About & Sources

What this site is

CookingTemps.com is a free cooking temperature reference for home cooks: safe internal temperatures, doneness targets, oven temperatures, oil smoke points, candy stages and more.

Where the numbers come from

• Safe minimum internal temperatures (the "USDA Safe" column): FoodSafety.gov safe minimum internal temperatures chart and the USDA FSIS safe temperature chart.
• Danger zone (40°F–140°F): USDA FSIS.
• Doneness targets (rare, medium-rare, medium, well done) are common culinary targets, not food-safety minimums. Where a doneness target is below the safe minimum, the safe minimum is the government guidance.
• Shellfish: USDA guidance is to cook shrimp, lobster, crab and scallops until the flesh is pearly and opaque, and clams, oysters and mussels until the shells open. The 145°F shown for shrimp and lobster is the fish figure.
• Smoke points, sugar stages, baking and beverage temperatures are typical values from culinary references. Smoke points vary by brand, refinement and freshness.