Safe food is not just a temperature. It is a temperature held for a length of time, and that is the whole idea behind SafeCook. You have seen the chart: 165°F for chicken, 145°F for steak. Those are the instant-kill numbers, set for worst-case handli

Safe food is not just a temperature. It is a temperature held for a length of time, and that is the whole idea behind SafeCook.<hr><h2 id="why-the-numbers-you-know-are-overkill">Why the numbers you know are overkill</h2>You have seen the chart: 165&#xB0;F for chicken, 145&#xB0;F for steak. Those are the instant-kill numbers, set for worst-case handling and the least careful cook. They work, but they cost you the food.Chicken breast at 165&#xB0;F is dry and needs gravy. Chicken breast brought to 150&#xB0;F and held briefly is fork-tender, juicy, slightly pink, and every bit as safe.<hr><h2 id="what-safecook-actually-does">What SafeCook actually does</h2>Bacteria do not die at a threshold. They die progressively, and the rate depends on how hot the food is and how long it stays there.<ul class="decimal_type"><li style="font-size: 14px;">Destruction begins above 130&#xB0;F</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Every increment of time at temperature kills about 90% of what remains</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Repeat that enough times and you reach 99.99999%, roughly one survivor in ten million, which is the USDA standard for poultry</li></ul>If it helps, picture every bacterium rolling a d20 each round and needing a 19 or 20 to live.SafeCook adds all of that up continuously, across the whole cook, using every sensor in the thermometer rather than just the core. That is what commercial kitchens call the integrated or cumulative standard, and it is the same one they work to. The thermometer does the arithmetic.<hr><h2 id="the-two-numbers-people-find-confusing">The two numbers people find confusing</h2>Both of these are true, and they describe the same thing from different starting points:<ul><li style="font-size: 14px;">150&#xB0;F for 4.2 minutes kills as much as touching 165&#xB0;F instantly</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">In a real cook, chicken usually clears the standard within about 30 seconds of reaching 150&#xB0;F</li></ul>The second is shorter because most of the killing already happened on the way up, between 130&#xB0;F and 150&#xB0;F. SafeCook counts that climb; a plain temperature reading throws it away.The same logic applies to steak. Beef can be safe well below 145&#xB0;F, down around a very medium-rare 130&#xB0;F, but only if it is held long enough at that temperature. Safety at 130&#xB0;F is a matter of time, not a line you cross. SafeCook is what tracks the difference.<hr><h2 id="turning-it-on">Turning it on</h2><ol><li style="font-size: 14px;">Wake your thermometer and insert it into the food</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Open the Combustion app</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Where it says Safeguard this cook with SafeCook, tap Add</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Toggle it on. The toggle turns red</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Choose your meat type. The default is Poultry</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Choose the form that matches your prep, for example &quot;intact cut&quot; for a steak</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">The app shows the minimum safe temperature and which standard applies</li><li style="font-size: 14px;">Tap Apply</li></ol>A green SafeCook badge appears when your food has met the standard.<hr><h2 id="what-it-does-not-do">What it does not do</h2>SafeCook tells you when your food is *safe*. It does not tell you when it is *done*. Those are two different things, and you set the doneness target yourself. See&#xA0;<a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fsafecook-common-questions-685968" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SafeCook&#x2122;: Common Questions.</a><hr> <h2 id="still-have-a-question">Still have a question?</h2>If SafeCook is not behaving as described, or you are unsure whether it applies to something you are cooking, email support@combustion.inc and tell us what you are cooking and which food type you selected.<a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fbut-my-chicken-is-still-pink-700198" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">But My Chicken Is Still Pink?</a>&#xA0;covers the most common surprise.&#xA0;<a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fsafecook-food-safety-disclaimer-and-sources-685981" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SafeCook&#x2122;: Food Safety Disclaimer and Sources</a>&#xA0;has the terms and the government standards we follow. [Related keywords: safecook, safe cook, food safety, is my food safe, when is my food safe, how do i know when my food is safe, safe to eat, how does safecook work, how it works, how to use safecook, turn on safecook, enable safecook, safeguard this cook, green badge, safecook badge, cumulative, integrated standard, time and temperature, time at temperature, 130f, 150f, 165f, 145f, 4.2 minutes, 30 seconds, log reduction, log7, 99.99999, one in ten million, salmonella, bacteria, pasteurization, usda, fda, food code, chicken, poultry, steak, beef, medium rare, overcook, dry chicken, meat type, intact cut, minimum safe temperature, all sensors, not just the core]

