Assessing Recommendations Found in Recipes for Determining Doneness of Poultry: How Prevalent is Internal Temperature?

Introduction: Research has shown that many consumers do not follow recommended food safety practices for cooking poultry dishes, which can lead to foodborne illnesses such as Salmonellosis. For poultry, the USDA recommends cooking until the center of the thickest part of the meat reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. In previous studies, consumers reported obtaining recipes from the internet, cookbooks, and family members.

Purpose:  The purpose of this study was to assess instructions provided for determining doneness in recipes used for cooking poultry.

Methods: Using a structured instrument, 257 recipes for whole birds, parts, and ground patties cooked by various methods, including baked, fried, broiled, grilled, sautéed and slow cooked, were analyzed to assess recommended methods for determining doneness. A variety of resources, including cookbooks, websites, and magazines were included. All recipes had to begin with uncooked poultry.

Results:  A specified end-point cooking temperature was given in only 23% of recipes. When a temperature was given, it was often incorrect; additionally, few instructions were given on where and how to insert the thermometer. Other indicators of doneness in the recipes included: internal color, including “no longer pink”, external color, juices running clear, tenderness, crispiness of crust, minutes cooked, and the phrase “cooked through”.

Significance: Consumers are not receiving information on using endpoint temperatures to determine the safety of cooked poultry from the recipes they follow. Some of the methods recommended such as color have been proven to be unreliable in recent studies. Recipes need to include appropriate end-point temperatures, which is the only safe means of ensuring safety. Further work is needed to determine the definition of cooked through.