Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered the safe cooking temperature to 145 degrees for whole cuts of meat, including pork. The agency also recommended following the cooking with a 3-minute rest period.
Well-done has a new meaning
Safe meat temperatures are lowered by USDA.
July 14, 2011 at 1:45PM
Previously the recommendation was to cook pork to 160 degrees, which remains the recommended safe temperature for cooking ground beef, veal, lamb and pork.
The USDA said the new single-temperature recommendation for whole cuts will make it easier for consumers to remember the proper numbers.
"Now there will only be three numbers to remember: 145 for whole meats, 160 for ground meats and 165 for all poultry," said Undersecretary Elisabeth Hagen in a news release.
The rest time is important because it allows the temperature to continue to rise and kill pathogens and allows the juices to seep back into the meat.
The USDA said pork cooked to 145 degrees might still have a pinkish hue, but it's safe to eat.
To take the temperature, push the probe end of an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.
If you don't have an instant-read thermometer, you should invest in one. It's a kitchen tool to always have handy because it will save you from overcooking meats. You can buy them for as little as $5 at big box retailers and kitchen and hardware stores.
In many cookbooks, pork recipes recommend 160 degrees as the final cooking temperature. But as the meat rests, the temperature keeps going up.
A taste of pork
For this recipe (at right), I used boneless pork loin chops and stuffed them with a dried fruit-and-cheese mixture. These took just about 10 minutes to cook to the recommended safe temperature. You can grill them or cook them in a skillet.
I paired the dish with grilled asparagus and nectarines and a celery salad.
