Knowing how long to cook some foods can be tricky. Here are some tips to help you master the clock and the kitchen.
Beat the clock
Timers are your friend! For ready-to-cook options, always follow the time listed on the packaging. Using a timer can help keep you on track and make sure you aren’t pulling your food out too soon or too late.
Hitting your mark
While having a thermometer at home for checking your body temperature is common, having one for your food is just as important. There are many types of kitchen thermometers, but they all have the same function — to tell you if your food is cooked to a safe temperature. Most germs are destroyed between 140 and 165 F.
For safety, temperatures must be
- 145 F for whole cuts of beef, lamb, veal, pork and fish with fins
- 160 F for ground meats, such as beef and pork, and
- 165 F for all poultry, leftovers and casseroles.
Remember that the color of your food is not an indicator of how thoroughly it’s been cooked.
Just chill
After cooking your food to the proper temperature, be sure to either eat it right away or refrigerate it for safety. When you leave your cooked food out, it can enter the temperature danger zone, which is between 40 and 140 F. And as a reminder, always keep your
- refrigerator at 40 F or below and
- freezer at zero or below.
