Let me get the disclaimer out of the way up front. I’m a cook and food writer — not a microbiologist. The information presented here is a result of my research into the subject. And I am not making any recommendations. But I’ve found this information helpful in determining what’s safe when it comes to cooking meat.

We’re taught that food should never be held at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s because most bacteria will quite happily reproduce in that range, but reproduce very slowly, if at all, below 40 and above 140. But note, the temperatures at which bacteria is killed varies according to the microbe.

Read more…