The temperature at the centre or thickest part of a food, which is what must be measured to confirm it is safely hot or cold.
The temperature at the centre or thickest part of a food, which is what must be measured to confirm it is safely hot or cold. Core temperature is the temperature at the centre, or thickest part, of a piece of food. It matters because the outside of a food can reach a safe temperature well before the middle does. When cooking, cooling, reheating or holding food, it is the core temperature that determines whether the food is genuinely safe, since the centre is the slowest part to heat up or cool down and the place where bacteria are most likely to survive. Because of this, temperature control under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code is really about controlling the core temperature of potentially hazardous food. Whether the aim is to reach at least 60 degrees C when reheating, to hold food out of the danger zone, or to cool food to 5 degrees C in time, the reading that counts is the one taken at the core, not at the surface or in the surrounding air. To measure core temperature, staff insert a clean, sanitised probe thermometer into the thickest part of the food and wait for the reading to settle. For thin items or liquids, the probe is placed in the centre of the mass. The probe should not touch the tray, bone or the base of a container, which can give a false reading that does not reflect the food itself. Checking core temperature is central to everyday monitoring in an Australian kitchen, whether confirming that reheated food has reached 60 degrees C, that cooling food has passed 21 degrees C then 5 degrees C in time, or that held food is out of the danger zone. To keep readings accurate the probe needs regular calibration and cleaning between different foods to avoid cross-contamination. A chef reheats a thick beef pie and probes the surface, which reads 65 degrees C. To be sure, they push the probe into the centre of the filling and get 52 degrees C, well below 60 degrees C. Because the core is the true measure, they keep heating the pie until the centre reaches at least 60 degrees C before serving.
Frequently asked questions
What is core temperature?
It is the temperature at the centre or thickest part of a food, which is the slowest part to heat or cool and the key measure of whether the food is safe.
Why measure the centre rather than the surface?
The outside can reach a safe temperature well before the middle. The centre is where bacteria are most likely to survive, so it is what must be checked.
How do I measure core temperature correctly?
Insert a clean, sanitised probe into the thickest part or centre, wait for the reading to settle, and avoid touching bone, the tray or the container base.
Which processes rely on core temperature?
Cooking, reheating to 60 degrees C, cooling through 21 degrees C then 5 degrees C, and hot or cold holding all depend on the core reading, not the surface.
How do I keep core temperature readings accurate?
Use a calibrated probe thermometer, clean and sanitise it between foods, and let the reading stabilise before recording it.
