Internal temp well done steak how to#

To prevent cross contamination, avoid allowing cooked foods or foods that don’t require cooking to come into contact with raw meat ( 9).įinally, to prevent the growth of bacteria, make sure you store leftovers in the refrigerator promptly and don’t leave pork at room temperature for more than 2 hours ( 7). When cooking pork, be sure to prepare it in a sanitary environment and use separate utensils and cutting boards if preparing other foods at the same time ( 9). Raw meat should be stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to avoid transferring bacteria to other foods. In addition to cooking pork thoroughly, there are plenty of other steps you can take to practice proper food safety when handling this type of meat.įor starters, both cooked and raw pork can be stored in the refrigerator for 3–4 days at temperatures below 40☏ (4☌) ( 7).īe sure to wrap pork tightly and minimize exposure to air to prevent the meat from drying out. For a 1-inch thick steak, this will take about 5 minutes of cooking on each side. While improvements in the food industry have reduced the risk of infection, thoroughly cooking pork is still critical for preventing foodborne illness. The desired internal temperature for a rare steak should be 120-125 degrees. summaryĮating pork that carries Trichinella spiralis can cause trichinosis. These bacteria can cause fever, chills, and digestive distress ( 6).

In fact, only 13 cases of trichinellosis were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2015 - substantially fewer than in the past ( 5).įor comparison, it’s estimated that around 400 cases of trichinellosis were reported to the CDC each year in the 1940s ( 2).ĭespite the decline in the incidence of trichinosis, proper cooking is still crucial to reduce the risk of infection.Ĭooking pork can also prevent foodborne illness caused by strains of bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Yersinia enterocolitica. The worms grow in the intestine of the host and then produce larvae that pass through the bloodstream and become trapped in the muscle ( 2).Įating undercooked pork that is carrying Trichinella spiralis can lead to trichinosis, an infection that causes food poisoning symptoms like diarrhea, stomach cramps, muscle pain, and fever ( 3).įortunately, improvements in hygiene, laws related to waste disposal, and preventive measures designed to protect against infection have led to significant reductions in the prevalence of trichinosis within the last 50 years ( 4).

Internal temp well done steak how to#

Trichinella spiralis is a type of parasitic roundworm found in many omnivorous and carnivorous animal species around the world - including pigs ( 1).Īnimals can acquire this parasite after eating other animals or scraps of meat that contain it. HOW TO DETERMINE THE DONENESS OF STEAK Rare: between 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit Medium rare: between 130 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit Medium: 140 to 145.