Safe cooking temperatures

Higher risk foods

Food poisoning bacteria can be present all the way through these high risk food and only thorough cooking will kill them. To check whether these foods have been sufficiently cooked to 75°C you need to use a meat thermometer see how.

Higher risk foods Safe minimum internal temperature

Beef, lamb, kangaroo or pork, including their livers, that are:

  • minced, or hamburgers or sausages
  • roasts that are stuffed, rolled or boned
  • mechanically tenderised (with small holes in the surface to penetrate into the meat)
  • corned beef pumped with brine using needles
75°C in the centre
Poultry such as chicken, ducks, spatchcocks, capons or turkey (including their livers) either whole or minced 75°C in the centre

Reheated foods such as leftovers

Eggs and egg dishes, such as quiche

75°C in the centre

72 °C in the centre (or until the white is firm and the yolk thickens)

 

Other foods

The following foods will only have food poisoning contamination on the outside so make sure the surface is well browned and cook the centre to your taste. Here are suggested cooking temperatures

 

Food Cooking instructions

Red meat such as beef, lamb and kangaroo in whole cuts such as steaks, chops, pieces and whole roasts. Eating these cuts of meat rare or raw may put you at risk of parasitic infection such as toxoplasmosis.

As a guide:

Well done 77°C

Medium 71°C

Medium rare 63 °C

Leave to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

 

Pork in whole cuts such as steaks, chops, pieces and whole roasts

For better quality cook pork steaks and pieces to 70°C and roasts to between 70°C and 75°C

Leave to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

 

Fish fillets

Cook to around 63°C or when flesh flakes easily