SafeCook™: How It Works and How to Use It

No. It works on chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, and seafood. We talk about chicken because poultry carries the most bacterial risk and is the easiest thing to ruin by overcooking. Pick your food from the list, and SafeCook applies the right standa

<h2 id="isPasted">Does it only work on chicken?</h2>No. It works on chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, and seafood. We talk about chicken because poultry carries the most bacterial risk and is the easiest thing to ruin by overcooking.Pick your food from the list, and SafeCook applies the right standard for it, based on the pathogen that actually matters for that food. That is usually Salmonella, but not always. Poultry is held to the strictest standard; most other foods are slightly less stringent.<hr><h2 id="what-does-log7-mean">What does &quot;log7&quot; mean?</h2>It is shorthand for the reduction. One &quot;log&quot; is a 90% cut in the bacterial population, so log7 is 0.9999999, or 99.99999% destroyed. Writing it that way saves space. Chicken&apos;s standard is log7.<hr><h2 id="do-i-have-to-cook-to-a-usda-level-of-safety-at-home">Do I have to cook to a USDA level of safety at home?</h2>No. The health department has no say in your kitchen, and these are guidelines meant to inform you rather than restrict you.Plenty of people eat food that does not meet the government criteria: rare steak, sushi. Intact cuts of properly handled meat are safer than most people assume. The reason we built SafeCook is that a lot of cooks overcook out of fear, and we would rather you had the information.Restaurants are different. They can serve you a rare steak on request, but they have to tell you that undercooked food carries a higher risk, which is the small print at the bottom of most menus.<hr><h2 id="i-dont-need-to-cook-my-steak-that-much-right">I don&apos;t need to cook my steak that much, right?</h2>Right, and that is your call. Medium-rare steak will never meet the simplified USDA number.Steak is also among the safest things you can eat: it is a whole muscle cut, and beef is not high risk for salmonella. People eat it raw as tartare. Your steak is fine.<hr><h2 id="what-about-slow-cooking-or-sous-vide">What about slow cooking or sous vide?</h2>Both comfortably exceed the standard, usually long before the food is done.Slow-cooked cuts like brisket and pork shoulder need high temperatures for hours to break down collagen, so they pass the safety threshold early and keep cooking. Sous vide holds a steady temperature for a long time, which is close to ideal for bacterial destruction.Expect the safe notification well before the food is ready to eat.<hr><h2 id="why-do-i-have-to-set-a-target-temperature-separately">Why do I have to set a target temperature separately?</h2>Because safety and doneness are different questions, and only you know the answer to the second one.The target temperature is your idea of perfect. The SafeCook badge says the food has been hot enough for long enough to meet the standard. SafeCook then tells you whether your chosen doneness will also be safe. Usually it will. Sometimes, as with a rare steak, it will not, and you can decide what to do with that.Some people have suggested the standard should set the target instead. That is how you end up with dry chicken.<hr><h2 id="does-it-work-on-a-thermometer-i-already-own">Does it work on a thermometer I already own?</h2>Yes. SafeCook works on every Predictive Thermometer we have made, first generation included. Update your app, then update the thermometer&apos;s firmware.<hr><h2 id="does-it-work-outside-the-us">Does it work outside the US?</h2>The standards SafeCook applies are US ones, from the FDA and USDA. Food safety standards differ a little between countries because the underlying science does not, and the US standards are conservative, so following them gives you a high level of safety anywhere.<hr><h2 id="what-about-high-collagen-cuts">What about high-collagen cuts?</h2>Dark meat chicken, brisket, pork shoulder, and similar cuts need to go hotter and longer than the safety standard requires, because that is what breaks down the collagen and makes them tender. Safety is not the limiting factor with those. Time is.<hr> <h2 id="still-have-a-question">Still have a question?</h2>Email support@combustion.inc and tell us what you are cooking and which food type you selected in the app.<a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fsafecook-how-it-works-and-how-to-use-it-685900" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SafeCook&#x2122;: How It Works and How to Use It</a> covers the standard and the setup. <a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fsafecook-food-safety-disclaimer-and-sources-685981" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SafeCook&#x2122;: Food Safety Disclaimer and Sources</a> has the terms. [Related keywords: safecook questions, safecook faq, does it work on beef, does it work on pork, does it work on fish, only chicken, which foods, food types, log7, log reduction, what does log7 mean, do i have to cook to usda, is it required, at home, restaurant, rare steak, medium rare, steak safety, tartare, sous vide, slow cooking, brisket, pork shoulder, collagen, dark meat, safe before done, target temp, predict temp, doneness, why two temperatures, safecook vs target, backward compatible, works on 1st gen, older thermometer, firmware, outside the us, international, non-us, uk, europe, canada, australia, localisation]

