In short
- Chicken does not need 75 °C and pork tenderloin may be pink: what counts is temperature and time.
- Below are the values per product for the professional kitchen, with the sources.
- Measure in the thickest part, and check your probe regularly in ice water.
Core temperatures at a glance
The most important core temperatures for the professional kitchen. Where a time is given, the core has to stay at that temperature for that long. Below the table you can read why, with the sources.
| Product | Core temperature | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 63–65 °C / 145–149 °F | Hold for 3 to 9 minutes; instantly safe at 74 °C / 165 °F (USDA) |
| Chicken thigh, leg | 70–80 °C / 158–176 °F | Higher for texture, not for safety |
| Chicken liver | 70 °C / 158 °F | Hold for 2 minutes (FSA) |
| Duck breast | 54–58 °C / 129–136 °F | Pink; back up time and temperature in your HACCP plan |
| Pork tenderloin | 60–62 °C / 140–144 °F | Pink and juicy |
| Pork chop, pork loin | 63 °C / 145 °F | 3 minutes rest (USDA) |
| Beef rare | 50–52 °C / 122–126 °F | Whole cut of meat |
| Beef medium-rare | 54–56 °C / 129–133 °F | Also for lamb and venison |
| Beef medium | 58–60 °C / 136–140 °F | |
| Beef well done | 68 °C / 154 °F and above | |
| Mince, burger, sausage | 71 °C / 160 °F | Always cooked through |
| Salmon, trout | 45–50 °C / 113–122 °F | Mi-cuit; freeze first if raw or nearly raw |
| Cod, haddock, halibut | 50–54 °C / 122–129 °F | |
| Turbot, sole, sea bass | 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F | |
| Tuna | 40–45 °C / 104–113 °F | Raw centre |
| Lobster | 55–60 °C / 131–140 °F | |
| Langoustine | 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F | |
| Prawns, shrimp | 55–60 °C / 131–140 °F | |
| Scallop | 45–50 °C / 113–122 °F | Translucent centre |
| Mussels, cockles | Until they open | Discard any that stay closed |
| Dutch hygiene code (cooking) | 75 °C / 167 °F | Working lower? Record time and temperature in your HACCP plan |
Sources: USDA FSIS, Food Standards Agency (UK) and the Dutch hospitality hygiene code (KHN). The values for beef, fish and shellfish are guidelines for doneness. Your own HACCP plan always comes first.
What counts is temperature and time.
Temperature and time belong together
Bacteria don’t die at one magic temperature. The hotter, the faster. Salmonella in chicken is destroyed within seconds at a core of 74 °C; at 60 °C it takes about half an hour. Just as safe, but much juicier at 60 °C.
That is why the tables below always say two things: which core temperature, and how long the core has to stay there. The thicker the piece, the longer it takes to get the core there.
What the hygiene code says
The Dutch hospitality hygiene code (Hygiënecode voor de horeca) starts from a core temperature of at least 75 °C when cooking. Hot holding is above 60 °C and cooling down to 7 °C or colder within 5 hours. Your local rules may differ. If you work lower, such as with pink duck, sous-vide chicken or barely cooked salmon, record in your HACCP plan which time and temperature you use, measure with a calibrated probe and log it.
Poultry: chicken, turkey and guinea fowl
The US food safety service (USDA FSIS) calculated how long chicken must stay at each core temperature to reduce Salmonella ten million times. Fattier pieces, like thighs with skin, need a little longer. So does turkey.
| Core temperature | Lean chicken (2% fat) | Fattier chicken (12% fat) |
|---|---|---|
| 60.0 °C / 140 °F | 26 minutes | 35 minutes |
| 62.8 °C / 145 °F | 9 minutes | 13 minutes |
| 65.6 °C / 150 °F | 3 minutes | 4 minutes |
| 68.3 °C / 155 °F | 45 seconds | 54 seconds |
| 71.1 °C / 160 °F | 14 seconds | 17 seconds |
| 73.9 °C / 165 °F | instant | instant |
Source: USDA FSIS time-temperature tables for poultry (7-log reduction of Salmonella). Time counts from the moment the core reaches the temperature.
Chicken in practice
A chicken breast brought to a core of 63 to 65 °C and rested a few minutes at that temperature is safe and stays juicy. In a pan or oven that resting time is hard to guarantee; there you take the breast out at 66 to 68 °C, or keep it warm under cover. Sous vide holds the time precisely.
Thighs and legs are often taken higher, to 70 to 80 °C. Not for safety, but because the connective tissue softens.
Chicken livers and offal
Chicken livers can carry Campylobacter inside, even when the outside is well browned. After outbreaks linked to pink chicken liver parfait, the UK Food Standards Agency advises a core temperature of 70 °C for 2 minutes. Equivalent are 65 °C for 10 minutes or 75 °C for 30 seconds. A pink chicken liver is not a good idea; a parfait that reaches 65 °C in a bain-marie and stays there for 10 minutes is.
