Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook

96 Part I: Eating Right with Every Bite

Table 6-1 Red Meat Cooking Temperatures

Doneness Internal Temperature Appearance

Rare 120 to 125 degrees Center is bright red; pinkish toward the

exterior portion

Medium rare 130 to 135 degrees Center is very pink; slightly brown

toward the exterior portion

Medium 140 to 145 degrees Center is light pink; outer portion is

brown

Medium well 150 to 155 degrees Not pink

Well done 160 degrees and

above

Uniformly brown throughout

Ground meat 160 to 165 degrees Uniformly gray throughout

Poultry

Poultry doesn’t have levels of doneness. It’s either done or it isn’t. You know

it’s done if the juices run clear (instead of cloudy and pink) when you cut into

it and a meat thermometer reads approximately 165 degrees for white meat

and 185 degrees for dark meat.

Pork

If not cooked to the correct temperature, pork can cause trichinosis, which is

a foodborne illness. Table 6-2 tells you how to safely cook pork.

Table 6-2 Pork Cooking Temperatures

Meat Doneness Internal

Temperature

Appearance

Roasts, steaks,

and chops

Medium 140 to 145

degrees

Pale pink center

Well done 160 degrees and

above

Uniformly brown

throughout

Pork ribs and

pork shoulders

Medium to

well done

160 degrees and

above

Thin pink line in

the middle

Sausage (raw) Cooked through 160 degrees No longer pink

Ham (raw) Cooked through 160 degrees Pink if smoked,

gray if not

smoked

Ham (precooked) Safely reheated 140 degrees Pink if smoked,

gray if not

smoked