Chef-Recommended Temperatures (and How SafeCook™ Makes Them Safer)Updated 2 days ago
What temperature you cook to depends not only on the protein you’re cooking, but also on the method, your gear, and—most of all—your personal taste.
While the USDA provides guidelines designed for worst-case scenarios, many experienced cooks (including pro chefs) routinely aim for lower temperatures to preserve flavor and texture.
Chef-Recommended Temperatures
These are the doneness temperatures we use most often in our own kitchens. They’re not universal—just tasty.
Protein | Target Temp | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 150ºF / 65ºC | Moist and safe when SafeCook™ is active |
| Chicken thigh | 175–185ºF / 79–85ºC | Best texture for dark meat |
| Steak (med-rare) | 130ºF / 54ºC | Juicy pink interior |
| Pork loin | 140–145ºF / 60–63ºC | Slightly pink, tender |
| Burgers | 140–145ºF / 60–63ºC | Higher if not freshly ground |
| Salmon | 122–130ºF / 50–54ºC | Delicate, buttery texture |
| Bread (internal temp) | 207ºF / 97ºC | Fully baked |
⚠️ Reminder: Cooking below USDA food safety guidelines is done at your own risk. Every professional chef does.
How SafeCook™ Makes It Safer (Without Overcooking)
Traditional food safety charts often call for 165ºF chicken and 145ºF steaks—but that’s overkill. SafeCook™ from Combustion Inc offers a smarter, science-backed way to ensure safety without sacrificing flavor.
How SafeCook Works:
- Combines time + temperature (just like pros do)
- Calculates cumulative bacterial destruction across the whole cook
- Tracks temps at core and surface in real-time
- Ensures USDA/FDA-compliant levels of safety (e.g. log7 kill rate for poultry)
For example:
With SafeCook, chicken breast cooked to 150ºF for ~30 seconds is just as safe as 165ºF instantly—but way more tender.
Using SafeCook is Easy:
- Insert your Predictive Thermometer
- Open the Combustion App
- Tap “Safeguard this cook with SafeCook”
- Choose your protein and prep style
- Set your target temperature (you can use the table above as guide)
- Let it run—when food is safe, you’ll see a green SafeCook badge
🧠 SafeCook automatically applies the correct pathogen model and safety standard based on the food selected.
Remember: You still have to set your target temp/preferred doneness after choosing the protein in SafeCook.
Why Not Just Use the USDA Chart?
Because:
- It assumes the worst: bad food handling, low skill, no thermometer.
- It’s designed for the least experienced cook in the least clean kitchen.
- It overcooks perfectly good food.
With a Predictive Thermometer and SafeCook, you don’t have to choose between safe and delicious.
Final Notes
- Cooking at home? You’re the boss. The health inspector won’t show up.
- Cooking commercially? We’re building certification features for NIST-traceable compliance soon.
- Live outside the US? SafeCook follows universal microbial kill principles, and we’re working on localized options too.
Stay juicy. Stay safe!