I thought that heating uncooked food at a temperature above 135 degrees F for a relatively short amount of time and then keeping it cold right after was the only way to prevent food from making you sick, but I don’t understand how people can cook “low and slow” stews or crockpot food that’s been cooking for like 8+ hours and eat them without any problem.
In: 0
It heavily depends on the food, the pre-cook method, and how much risk you are willing to accept. There are simply too many possibilities to name them.
As a general rule, the US government has declared that 135°F will make near all food safe to consume (with certain meats needing to be higher: https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures), based on the most dangerous microorganisms that can live in food.
This doesn’t mean that the dangerous stuff is guaranteed to be in your food every time. It is also not guaranteed that 135°F is enough. With as clean and reliable as our food can be, and with proper storage and prep practices, it is more likely that your food does not have dangerous microorganisms. But, are you willing to risk it?
Latest Answers