How do we know if our food is cooked?

Why is it important to cook our food thoroughly? To ensure a good quality dish. To ensure flavours and textures are correct. To prevent any food poisoning from undercooked foods. To keep a good reputation.

Temperature control.

How can we check temperature? Use a temperature probe to ensure meat dishes reach a core temperature of 75 degrees Celsius or above!! Remember: The core temperature means the middle of the food - not just the temperature at the top of the dish.

Visual appearance We can sometimes use our eyes to judge whether we think a product is cooked or not. We can look at appearance, colour and change in texture. For example, we can see that cheese has melted on cheese on toast.

Cakes – skewer test Stabbing the centre of a cake with a skewer can tell us whether a cake is cooked. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is cooked. If the skewer comes out dirty, the cake is not cooked.

Cakes – Finger test Pressing down on a cake can also be an indication of whether it is cooked or not. If the sponge springs back up, the cake is cooked. If the sponge sinks in – it needs longer!

Bread Tapping the underneath of the bread should create a hollow sound if it has been cooked for long enough. If you don’t hear the sound, it made need a little longer.