safe internal temperature
Pick a food to cook
The 4 rules of food safety
🧼 Clean
Wash hands, boards and tools with hot soapy water — before, during and after.
✂️ Separate
Keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat food. Use different boards.
🔥 Cook
Heat food to its safe internal temperature — check with a thermometer.
❄️ Chill
Refrigerate below 40°F within 2 hours. Cold slows the germs down.
Good habits
🧼
Wash hands 20 sec
Before, during & after cooking — and after raw meat, the bathroom, pets or trash. About two rounds of "Happy Birthday."
⏱️
The 2-hour rule
Toss perishable food left in the 40–140°F danger zone over 2 hours — or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F.
📏
Use the thermometer right
Probe the thickest part, away from bone or fat. Wait for a steady read, then wash the probe before reusing.
🧊
Thaw safely
In the fridge, cold water, or microwave — never on the counter, where the surface enters the danger zone.