hi, i recently saw one of those electronic thermometers that has a proble
that goes
inside the meat to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature within
the centre of the meat. With beef you can set the temperature to a lower one
for 'rare' and a higher one for 'well done'. For certain meats like poultry
and pork it just has the one temperature setting which is a minimum
temperature which when reached sets off a buzzer to tell you that it's
cooked.

So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it has
reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can
affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there some
'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum
temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks

"jw 1111" > wrote in message
...
> hi, i recently saw one of those electronic thermometers that has a proble
> that goes
> inside the meat to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature
within
> the centre of the meat. With beef you can set the temperature to a lower
one
> for 'rare' and a higher one for 'well done'. For certain meats like
poultry
> and pork it just has the one temperature setting which is a minimum
> temperature which when reached sets off a buzzer to tell you that it's
> cooked.
>
> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it
has
> reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
> cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can
> affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there
some
> 'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum
> temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks
>
>
>

Pork doesn't have the bad rap that it used to have. I've heard that there
hasn't been a case of trichinosis in some time in the US. (can't prove
this, though) Anyway, I prefer my pork medium - pink in the middle - as
opposed to dry and well done.

It depends upon what cut you're speaking of to determine what temp the meat
shoud be at. Are you talking chop or butt or shoulder?

kili

"jw 1111" > wrote in message
...
> hi, i recently saw one of those electronic thermometers that has a proble
> that goes
> inside the meat to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature
within
> the centre of the meat. With beef you can set the temperature to a lower
one
> for 'rare' and a higher one for 'well done'. For certain meats like
poultry
> and pork it just has the one temperature setting which is a minimum
> temperature which when reached sets off a buzzer to tell you that it's
> cooked.
>
> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it
has
> reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
> cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can
> affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there
some
> 'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum
> temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks
>
>
>

Sorry to reply again, but I found this about Trichinosis:

Frequency:


a.. In the US: Occurrence in the United States is largely limited to
sporadic cases or small clusters related to consumption of home-processed
meats from noncommercial farm-raised pigs and wild game. The US national
surveillance system is a passive system with links to state and local
levels. Trichinosis has been a reportable disease since 1966. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance system has data as far
back as 1947 demonstrating a significant decrease in cases from a peak of
nearly 500 in 1948 to averages of fewer than 50 over the past several years
(Roy, 2003).
The US Department of Agriculture conducts periodic surveillance of
farm-raised pigs. In a 1999 study, the major risk factor for seropositivity
in tested pigs was access to live wildlife or wildlife carcasses.

jw 1111 wrote:

> hi, i recently saw one of those electronic thermometers that has a proble
> that goes
> inside the meat to get an accurate reading of the cooking temperature within
> the centre of the meat. With beef you can set the temperature to a lower one
> for 'rare' and a higher one for 'well done'. For certain meats like poultry
> and pork it just has the one temperature setting which is a minimum
> temperature which when reached sets off a buzzer to tell you that it's
> cooked.
>
> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it has
> reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
> cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can
> affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there some
> 'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum
> temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks

It's best to cook by temperature, not time.

Trichinae, the parasite that can potentially live in pork and game, is no
longer a risk by the time the meat reaches the high 130's F. Here's the
US Government data regarding these temperatures.

<http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=9&PART=318&SECTION=10&YEAR=1998&TYPE =TEXT>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum internal temperature
--------------------------------------------------
Degrees Minimum time
Degrees fahrenheit centigrade
------------------------------------------------------------------------
120.................................. 49.0 21 hours.
122.................................. 50.0 9.5 hours.
124.................................. 51.1 4.5 hours.
126.................................. 52.2 2 hours.
128.................................. 53.4 1 hour.
130.................................. 54.5 30 minutes.
132.................................. 55.6 15 minutes.
134.................................. 56.7 6 minutes.
136.................................. 57.8 3 minutes.
138.................................. 58.9 2 minutes.
140.................................. 60.0 1 minute.
142.................................. 61.1 1 minute.
144.................................. 62.2 Instant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you're cooking pork loin or tenderloin, I recommend removing it from
the heat at 140 F and it will float up to about 145 F, where it's just
about right.

Pork chops I like to cook to about 150 F.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

jw 1111 wrote on 11 Sep 2005 in rec.food.cooking

> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you
> it has reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then
> really cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it
> that can affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking.
> Is there some 'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at
> this minimum temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just
> enough? thanks
>
>

While others told you about parasites...I'll tell you about resting times.
Meat cooking has a different outside temp to a core temp. If you let your
roast (whatever) sit the interior (core temp) temp will rise and the
exterior temp will drop, till they equalize before it starts to cools. In
other words it is still cooking while it rests. Resting also allows the
meat juices to be redistributed thru the meat (another good thing).

Think about it...in an oven the temp set at 350-450F... of course the
outside temp is higher than the inside, plus there is the loss of some
juices due to evapouration and wickage... etc. So the higher outside temp
of the meat still cooks the core of the meat for a period of time, plus it
equalizes the juice content while the meat rests.

There can be upto a 7 to 15 degree F increase of interior temp as the meat
rests...depending on resting period and cooking temp.