Pork
Pork no longer needs to be grey. In 2011 the USDA lowered the standard for whole cuts from 71 °C to 63 °C with a 3-minute rest. In the EU, slaughter pigs are also tested for trichinella. In a whole muscle, bacteria sit mainly on the outside, and searing makes that more than hot enough.
| Product | Core | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Pork tenderloin | 60–62 °C | Pink and juicy |
| Chop, loin | 62–63 °C | Slightly pink, 3-minute rest |
| Mince, sausage, burger | 71 °C | Cooked through: bacteria are spread through the product |
| Shoulder, belly, cheek (braised) | 85–95 °C | Tender and pulled; the temperature is for texture |
Beef, veal and lamb
In a whole piece of beef, veal or lamb the inside is practically sterile. That is why an entrecôte can be served rare. Choose the core temperature for taste and texture. Take large roasts out 2 to 5 °C early: the core keeps rising while resting.
| Doneness | Core | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 50–52 °C | Red and juicy |
| Medium-rare | 54–56 °C | Pink, fat just softened |
| Medium | 58–60 °C | Light pink |
| Well done | 68 °C and up | Grey, firm |
| Mince, burger | 71 °C | Always through: bacteria are mixed into the meat |
Tartare and carpaccio
Raw beef is only safe when the meat is fresh, comes from a reliable supplier, stays cold and is cut or chopped just before serving. The risk is never zero. Don’t serve it to pregnant women, young children, older people or anyone with weakened immunity.
Game, duck and goose
Treat venison and hare like beef: pink is fine. Wild boar can carry trichinella. Only serve it pink if it has been officially tested for trichinella; otherwise cook it to at least 71 °C.
Duck and goose breast are served pink in kitchens, at 54 to 58 °C. To back that up safely, use the poultry times in the table above, or cook the breast sous vide (see Sous vide: temperatures and times). Legs are confited at 80 °C or higher.
Fish
With fish you choose the core temperature mainly for texture. A few degrees too hot and fish dries out.
| Fish | Core | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon, trout | 45–50 °C | Mi-cuit: translucent, buttery |
| Cod, haddock, halibut | 50–54 °C | Just flakes |
| Turbot, sole, sea bass | 50–55 °C | Firm and juicy |
| Tuna | 40–45 °C (raw centre) | Seared briefly |
| Fully cooked (FSIS) | 63 °C | Opaque, falls apart |
Parasites: when fish must be frozen first
Fish eaten raw or almost raw can carry the Anisakis parasite. Think sushi, ceviche, tartare, marinated or cold-smoked fish, and also mi-cuit salmon at 45 °C. Under EU Regulation 853/2004 (amended by 1276/2011) such fish must be frozen first: at least 24 hours at −20 °C or colder, or 15 hours at −35 °C. Heating to a core of 60 °C for at least 1 minute also kills the parasites. Farmed fish can be exempt; ask your supplier for the statement.
Shellfish
Crustaceans are cooked for texture. Bivalves need more care.
| Product | Core | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Lobster | 55–60 °C | Juicy, just opaque |
| Langoustine | 50–55 °C | Translucent and sweet |
| Prawns, shrimp | 55–60 °C | Opaque and firm |
| Scallop | 45–50 °C | Translucent centre |
| Mussels, cockles | Until open, then a little longer | Discard any that stay closed |
Viruses in bivalves
Mussels, oysters and cockles can carry norovirus and hepatitis A. These viruses withstand more heat than bacteria. The EU standard for industrial heat treatment of bivalves is 90 °C for 90 seconds in the flesh; the European Food Safety Authority EFSA has advised on it. Raw oysters are never entirely without risk. Buy them only from an approved supplier and don’t serve them to vulnerable guests.
Vulnerable guests
For pregnant women, older people, young children and anyone with weakened immunity: no raw or barely cooked fish or shellfish, no pink poultry or liver, and no raw meat. Cook poultry for them to a 74 °C core, or follow the times in the table strictly.
Sous vide: temperatures and timesBath temperature and time per product, with chilling and storage.→Measuring properly
Insert the probe into the thickest part, not against a bone. Check it regularly in iced water: it should read 0 °C. Clean it between raw and cooked. And write the temperatures down: that shows you work to your HACCP plan.
Sources
The values in this article come from:
- USDA FSIS: safe minimum internal temperature chart
- USDA FSIS: cooking guideline with time-temperature tables for poultry
- Food Standards Agency (UK, 2010): chicken liver advice, 70 °C for 2 minutes
- EU Regulation 1276/2011 on parasites in fishery products
- EFSA on heat treatment of bivalve molluscs
- Dutch hospitality hygiene code (KHN)
In Savour you put the core temperature on the step where it belongs, so everyone in your brigade sees it, in cook mode too. This article is a guide; your own HACCP plan and local food safety rules always come first.