jw 1111 wrote:
> hi, i recently saw one of those electronic thermometers that has a proble
> that goes
> inside the meat to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature within
> the centre of the meat. With beef you can set the temperature to a lower one
> for 'rare' and a higher one for 'well done'. For certain meats like poultry
> and pork it just has the one temperature setting which is a minimum
> temperature which when reached sets off a buzzer to tell you that it's
> cooked.
>
> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it has
> reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
> cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can
> affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there some
> 'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum
> temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks
It's best to cook by temperature, not time.
Trichinae, the parasite that can potentially live in pork and game, is no
longer a risk by the time the meat reaches the high 130's F. Here's the
US Government data regarding these temperatures.
<http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=9&PART=318&SECTION=10&YEAR=1998&TYPE =TEXT>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum internal temperature
--------------------------------------------------
Degrees Minimum time
Degrees fahrenheit centigrade
------------------------------------------------------------------------
120.................................. 49.0 21 hours.
122.................................. 50.0 9.5 hours.
124.................................. 51.1 4.5 hours.
126.................................. 52.2 2 hours.
128.................................. 53.4 1 hour.
130.................................. 54.5 30 minutes.
132.................................. 55.6 15 minutes.
134.................................. 56.7 6 minutes.
136.................................. 57.8 3 minutes.
138.................................. 58.9 2 minutes.
140.................................. 60.0 1 minute.
142.................................. 61.1 1 minute.
144.................................. 62.2 Instant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're cooking pork loin or tenderloin, I recommend removing it from
the heat at 140 F and it will float up to about 145 F, where it's just
about right.
Pork chops I like to cook to about 150 F.
--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com
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