Updated
This guide collects the basics every home cook needs: the safe internal temperature for each kind of meat and seafood, how to use a thermometer, and the main cooking methods for fish and shellfish, steak, chicken and pork. Keep it handy alongside any recipe on the site.
For how long things take, see cooking times by thickness with its quick calculator. We also have a steak doneness chart, a beef cuts chart and a lean and oily fish chart.
These are the USDA safe minimum internal temperatures. Measure with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the food.
| Food | Safe minimum temperature |
|---|---|
| Beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts | 145°F, then rest 3 minutes |
| Ground beef, pork, veal and lamb | 160°F |
| Chicken and turkey: whole, parts and ground | 165°F |
| Fish with fins | 145°F, or flesh is opaque and flakes with a fork |
| Shrimp, lobster, crab and scallops | Flesh is pearly and opaque |
| Clams, oysters and mussels | Shells open during cooking |
| Casseroles and leftovers | 165°F |
An instant-read thermometer is the single most useful tool for cooking meat well. Insert it into the thickest part, away from bone and fat. For thin steaks, chops and fillets, slide it in sideways from the edge so the tip sits in the center.
There is nothing hard about cooking fish once you know a couple of rules. Plan on about 10 minutes of cooking per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest point, and adjust for frozen or stuffed fish. Fish is done when it is opaque all the way through and flakes easily with a fork. Fold the thin ends of fillets underneath so the whole piece is an even thickness and cooks at the same rate.
Pat the steak dry, season it well, and cook it over high heat to build a brown crust, turning once. Check the temperature with a thermometer and take it off about 5°F before your target, then rest it for 5 minutes and slice across the grain. Our steak guide has a full doneness chart and a tour of the popular cuts.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook most evenly when pounded to a uniform thickness. Grill them over medium-high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes per side, pan-sear them in a little oil for about 5 to 7 minutes per side, or bake them at 400°F for roughly 20 to 25 minutes, depending on size. In every case, cook until the thickest part reaches 165°F and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Today's pork is lean, so it is easy to overcook. Boneless chops about 1 inch thick need roughly 4 to 6 minutes per side on a grill or in a skillet. A whole tenderloin roasts in about 20 to 25 minutes at 425°F, and a boneless loin roast takes about 25 minutes per pound at 350°F. Take chops, tenderloin and roasts off the heat at 145°F and rest them 3 minutes. Ribs are the exception: they are safe at 145°F but need long, gentle cooking until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone.
For refrigerator times, cooked leftovers and thawing, see our full storage and freezing guide.
Keep your freezer at 0°F (-18°C) or colder and meat stays safe to eat for as long as it stays frozen. At that temperature bacteria can't grow. The catch is that it has to stay frozen the whole time, from the store or delivery box to your freezer, without thawing along the way.
What changes over time is quality, not safety. Meat slowly dries out and loses flavor, and air is the main culprit, which is why the packaging matters so much.
These times are for vacuum-sealed, flash-frozen meat, the way most mail-order meat and seafood arrives. Meat in regular store wrap is best used sooner; rewrapping it airtight helps.
| Meat | Best quality within (regular freezer wrap) |
|---|---|
| Beef steaks and roasts | 4 to 12 months |
| Ground beef | 3 to 4 months |
| Chicken, whole | 1 year |
| Chicken pieces | 9 months |
| Pork chops and roasts | 4 to 12 months |
| Lean fish | 6 to 8 months |
| Fatty fish such as salmon | 2 to 3 months |
| Shrimp and shellfish | 3 to 6 months |
For meat frozen at home in its supermarket tray and plastic wrap, the USDA recommends these shorter times. If you plan to keep a store package frozen for more than two months, wrap it again in heavy-duty foil, freezer paper or a freezer bag with the air pressed out.
| Meat | Best quality within (regular freezer wrap) |
|---|---|
| Beef, pork and lamb steaks and roasts | 4 to 12 months |
| Pork chops | 4 to 6 months |
| Ground beef and other ground meat | 3 to 4 months |
| Whole chicken or turkey | 12 months |
| Chicken or turkey pieces | 9 months |
| Lean fish, such as cod, flounder and haddock | 6 to 8 months |
| Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna | 2 to 3 months |
| Shrimp, scallops, crab and lobster | 3 to 6 months |
Past these times, meat is still safe to cook. It just may not taste as good.
Bottom line: these are best-by guidelines for quality, not expiration dates.
Store-wrap times follow guidance from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Steaks, chops and chicken breasts benefit from a rest of 3 to 5 minutes after cooking, and roasts from 10 to 15 minutes. The juices settle back into the meat instead of running onto the cutting board, and the temperature evens out from edge to center.
Old-fashioned wisdom: Great-Grandma Nellie's kitchen hints, from keeping cakes from falling to softening brown sugar.
Classics with a story: famous hotel and restaurant recipes, from Boston's Parker House to Antoine's in New Orleans.