Temperature Guide

Even for seasoned cooks who depend regularly and almost instinctively on the senses of sight, smell, sound, and feel to gauge degree of doneness in foods, a temperature measurement can be an important evaluation tool. Sometimes the cook is fooled by a lovely brown crust that hides a doughy interior or a custard that seems too thin, yet is sending forth contradictory signals of overcooking. In these and dozens of other instances, using a thermometer makes perfect sense.

Every kitchen should have two thermometers. The first is an instant-read thermometer with a thin probe that registers accurately within 10 seconds of insertion. It usually reads between 40º and 260º Fahrenheit, which is useful for many things, from measuring the temperature of water intended for dissolving yeast to the temperature of a pot roast. The second is the deep fry/candy thermometer. The temperature reads from 200º to 400º Fahrenheit and is perfect for testing hot oil and sugar syrups.

Armed with these two tools, the following guide to temperature should get you cooking to the right degree. 

NOTE   Should you ever need to convert Fahrenheit degrees into Celsius/Centigrade degrees, subtract 32, multiply by 5, and divide by 9. To convert Celsius/Centigrade degrees to Fahrenheit degrees, multiply by 9, divide by 5, and add 32. Oh heck, just go to this online calculator.  

NOTE   All degrees indicated are in Fahrenheit.

General

5º-10º          Cream gains this much heat when whipped with unchilled beater and bowl

5º-15º          A roast will increase by this many degrees as it sits after being taken from the oven

20º              The minimum temperature at which frozen foods should be stored

29º              Egg freezing point

30º              Best egg storage temperature

32º-40º        Normal refrigerator temperature

36º              Eggs straight from the refrigerator

40º-140º     Danger zone for bacterial growth

50º              Minimum temperature for keeping crabs and lobster alive

60º-125º      Bacterial growth danger zone

60º-100º      The flavors of salt, sweet, and bitter are best perceived

80º-95º        Yeast is liveliest in this temperature range

140º            Yeast dies at this temperature

145º-161º     Temperatures for pasteurizing milk

149º             Egg whites coagulate

156º             Egg yolks coagulate

160º-170º     Ideal temperature for hollandaise when making

175º             Alcohol boiling point

180º             Water temperature for melting gelatin

180º             Ideal temperature for cooked custards; go no higher

180º             Maximum temperature for milk or half & half enriched soups without flour

185º             Bread is done

185º-205º     Best coffee brewing temperature

Meat Temperatures

135º             Rare beef

140º             Desired temperature for ready-to-eat ham

145º             Medium-rare beef

145º-150º    Medium-rare lamb

180º-185º     Preferred by some cooks as desired temperature for cooked pork

150º              Minimum degree for pork, allowing a 13º safety margin for killing trichinae

160º              USDA-approved temperature for  medium pork (not considered safe below 160º)

160º              USDA-approved temperature for  ground beef (not considered safe below 160º)

160º-165º      Well-done lamb

165º-170º      Safely cooked pork; my temperature preference

165º              USDA-approved minimum safe temperature for cooked poultry.

175º-180º      Cooked chicken; French temperature preference

190º               Cooked chicken; American temperature preference

Fish Temperatures

110º-120º      Cooked saltwater fish

120º             Cooked freshwater fish (to kill parasites)

180º             Water temperature for poaching fish

375º             Temperature for pan frying fish

450º             Best temperature for broiling fish

Oven Temperatures

200º-250º      Very slow, very cool, or warm 

250º-300º      Slow or cool

300º-350º      Very moderate

350º-375º      Moderate

375º-400º      Moderately hot to hot

425º-450º      Hot to very hot

450º-500º      Very hot

550º             Most broiler temperatures

1000º           Self-cleaning oven temperature when cleaning

Stove-Top Temperatures

195º             Low simmer

210º             High simmer

212º             Boiling water at sea level; light or vigorous boil

213º-214º      Boiling temperature of salted or sugared water; 1 teaspoon per quart

250º             Maximum pressure cooker temperature

250º             Butter smoke point

300º             For seasoning lightly oil-coated pans in the oven

325º             Water drops dance on skillet surface

325º             Black pepper burning point

350º             Clarified butter smoke point

Sugar Syrup Temperatures

230º-234º      Thread

234º-238º      Soft ball

238º-244º      Medium ball

244º-248º      Firm ball

248º-254º      Hard ball

254º-265º      Very hard ball

265º-285º      Light crack

290º-300º      Hard crack

340º             Caramel

Smoke Points

375º             Olive oil

375º             Vegetable shortening

420º             Sesame oil

440º             Peanut oil

475º             Corn oil

495º             Soybean oil

510º             Safflower oil

600º             Flash point of most oils

700º             Fire point of most oils

550º             Most broiler temperatures

Resources

USDA Safe Food Chart

USDA Fact Sheet: How Temperatures Affect Food

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