Is Undercooking Beef Steaks A Food Safety Hazard?
As all raw meat and soil-contaminated vegetables contain pathogens, we have to look at ways of controlling them, to prevent food poisoning.
Pathogens, along with all other good bacteria require food, moisture, warmth and time. It’s a bit like a jigsaw; provide all four pieces to the jigsaw and bacteria will grow. Take away one or more pieces of the jigsaw and bacteria will not grow.
We can control warmth by adequate cooking of food ingredients, which kills pathogens. In the UK it is recommended that the internal core temperature of food reaches 75 degrees Celsius, in the USA they recommend 70 degrees Celsius. The UK has always been accused of overcooking their food, perhaps this is where it originated!
We can cook our food to lower temperatures, however, as pathogens stop growing at approximately 50 degrees Celsius. Pates, for example, can be cooked at 55 degrees Celsius, but it must be held at that temperature for 2.5 hours. Food can be cooked at 63 degrees Celsius, but it must be held at that temperature for 1.5 hours. It is based on a time/temperature graph. The higher the temperature, the less time the food has to be held at that temperature to guarantee food safety. 75 degrees Celsius is an “instant temperature”, in other words, as soon as the temperature of the food reaches a core temperature of 75 degrees Celsius, it is safely cooked. There is no need to retain this temperature for any period of time. If the food is cooked to 70 degrees Celsius, it is recommended that the food is held at that temperature for 2 minutes.
Many delegates on my training courses ask about undercooking steaks, joints, etc. How can you have a filet au bleu at 75 degrees core temperature? The answer is you can’t. The core temperature of the steak has to be a lot lower than 75 degrees Celsius. Bacteria are only found on the outside surfaces of single muscle, raw meat. They do not migrate to the inside of the meat, as do some parasitic pathogens. This being the case, the steak can be seared either side and around the edges at high heat from a griddle or pan. This will kill all surface pathogens. As there are no bacteria in the centre of the meat, it is safe to eat, even if the inside is raw.
Scientifically speaking, food can be cooked at lower temperatures and still be safe. Pasteurisation, for example, can be undertaken at 63 degrees Celsius. This process destroys all pathogens.
Undercooking must only be undertaken on single muscle joints or steaks of beef, lamb or game. If the meat is diced or minced then they must not be undercooked. Mincing or dicing, or rolling of joints, bring the surface bacteria into contact with the inside of the meat. Therefore burgers, sausages and rolled joints must be cooked to 75 degrees Celsius core temperature to ensure food safety.
About the Author: Dave is an authority on Food Safety, Health and Safety and Presentation Skills. He has been training Food Safety, Health and Safety and Professional Trainer courses for the past 20 years.