Using a meat thermometer

Cooks use a meat thermometer to see what is happening in the middle of a piece of meat, where the eye cannot. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) suggests one as a way to check that food is cooked. This page covers the temperatures, where the probe goes, the safe-cooking line for each kind of meat, and how to keep a thermometer reading true.

The temperatures the FSA gives

The FSA says that the middle of the food should reach a temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes. The FSA lists these combinations.

In its words, You will need a clean food thermometer to measure these temperatures accurately. Food Standards Scotland gives a single reading. It says a thermometer in the thickest part of the food should read 75°C or above.

Where to put the probe

The FSA's guidance for caterers says to Insert the probe so the tip is in the centre of the food (or the thickest part). For pork and poultry, the FSA adds, Be sure to test the temperature of the meat and avoid the bones.

In a whole bird, the thickest part is between the leg and the breast. In a large dish or a batch, the same guidance asks cooks to check in several places. A digital thermometer needs a moment, so wait for the display to settle before reading it.

The safe-cooking line, meat by meat

The FSA's lines differ by meat, because bacteria sit in different places.

So for a steak, the FSA leaves the reading in the middle to taste.

Checking it reads true

The FSA's guidance for caterers gives a simple test for a digital probe. Put it in iced water, and it should read between -1°C and 1°C. Put it in boiling water, and it should read between 99°C and 101°C.

If the reading falls outside that range, the guidance says to replace the probe or return it to the manufacturer to be calibrated. The manufacturer's instructions should say how often to check. Without them, the guidance suggests a regular check, for example once a month.

Keeping it clean

The FSA asks cooks to fully clean the temperature probe or cooking thermometer after each use to avoid cross-contamination and to get an accurate reading. Its guidance for caterers adds a clean before each use as well.

An infra-red thermometer reads only the surface. The same guidance says these cannot be used for checking the temperature in the centre of cooked, reheated, or cooling food.

Probe checks in a food business

Food businesses run their safety procedures on the principles of HACCP, short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. The FSA says one part of HACCP is keeping records to show your procedures are working.

Kitchens use a probe to show that their cooking, cooling and hot holding are safe. The FSA's Safer food, better business pack has a "Prove it" method and record sheets for those checks. It notes that It is a legal requirement that hot food must be kept at or above 63°C. In England that rule is in the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. The pack adds that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, certain chilled foods must by law be kept at 8°C or below.

Scotland has its own rule for reheating. Under the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006, a business that reheats cooked food for serving or sale must raise it to at least 82°C. The law allows a lower temperature where 82°C would spoil the food.

Useful links