Cooking Requirements for Specific Types of Food

Minimum Internal Cooking

Other Cooking Requirements and Recommendations
Temperature
Poultry (including whole or ground chicken, turkey, and duck)
Poultry has more types and higher counts of microorganisms than
165 degrees
other meat because of the way it is processed. Therefore, it
for 15 seconds
should be cooked more thoroughly.
Stuffing
Stuffing Made with Potentially Hazardous Ingredients

165 degrees Stuffing can be potentially hazardous food when it is made with
for 15 seconds eggs, oysters, or other potentially hazardous ingredients.
Stuffed Meats, Fish, Poultry, and Pasta
165 degrees
for 15 seconds Stuffing can be a hazard because it acts as insulation, preventing
heat from reaching the center of the product. Always verify that
both the stuffing and the product reach the required temperature.
Stuffing should be
cooked separately, particularly when cooking whole, large birds or
large cuts of meat. Smaller cuts of meat, such as pork tenderloins
or veal chops, may be stuffed before cooking as long as both meat
and stuffing reach the required temperature.

Dishes That Include Potentially Hazardous Ingredients

When including previously
cooked, potentially hazardous
Example: when adding cooked ground beef to a red sauce, the
ingredients in the dish, cook
beef within the dish must be reheated to 165 degrees for 15
the ingredients to 165
seconds within 2 hours.
degrees
for 15 seconds

When including raw,

potentially hazardous
ingredients in the dish, cook Example: when cooking jambalaya, you must ensure that the raw
the raw ingredients to their shrimp reaches 145 degrees for 15 seconds.
required minimum internal
temperature.
Ground Meat (including beef, pork, and other meat)
155 degrees Most whole-muscle cuts of meat are likely to have microorganisms
for 15 seconds only on the surface. When meat is ground, microorganisms on the
surface are mixed throughout the product. As an alternative,
ground meat may also be cooked to the following internal
temperatures:
145 degrees for 3 minutes
150 degrees for 1 minute
155 degrees for 15 seconds
158 degrees for < 1 second
Injected Meat (including brined ham and flavor-injected roasts)
155 degrees When meat is injected, foodborne microorganisms on the surface
for 15 seconds can be carried into the interior. As an
alternative, ground meat may also be cooked to the following
internal temperatures:
145 degrees for 3 minutes
155 degrees
for 15 seconds

150 degrees for 1 minute

155 degrees for 15 seconds
158 degrees for < 1 second
Pork, Beef, Veal, Lamb
Steaks/Chops:
145 degrees
for 15 seconds
Roasts: Depending upon the type of roast and the oven used, roasts may
145 degrees be cooked to the following alternative internal temperature:
for 4 minutes 130 degrees for 122 minutes
131 degrees for 89 minutes
133 degrees for 56 minutes
135 degrees for 36 minutes
136 degrees for 28 minutes
138 degrees for 18 minutes
140 degrees for 12 minutes
142 degrees for 8 minutes
144 degrees for 5 minutes
145 degrees for 4 minutes
Pork, Beef, Veal, Lamb
145 degrees
for 15 seconds
Ground, chopped, or Minced While most whole-muscle cuts of fish are likely to have
Fish: microorganisms only on their surface, grinding or chopping fish
155 degrees mixes any surface microorganisms throughout the product.
for 15 seconds
Eggs
Immediate Service
When cooking eggs, remove from storage only as many eggs as
145 degrees
you need for immediate use. Never stack egg trays near the grill
for 15 seconds
or stove.
Hot Held for Service
155 degrees Eggs that will be held for any length of time must be cooked to a
for 15 seconds higher temperature.
Fruit or Vegetables (hot held for service)
135 degrees Cooked vegetables must never be held at room temperature.
Commercially Processed, Ready to-Eat Food (hot held for service)
135 degrees This includes items such as cheese sticks, deep-fried vegetables,
for 15 seconds and chicken wings.