Food Safety and Cooking Temperatures

The temperatures on this site are guidance for home cooks. They follow European practice and the advice of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet). They do not replace the advice of health authorities, and you are responsible for how you cook and serve food.

Who should be extra careful

Pregnant women, young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system should avoid undercooked meat, poultry and fish, and should choose the higher end of each range or cook the food through.

Poultry and minced meat: always cook through

Bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter can be found throughout poultry and minced meat, not just on the surface. Mattilsynet advises that poultry, minced meat and products such as burgers and sausages are cooked through. In Mattilsynet's guidance, "cooked through" means a core temperature of at least 75 °C.

Whole cuts of red meat

On an intact steak or roast, bacteria sit mainly on the surface. Searing the surface well is what makes a pink or rare centre a common, accepted practice for beef, lamb and game. This does not apply to meat that has been minced, tenderised with needles or rolled.

Fish and parasites

Wild fish may contain Anisakis larvae. Freezing at −20 °C or colder for at least 24 hours kills them, as does heating the whole piece to at least 60 °C. If you cook wild fish to a lower temperature, freeze it first. Norwegian farmed salmon is generally regarded as low risk.

Measure correctly

• Use a calibrated thermometer. Check it in boiling water (about 100 °C) or ice water (0 °C).
• Measure in the thickest part, away from bone and fat.
• Temperature keeps rising while the meat rests. The values here are the target temperature, not the temperature at which you take the food off the heat.

Handling and storage

• Keep raw meat at 4 °C or colder and frozen food at −18 °C or colder.
• Use separate boards and utensils for raw and cooked food, and wash hands after handling raw meat.
• Cool leftovers quickly and reheat them until piping hot.

Read how the values are chosen and where US (USDA) guidance differs on the methodology page.

Sources

• Mattilsynet: Kitchen hygiene
• Mattilsynet: Food in summer heat
• Mattilsynet: Advice for pregnant women