The third most common type of food borne illnesses in the United States is inadequate cooking. Food must be cooked properly to ensure proper destruction of harmful microorganisms. Cooking temperatures are divided into three temperatures: 145, 155, and 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Whole muscle and intact: beef, pork, veal, lamb, as well as eggs and fish must be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees. All ground beef, pork, veal, and lamb, as well as injected meats must be cooked to 155 degrees. All poultry, stuffed meats, and stuffing containing meats must be at 165. When reheating foods, you must remember that reheating is different than cooking, and all of these foods must be heated to 165 degrees or more. Using a thermometer is the only way to make sure that the temperatures is right.

The fourth most common risk fracture for food borne illnesses is cross contamination through contaminated equipment. This is the transfer of disease causing organisms from a raw food to a ready to eat food. Some tips to prevent this: always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes, and utensils with hot and soapy water. Many people believe that all they need to do is wipe a sanitary cloth over the surface. This is not a proper way to clean, as they do a poor job of removing debris and such, you need to wash the surface before you sanitize. One important type is to use separate cutting boards for the raw and coked meat. Never place cooked meat on the same plate that held the raw food. Make sure that all raw foods in the refrigerator are wrapped to prevent leaking of juices. Store raw meats in the refrigerator according to their coking temperature : ready to eat foods should be stored above all raw meat, everything that requires a temperature of 145 degrees should be stored above those that require 155 and those that require 155 should be placed above 165. finally, sauce used for marinating should be discarded unless it is boiled before applying to the cooked meat.