Cankles-McJeggings I’m not an expert, but my understanding is that most widely used temperatures for safe consumption are based on FDA recommendations. The US has abysmal standards for animal welfare and husbandry, so the blanket recommendations for poultry, pork etc are a belt and braces approach to ensure folks don’t get sick. There’s also a myth that you have to hit a certain temperature to kill bacteria. It’s actually a sliding scale. At 74C, you’ll kill all bacteria in chicken pretty much instantly. At 63C, you’ll kill them - but you’ll need to make sure you maintain the temp at 63C for a minimum of 10 minutes. At 58C, it’ll take about an hour to kill them.
Most of us are roasting at high temps, so we’ll aim for 74C, and all’s good. Majority of domestic ovens aren’t great for a) accuracy of temp, and b) ease of control. My mate spent £15k on his HOME oven, so he’d have that degree of control and accuracy, and ability to cook at safe, low temps for a long period of time. I usually roast turkey at around 150C, and take it out the oven at 68C. It’ll then keep rising while it’s resting to about 72/73C, which is the temp I prefer. Even if it’s cooked/safe below that temp, I don’t particularly like the texture. If you’re aiming for 74/75C by the way, you should take the turkey out when your meat thermometer hits 69/70.
This is Delia Smith, signing off 👍️
