozen ground
beef turns brown before it reaches a temperature high enough to kill harmful E. coli
bacteria.
| Foodsafe tip: Check the internal temperature of your hamburger patty
and all food made with ground beef. If it is 71°C (160°F), it’s safe to eat.
Remember . . . your burger’s done at 71! |
Myth-Buster #2:
Do I have to overcook all my food to make it safe to eat?
Absolutely not! Using food thermometers can make you a better and safer cook! Cooking your
food to a safe internal temperature will kill harmful bacteria. Using a food thermometer
helps you cook to just the right temperature and prevents overcooking.
| Foodsafe tip: Cooking a chicken? A turkey? For maximum safety, food
safety experts recommend cooking the stuffing in a separate dish. Why? It takes longer for
the stuffing and the meat to reach a safe internal temperature, so why not un-stuff and
save time? Stuffing and meat must each reach separate safe internal temperatures. See table. |
Myth-Buster #3:
Do I have to check the internal temperature of every ground beef patty?
Yes – but it’s easy. Buy an instant-read digital food thermometer. When you
think the food is almost done, take it away from the heat and take the temperature by
inserting a food thermometer into the thickest part of the food, away from fat, bone or
gristle. If the burgers aren’t done, cook them longer and check the temperature
again.
| Foodsafe Tip: Wash the thermometer’s stem and any other utensils
you have used with soap and hot water after every use. Why? Because any bacteria in raw or
undercooked meat juices can contaminate other food. |
| When is my food ready to eat? |
| Food |
Temperature |
| fully cooked and ready-to-eat meats (e.g. ham, roast) |
You can eat it cold or you can heat it. |
| beef and veal steaks and roasts |
63°C (145°F) medium-rare
71°C (160°F) medium
77°C (170°F) well done |
| &pork chops, ribs, roasts; ground beef, ground pork and ground veal, including
sausages made with ground beef/pork/veal |
71°C (160°F) |
| stuffing and casseroles, hot dogs, leftovers, egg dishes; ground chicken and ground
turkey, including sausages made with ground chicken/turkey |
74°C (165°F) |
| chicken and turkey breasts, legs, thighs and wings |
74°C (165°F) |
| chicken and turkey, whole bird |
85°C (185°F) |
The safe cook’s guide to food thermometers
Food safety experts recommend using a food thermometer that gives an actual temperature
reading, not just a range. Oven-safe thermometers stay in the food while it cooks. The
instant-read type is used when you think the food is done.
Read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully! For most
thermometers, simply insert it into the thickest part of the food, away from fat, bone or
gristle. Food is ready to eat when it has reached the proper internal temperature. See table.
Digital instant-read thermometers read quickly. The thermometer works
well in both thin and thick food – just insert it near the end of cooking time.
Digital instant-read thermometer-fork combinations can also be read
quickly. The fork sensor needs to be fully inserted into the thickest part of the food.
Dial oven-safe thermometers are for thicker foods, like roasts and
casseroles, not for thin food. They can stay in the food while it’s cooking in the
oven or barbecue.
Disposable temperature indicators are for one-time use with specific
foods. Temperature-sensitive material changes colour when the proper temperature is
reached.
Safeguarding Canada’s Food Supply
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the Government of Canada’s
science-based regulator for animal health, plant protection and, in partnership with
Health Canada, food safety.
For more information on food safety or to
order free copies of this brochure, visit the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca or
call 1 800 442-2342/TTY 1 800 465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time,
Monday to Friday). You can also find food safety information on the Health
Canada and Canadian
Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education websites respectively at
www.hc-sc.gc.ca and www.canfightbac.org.
Cat. no.: A104-17/2005E
ISBN: 0-662-41098-X
P0285E-05/07
|
