stinky wrote:So fellow cooks, a question for ya. What temp do you personally cook your chicken at? I am of the thought that the current USDA recommendations of 160 - 165 are slightly too high. For years I have been cooking to low 150s and each and every time I feel 100% confident that it is safe to eat (no pink or raw meat texture)
I did notice that the USDA has recently lowered the pork temps, I am wondering if the chicken temps will be lowered (or should be, maybe I am the crazy one)
The USDA guideline temps are, tbh, absurdly high. The revised many of them downwards by a few degrees last year, but they are still insane, imo Yes, you are all but guaranteed to kill any bacteria that might be in the animal..... but you are also virtually guaranteed to cook out all of the natural flavor of that animal's flesh.
For example, the recommended temp to cook all whole cuts of meat - including pork - is 145 F. I am going on record now: If you ever hear me say "I cooked a ribeye last night to 145 F" you all have my permission to come to my house and kill me. If I ever cook a steak beyond 130 F it's probably because a zombie attacked my wife and I had a few moments of inattention whilst cooking. Pork I'll cook to 135 F - 140 F depending on the cut and source of the meat, but I'm squarely in the 118 F - 125 F for beef.
That 'source of the meat' bit is important. I buy meat from markets that source from 'green' purveyors, and who use non-factory methods of slaughter and processing. I also tend to buy larger cuts and break them down myself, which minimizes exposure to possible contaminants and allows me as the cook to be a bit freer with the temperatures to which I cook the products.
count2infinity wrote:i don't really ever go by temperature. I know i should, but I tend to have a good idea of when things are at the temp I want them. So what temp do I cook my chicken to? To when it's done.
If you aren't taking the meat's temperature you will never know "when it's done". Sure, you can get a rough approximation of its doneness doing the poke test, but there can be a variance of as much as 10 degrees using that method. And that 10 degrees can be the difference between awesomely juicy and carbon.
A thermometer costs $7. They're worth the investment...... especially if, like me, you prefer cooking to lower temps.
