It's A Huge Mistake To Order Restaurant Burgers Medium-Rare - Chowhound

Many people think the doneness of a burger is determined by the color. However, it's best for restaurants to use internal temperature to determine this. According to Webstaurant Store: Rare burgers are cooked to 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, medium-rare burgers are cooked to 130 to 135 degrees, medium burgers are cooked to 140 to 145 degrees, medium-well burgers are cooked to 150 to 155 degrees, and well-done burgers are cooked over 160 degrees. The FDA food code recommends that restaurants cook ground beef to 155 degrees for 15 seconds. Anything cooked to a lower temperature (i.e. rare, medium-rare, and even medium burgers) could potentially be unsafe.

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This risk is compounded by the fact that many restaurant kitchens don't always follow the best food safety practices. According to a CDC study in 2013 that monitored the food handling in 385 restaurants, 53% of restaurants had at least two risky ground beef handling practices. Some of the unsafe practices observed in the study included not using internal temperature to measure doneness, cross-contamination, and not requiring employees to notify managers when gastrointestinal illness symptoms are reported. The study found risky practices in all types of restaurants, but they were observed more frequently in independently-owned restaurants than in chain restaurants. When meat isn't cooked to a high enough temperature and cross-contamination occurs, you're more likely to contract foodborne illness.

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