Fully Cooked Meat? page

[BoyPrimal]

There's a ton more variation of meat and cuts in my diet now than I'm accustomed to dealing with! I used to have simple things like chicken breasts and canned fish. I don't know how to deal with all these new meats!

I don't know how to tell if my food is safe to eat because I don't have any subjective knowledge of undercooked vs overcooked on a lot of these meats. :\ Do I need to go buy a meat thermometer? Is there some sort of visual guideline I can consult? I'd love some help here.

Thanks for helping me not die of food poisoning!

[Hedonist]

Yes, it would be good to get a thermometer. And a basic cooking book.

If you haven't died from eating chicken, you are probably fairly safe. Most other meats don't have to be cooked as much. Beef is OK very rare, except ground beef. Pork should be a bit pink. The thermometer you buy will have guides. But they will be on the conservative side. E.g., they will tell you to cook pork until it is shoe leather.

[kuno1chi]

Ask, and ye shall receive: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Infor...atureChart.htm

For fish, I will eat any saltwater fish raw, but always cook freshwater fish all the way through.

[Shrinking_Violet]

Ask, and ye shall receive: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Infor...atureChart.htm

For fish, I will eat any saltwater fish raw, but always cook freshwater fish all the way through.

What about 'half-and-half' fish (like salmon)? I LOVE smoked salmon (and smoked trout) don't you have that in the US? It's raw fish which has simply been smoked. Most of my fish is saltwater, come to think of it.

[kuno1chi]

Salmon I will eat raw. To excess
Trout I will cook, unless I have the good fortune to catch a nice bright steelhead (saltwater trout which return to fresh water to breed). Those I will eat cold-smoked. Also to excess.

[theholla]

What about 'half-and-half' fish (like salmon)? I LOVE smoked salmon (and smoked trout) don't you have that in the US? It's raw fish which has simply been smoked. Most of my fish is saltwater, come to think of it.

Salmon can safely be consumed raw as long as it has been deep frozen first. I love love love raw salmon! The main concern with salmon and other freshwater fish is tapeworms (rather than food poisoning), but deep freezing kills the little buggers.

I think smoked salmon and trout are usually "hot-smoked," which essentially cooks them. Yes, we have them over here too (though they aren't a dietary staple for most folk) - I just had some smoked trout with my breakfast today!