SafeCook™: Common Questions

Cooked to the SafeCook recommendation, white meat often stays a little pink. That is expected, and it is not a sign the chicken is undercooked. It is myoglobin, the protein that moves oxygen around inside muscle. Blood is haemoglobin and is not what

Cooked to the SafeCook recommendation, white meat often stays a little pink. That is expected, and it is not a sign the chicken is undercooked.<hr><h2 id="the-pink-is-not-blood">The pink is not blood</h2>It is myoglobin, the protein that moves oxygen around inside muscle. Blood is haemoglobin and is not what you are looking at.Myoglobin starts losing its colour at around 140&#xB0;F, but it fades gradually rather than all at once. Some pink can survive past 170&#xB0;F, and it tends to be darkest close to the bone and in leg meat.So the colour tells you about the protein, not about safety.<hr><h2 id="what-actually-tells-you-it-is-safe">What actually tells you it is safe</h2>The green SafeCook badge. It appears once your food has been hot enough for long enough to meet the standard, which SafeCook tracks continuously across every sensor in the thermometer.Pink chicken that has earned the badge is safe. White chicken that has not is not.&quot;Pink chicken means danger&quot; was a reasonable rule of thumb back when a colour was the only tool you had. With a thermometer that does the arithmetic, you can retire that rule, and it does take a cook or two to get used to.<hr> <h2 id="still-have-a-question">Still have a question?</h2>If you are unsure about a cook, email support@combustion.inc and tell us what you cooked, what temperature you used, and which food type you selected in the app.<a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fsafecook-how-it-works-and-how-to-use-it-685900" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SafeCook&#x2122;: How It Works and How to Use It </a>explains the standard. [Related keywords: pink chicken, chicken is pink, still pink, why is my chicken pink, is pink chicken safe, pink meat, pink turkey, pink near the bone, dark near the bone, myoglobin, haemoglobin, hemoglobin, blood in chicken, undercooked, is it undercooked, is it safe, safecook badge, green badge, 140f, 170f, leg meat, thigh, colour, color, doneness by colour, rule of thumb]

But My Chicken Is Still Pink?

All home cooking is at your own risk, and no warranty or guarantee of safety is implied. Plenty of people eat food that does not meet government criteria, from rare steak to sushi, and intact cuts of properly handled food are safer than most people a

<h2 id="isPasted">The short version</h2>All home cooking is at your own risk, and no warranty or guarantee of safety is implied.Plenty of people eat food that does not meet government criteria, from rare steak to sushi, and intact cuts of properly handled food are safer than most people assume. Use your own judgment.<hr><h2 id="full-terms">Full terms</h2>All home cooking is at your own risk. Combustion has used reasonable effort to ensure that the SafeCook feature is accurate and follows the guidance contained in the 2022 FDA Food Safety Code and USDA FSIS Cooking Guidelines for Meat and Poultry Products Revised Appendix A. However, Combustion LLC does not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy, correctness, and completeness of the information provided by this feature, that it is free of bugs or defects, that it will guarantee food is safe for consumption and will not cause foodborne illness, or that this feature will be suitable for any purposes other than to provide general consumer education about factors that contribute to food safety.<hr><h2 id="the-standards-safecook-follows">The standards SafeCook follows</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/164194/download?attachment" target="_blank" title="2022 FDA Food Code">2022 FDA Food Code</a></li><li><a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2021-12/Appendix-A.pdf" target="_blank" title="USDA FSIS Cooking Guidelines for Meat and Poultry Products Revised Appendix A">USDA FSIS Cooking Guidelines for Meat and Poultry Products Revised Appendix A</a></li></ul>Between them, these run to nearly 800 pages. SafeCook implements the time-and-temperature tables from them so you do not have to read any of it.<hr> <h2 id="still-have-a-question">Still have a question?</h2>Email support@combustion.inc.<a href="https://combustion-inc.myshopify.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%252Fen-US%252Fsafecook-how-it-works-and-how-to-use-it-685900" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SafeCook&#x2122;: How It Works and How to Use It</a>&#xA0;explains how the standard is applied. [Related keywords: safecook disclaimer, disclaimer, legal, legal terms, terms, liability, warranty, no guarantee, at your own risk, food safety standards, standards, sources, references, fda food code, 2022 fda food code, usda, FSIS, appendix a, cooking guidelines, government standards, where do the numbers come from, is it certified, food poisoning, foodborne illness]

SafeCook™: Food Safety Disclaimer and Sources

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