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Guide
For home cooking, the Food Standards Agency gives 70°C for 2 minutes or an equivalent time-and-temperature combination. Check the centre or thickest part, away from bone.
The FSA advises cooking until the core reaches 70°C for 2 minutes. Equivalent combinations include 75°C for 30 seconds, 80°C for 6 seconds and lower temperatures held for longer. Follow the food's instructions where they set a stricter target.
Poultry, pork products made from minced meat, burgers, sausages, rolled joints, offal and reheated leftovers should be cooked thoroughly. Whole cuts of beef or lamb may be served less cooked only when the exterior has been properly seared and the meat has not been mechanically tenderised or rolled.
Insert the sensor into the thickest or coldest part. Avoid bone, the pan and large pockets of fat because they can produce a reading that does not represent the food's centre.
Safety depends on both temperature and time. A lower validated core temperature requires a longer hold, so do not treat every number on a cooking chart as an instant finish line.
Measure more than one piece when portions differ in size. With a whole bird or large joint, check multiple thick areas and confirm that the coolest reading meets the chosen safe combination.
Wash and disinfect the probe as the manufacturer directs, especially after contact with raw meat. Rechecking cooked food with a contaminated probe can transfer bacteria back to it.
Common questions
For home cooking, the FSA gives 70°C for 2 minutes or a validated equivalent combination. Measure the core, not the surface.
The FSA lists 75°C held for 30 seconds as an equivalent cooking combination. Some foods or instructions may require a different approach.
It is usually near the centre of the thickest section, but shape, bone and stuffing can shift it. Probe more than one place on large or irregular food.
No. Colour and clear juices are useful visual checks, but a clean food thermometer gives a direct core-temperature measurement.
Keep exploring
An instant-read thermometer suits quick checks; a leave-in or wireless probe is better for tracking a roast without repeatedly opening the oven.
Pick a folding digital thermometer for rapid checks or a leave-in digital probe for alarms during a roast. Accuracy and sensing-tip placement matter more than extra presets.
Thermapen ONE is our top all-round pick for fast spot checks. ThermoPro TP19H is the simpler alternative, while DOT and MEATER Pro suit cooks who need continuous monitoring.