What is the second rule of safe food preparation in the home?
Keep Temperature Right The second cardinal rule of safe home food preparation is: Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Use a thermometer with a small-diameter stem to ensure that meats are completely cooked. Insert the thermometer 1 to 2 inches into the center of the food and wait 30 seconds to ensure an accurate measurement. Beef (including ground beef), lamb, and pork should be cooked to at least 71 C (160 F); whole poultry and thighs to 82 C (180 F); poultry breasts to 77 C (170 F); and ground chicken or turkey to 74 C (165 F). Don’t eat poultry that is pink inside. Eggs should be cooked until the white and the yolk are firm. Avoid foods containing raw eggs, such as homemade ice cream, mayonnaise, eggnog, cookie dough, and cake batter, because they carry a Salmonella risk. Their commercial counterparts usually don’t because they’re made with pasteurized eggs. Cooking the egg-containing product to an internal temperature of at least 71 C (160 F) will kill the bacteria. Seafood sho
