Tips for Using Digital Food Thermometers

Certain raw foods and their juices can contain harmful bacteria that could make you sick. These illness-causing bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria can be killed by proper cooking. Since these harmful organisms can't be seen, smelled or tasted, it's important that you cook your food to a safe internal cooking temperature to avoid foodborne illness.

Be sure with a digital food thermometer

Checking the temperature of your cooked meat, poultry and seafood with a food thermometer is the only reliable way to make sure your food has reached a safe internal cooking temperature. Safe internal cooking temperatures are different for different types foods, so each time you cook it's important that you know what internal cooking temperature your food needs to reach to be safe to eat.

While many types of food thermometers exist, digital food thermometers are considered the most accurate because they provide instant, exact temperature readings. They are a reliable tool that you can use to make sure that your foods reach internal cooking temperatures high enough to eliminate harmful bacteria and to protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness.

Checking your food

If used properly, a digital food thermometer can help prevent foodborne illness. Here are a few tips to follow when checking to see if your food has reached the necessary safe internal cooking temperature:

• Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, poultry, or seafood. If the safe internal cooking temperature is reached, your food is safe to eat. If not, continue cooking and check the temperature again.
• Make sure that the thermometer is not touching any bones, since they heat up quicker than the meat and could give you a false reading.
• If you have more than one piece of meat, poultry or seafood, be sure to check each piece separately, as temperatures may differ in each piece.

Avoiding cross-contamination

To protect yourself and your family, it's just as important to take steps to avoid cross-contamination as it is to check that your food is properly cooked.

• Clean your digital food thermometer in warm, soapy water between every temperature reading to avoid spreading bacteria.
• Don't use the same plate or utensils before and after cooking meat, poultry or seafood.
• Wash your hands carefully with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat.

Internal Cooking Temperatures

You can't tell by looking. Use a digital food thermometer to be sure!

Food	Temperature
Beef, veal and lamb (pieces and whole cuts) Medium rare Medium Well done	63°C (145°F) 71°C (160°F) 77°C (170°F)
Pork (pieces and whole cuts)	71°C (160°F)
Poultry (for example, chicken, turkey, duck) Pieces Whole	74°C (165°F) 85°C (185°F)
Ground meat and meat mixtures (for example, burgers, sausages, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles) Beef, veal, lamb and pork Poultry	71°C (160°F) 74°C (165°F)
Egg dishes	74°C (165°F)
Others (for example, hot dogs, stuffing, leftovers, seafood)	74°C (165°F)

What the Government of Canada does to keep our food supply safe

The Government of Canada is committed to food safety.

Health Canada establishes regulations and standards relating to the safety and nutritional quality of foods sold in Canada. Through inspection and enforcement activities, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency verifies that food sold in Canada meets Health Canada's requirements.

For more information on food safety, please visit the Government of Canada's Food Safety Portal and the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education's Be Food Safe Canada program.

Additional Resources

• In Your Kitchen: Safety Tips
• Food Safety: Use food thermometer when cooking ground beef
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency Food Safety Tips