If your group home kitchen doesn’t have a cooking thermometer, talk with your group home manager or the support staff that does the shopping. Cooking food until it reaches the proper temperature kills harmful bacteria.
Ground meat and meat meat mixtures (hamburgers, meatloaf, etc):
- Beef, pork, veal, lamb-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Turkey, chicken-165 degrees Fahrenheit
Fresh beef, veal, lamb:
- Medium rare-145 degrees Fahrenheit
- Medium-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well done-170 degrees Fahrenheit
Poultry:
- Chicken, turkey (whole) -165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Chicken, turkey (parts)-165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Duck and goose-165 degrees Fahrenheit
- Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)-165 degrees Fahrenheit
Fresh Pork:
- Medium-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well done-170 degrees Fahrenheit
Ham:
- Fresh (raw)-160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Pre-cooked (reheated)-140 degrees Fahrenheit/em>
Eggs, egg dishes (quiche, etc):
- eggs -cook until yolk and whites are firm
- egg dishes-160 degrees Fahrenheit
Seafood:
- Fin fish (trout, bass, etc.)-145 degrees Fahrenheit(flesh is opaque and separates easily)
- Shrimp, lobster, crabs-flesh is pearly and opaque
- Clams, oysters, mussels-shells open during cooking
- Scallops-milky white or opaque and firm
Miscellaneous:
- Leftovers -165 degrees Fahrenheit
- casseroles-165 degrees Fahrenheit
Knowing the correct cooking temperatures will also help to prevent over-cooking and dryness in food.