Did you know that inadequate cooking was found to be the cause of more than a quarter of all food poisoning outbreaks between 1980 and 1995?

Food must be cooked to a high enough temperature to destroy most bacteria and you cannot always rely on your senses e.g. the colour of cooked food. When cooking food you must use reliable methods to determine that food has reached a sufficient temperature to kill bacteria. Measuring the internal temperature of foods is the best method of ensuring that food has reached sufficient temperatures.

For safe cooking of food you must ensure:

• Cooking equipment is preheated prior to use
• Cooking equipment is not overloaded
• Cook or heat foot to above 60˚C (best practice 75˚C)
  • Use a probe thermometer to test the internal temperatures
• Products are fully thawed before cooking unless food is intended to be cooked from frozen
• All equipment and utensils are cleaned and sanitised prior to use

 If you have any specific questions relating to cooking foods or any other food safety queries contact the Food Foundations team on 07 3257 4393 or foodfoundations@naqld.org