This applys to any cooking method that doesn't involve the meat sitting in
fluids, such as boiling, poaching, steaming and braising.


So now your beef roast is in the oven with a thermometer probe in it
telling you that the inside temp is say 135F, and you like a med-rare slice
of beef. Well take it out, and let the meat rest...in under 10-15 minutes
resting, the meat will have reached roundabout 140-145F making it in
the med-rare range.

With practice you will be able to get to the exact degree required for your
absolutely perfect degree of doneness.

Oh! resting usually involves putting a foil tent loosely over the meat.

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote in message
...
> jw 1111 wrote on 11 Sep 2005 in rec.food.cooking
>
> > So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you
> > it has reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then
> > really cooked? I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it
> > that can affect humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking.
> > Is there some 'time limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at
> > this minimum temperature or is reaching this minimum temperature just
> > enough? thanks
> >
> >
>
> While others told you about parasites...I'll tell you about resting times.
> Meat cooking has a different outside temp to a core temp. If you let your
> roast (whatever) sit the interior (core temp) temp will rise and the
> exterior temp will drop, till they equalize before it starts to cools. In
> other words it is still cooking while it rests. Resting also allows the
> meat juices to be redistributed thru the meat (another good thing).
>
> Think about it...in an oven the temp set at 350-450F... of course the
> outside temp is higher than the inside, plus there is the loss of some
> juices due to evapouration and wickage... etc. So the higher outside temp
> of the meat still cooks the core of the meat for a period of time, plus it
> equalizes the juice content while the meat rests.
>
> There can be upto a 7 to 15 degree F increase of interior temp as the meat
> rests...depending on resting period and cooking temp.
>
> This applys to any cooking method that doesn't involve the meat sitting in
> fluids, such as boiling, poaching, steaming and braising.
>
>
> So now your beef roast is in the oven with a thermometer probe in it
> telling you that the inside temp is say 135F, and you like a med-rare
slice
> of beef. Well take it out, and let the meat rest...in under 10-15 minutes
> resting, the meat will have reached roundabout 140-145F making it in
> the med-rare range.
>
> With practice you will be able to get to the exact degree required for
your
> absolutely perfect degree of doneness.
>
> Oh! resting usually involves putting a foil tent loosely over the meat.
>

You are correct again, Sir, and I feel remiss in the fact that I didn't
point out resting times earlier. Thank you for doing so.

kili

kilikini wrote on 11 Sep 2005 in rec.food.cooking

> You are correct again, Sir, and I feel remiss in the fact that I didn't
> point out resting times earlier. Thank you for doing so.
>
> kili
>

A woman telling a man he's right?... You're scarring me!

--
The eyes are the mirrors....
But the ears...Ah the ears.
The ears keep the hat up.

"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote in message
...
> kilikini wrote on 11 Sep 2005 in rec.food.cooking
>
> > You are correct again, Sir, and I feel remiss in the fact that I didn't
> > point out resting times earlier. Thank you for doing so.
> >
> > kili
> >
>
> A woman telling a man he's right?... You're scarring me!
>
> --

Yeah, my hubby's scarred too. LOL. Scared even.

kili

"jw 1111" > wrote in message

> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it
> has reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
> cooked?

No, it will be overcooked. Loins, tenderloins and chops are done at 140.

> I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can affect
> humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there some 'time
> limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum temperature
> or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks

Extremely rare these days. Pork is no longer farmed but made in factories
under controlled conditions. FWIW, freezing at zero or below will also kill
the trichinae if it as to be found.

The probe thermometers are nice and I use a couple of them. In most cases,
they tell you to overcook the meat though.

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 03:06:03 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>
>"jw 1111" > wrote in message
>
>> So for instance if you are cooking pork and the thermometer tells you it
>> has reached this minimum temperature would that mean that its then really
>> cooked?
>
>No, it will be overcooked. Loins, tenderloins and chops are done at 140.
>
>> I understand that pork can have certain parasites in it that can affect
>> humans and they need to be killed by complete cooking. Is there some 'time
>> limit' then on how long pork need to be cooked at this minimum temperature
>> or is reaching this minimum temperature just enough? thanks
>
>Extremely rare these days. Pork is no longer farmed but made in factories
>under controlled conditions. FWIW, freezing at zero or below will also kill
>the trichinae if it as to be found.
>
>The probe thermometers are nice and I use a couple of them. In most cases,
>they tell you to overcook the meat though.
>
so you can't select the temperature that you want it to alarm at? you
just select.."beef" "pork" "chicken" "Lamb" ?

"Chuck" > wrote in message
> so you can't select the temperature that you want it to alarm at? you
> just select.."beef" "pork" "chicken" "Lamb" ?

Depends on the model. Most tell you the actual temperature, but some have
the "feature" of just selecting a meat and how you want it done in the case
of beef and lamb and it sets the alarm accordingly. .

On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 23:48:47 GMT, "kilikini"
> wrote:

>> A woman telling a man he's right?... You're scarring me!
>>
>> --
>
>Yeah, my hubby's scarred too. LOL. Scared even

Long as neither of 'em has petechiae.
--
-denny-

"I don't like it when a whole state starts
acting like a marital aid."
"John R. Campbell" in a Usenet post.