Here are our guidelines for cooking beef to ensure it is safe to eat: Use an instant read meat thermometer for the most accurate results, and test the center of the meat to get a temperature. Mechanically processed cuts of beef like ground beef, hamburger patties, and cube steaks need ...

Poultry should generally be cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF. Use an instant read meat thermometer for the most accurate results, and test the center of the meat to get the temperature. Chicken can be cooked to a lower temperature if this guide of holding internal temperature for a ...

Fresh, whole muscles cuts of pork like pork chops, pork roasts, and pork tenderloins should be cooked to at least 145ºF for safety. Previously, it was recommended that these cuts were cooked to 160ºF. However, with advances in the pork production process, 145º is now considered safe for whole muscle ...

How long does frozen meat last? If you keep food frozen at 0ºF or below, it will stay safe to eat indefinitely. However, after time, the quality will degrade and you may start to develop freezer burn on the packages. Freezer burn is not a food safety problem, just a ...

Unlike frozen meat, meat in the refrigerator will become unsafe to eat if you let it sit too long. Here are our general guidelines on how long food is good for in a 40ºF refrigerator: Beef Steaks & Roasts | 2 – 4 days Ground Beef | 1 – 2 days Pork ...

Generally, you want to discard any meat that is above 40ºF for more than 2 hours, because at that time and temperature combination, pathogens can start to grow on the meat. Most refrigerators stay cold enough that if the power comes back on in less than 4 hours, the food ...