Why doesnt chicken look done when it is cooked to 160°?
Chicken looks done at a higher temperature than is required to pasteurize it or cook it sufficiently to kill pathogens. Most people prefer chicken cooked to 170° for pieces and 180° for whole chicken. Back to top Why isnt color a good way to tell whether ground beef is cooked? Sometimes ground beef will turn brown at a temperature well below that which will kill pathogens sometimes as low as 130 to 140°. Other times, the ground beef remains pink when the meat is cooked to a temperature of 170°. The U. S. Department of Agriculture has launched a campaign to encourage consumers to cook food to a safe internal temperature (for additional information see www.fightbac.gov and www.fsis.usda.gov/thermy.
