Home › Home & Kitchen › Kitchen & Dining › Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets › Kitchen Thermometers Meat Doneness Temperatures Published: July 8, 2026 · Updated: July 8, 2026
Check the center with an instant-read thermometer, not the clock: poultry is done at 74 °C (165 °F), ground meat at 71 °C (160 °F), and whole cuts of beef, pork, or lamb are safe at 63 °C (145 °F) with a three-minute rest. Pull steaks earlier for medium-rare — about 54-57 °C — because the temperature keeps climbing as they rest.
Recommended Poultry 74 °C, ground meat 71 °C, whole beef/pork/lamb 63 °C + rest — measure the center and count on carryover — Doneness is the internal temperature at the thickest part, so an instant-read thermometer beats time, color, or touch every time. The food-safety floors: whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb to 63 °C (145 °F) with a three-minute rest; all ground meat to 71 °C (160 °F), because grinding spreads surface bacteria throughout; and all poultry to 74 °C (165 °F). Steak and lamb cooked for texture come off earlier — roughly 49-52 °C for rare, 54-57 °C for medium-rare, 60-63 °C for medium — with the understanding that rare beef is a personal-risk choice, not the safety line. Two things trip people up: carryover, where the temperature keeps rising 3-6 °C while the meat rests, so pull it a few degrees early; and probe placement, which must be dead center and away from bone and fat. Rest meat before slicing so the juices redistribute, and wipe the probe between checks.
