One of My Favorite Kitchen Items: A Thermometer

What could be greener than making sure that whatever food you prepare is tasty? Tasty food is sure to be eaten, not thrown away as leftovers days later.

I can't really remember where the idea came from - maybe a cooking show. The basic message was this: you can take the guesswork out of preparing any meat or poultry by using a thermometer to cook it only until it is safe to eat. Cooking it beyond this point might only serve to dry it out and ensure that you have leftovers.

Here are the USDA's Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures:

Steaks and Roasts - 145 degrees F
Fish - 145 degrees F
Ground Beef - 160 degrees F (1 of every 4 hamburgers is brown before it is safe to eat!)
Egg Dishes - 160 degrees F
Chicken Breasts - 165 degrees F
Whole Poultry - 165 degrees F

I went to the grocery store and bought a very cheap stainless steel meat thermometer and immediately tried it out on some boneless chicken breasts. I was astonished at the results and the ease with which I achieved them.

After a few weeks of perfectly cooked pork chops, chicken, pot roast, steak, etc, my husband announced that he thinks I am a very good cook. A few dollars really well spent!

When you buy your own, note that many of them indicate right on the thermometer what "rare", "medium", "well done" temperatures are for various proteins. Keep in mind that these temps - particularly "rare" temps, aren't always high enough to kill the bad stuff. So follow the USDA's guidelines instead.