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Eating Rare Meat

Why do we eat rare beef but not rare chicken?

Why do we eat rare beef but not rare chicken?

Whether or not it’s safe to eat rare meat has to do with the bacteria associated with the meat. A temperature of 165 degrees is considered a safety point for killing all harmful bacteria. We don’t eat raw or rare chicken or turkey because it has an unpleasant texture, but also because it can be infected by the bacteria Salmonella, which can live inside the muscle tissue. For beef, the problem isn’t the inside of muscle (which is sterile) but the outside, as Escherichia coli (or E. coli) can reside there. So steaks can safely be cooked rare (burgers are most safely cooked to well-done, as E. coli can be mixed into the meat during grinding).

THE BOTTOM LINE: Poultry is safe to eat when it reaches 165 degrees. You can stop cooking it at 160 degrees, as residual heat will take it the final 5 degrees. (Dark meat is best cooked to 175.)

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