USDA-based · How this page was made · Last reviewed August 31, 2026 · Sources ↓
Color is not doneness. Use a thermometer.
Use a food thermometer. Whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal: 145°F, then rest 3 minutes. Fish with fins: 145°F (or opaque and flakes). Ground beef, pork, lamb, veal: 160°F. Eggs: 160°F. All poultry, ground or whole: 165°F. Leftovers and casseroles: 165°F. Fully cooked ham from a USDA-inspected plant: reheat to 140°F; all other cooked ham: 165°F. Color and texture are not proof, except seafood’s visual cue on the CDC page.
This is a cook table, not a storage-duration table. The only reliable check for most foods is a thermometer.
Why a thermometer
CDC (Four Steps to Food Safety): the only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer. You cannot tell by color and texture — except for seafood, where CDC allows the opaque-and-flakes visual cue alongside temperature.
Minimum internal temperatures (FSIS + CDC)
- Beef, pork, lamb, veal — steaks, chops, roasts: 145°F, then rest at least 3 minutes.
- Fish with fins: 145°F, or cook until flesh is opaque and flakes easily.
- Ground beef, pork, lamb, veal: 160°F.
- Eggs: 160°F.
- All poultry (ground or whole, including stuffing): 165°F.
- Leftovers and casseroles: 165°F.
- Ham: fresh or smoked (uncooked) 145°F with 3-minute rest; fully cooked ham from a USDA-inspected plant reheated to 140°F; all other cooked ham reheated to 165°F.
FSIS steps-keep-food-safe cooking table also lists fish & shellfish, any type: 145°F. More detailed shellfish-specific cues on the FoodSafety.gov safe-minimum cooking chart are UNKNOWN here — that chart returned HTTP 403 and was not copied. See the FoodSafety.gov cooking chart directly if you need shellfish detail beyond FSIS’s any-type line.
Reheating leftovers
Leftovers still need 165°F — sauces, soups, and gravies to a rolling boil. Details: leftovers reheat rule.
Sources
- CDC: Four Steps to Food Safety — CDC, 2026
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety — USDA FSIS, 2026
- USDA FSIS: Keep Food Safe! Food Safety Basics — USDA FSIS, 2024