When the Internet saw our formula forcheeseburger onion ring bites   on Facebook , it let out a corporate gasp because the inwardness was the color of Steve Buscemi inReservoir Dogs , which is to say , pink and a lilliputian blinking . We were n’t worried about contaminant because we used high - quality beef , but others seemed to remember that rare meat is as life-threatening as a suit - assume jewelry store robber whodoesn’t believe in tipping .

So to clear up any misconceptions about heart and soul safety , we spoke with several food safety expert : Suki Hertz , food scientific discipline prof fromThe Culinary Institute of America ,   Mary Meck Higgins , nutrition PhD and associate professor at Kansas State University , and Jacqueline Aizen , registered dietitianand regularThrillist contributor .

We were surprised to determine that despite rigorous USDA   rule of thumb , eat pink core is n’t a black - and - ashen issue . The proportional peril of contamination depart based on meat type , source , and pure fortune , and we learned that in practice many chefs take the air on the wild side of temperature regulations to attain a juicy , tender small-arm of gist . So do n’t worry   about calling a hospital if your steak bleeds out , but take on to learn when to pass on a rarefied beefburger .

cheeseburger onion ring bites

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Rare steaks are fine, ground beef is questionable

agree to Hertz , the master risk geographical zone on a cut of beef is the exterior layer where the most coarse E. coli stress and other pathogens breed . Searing a whole steak cut will belt down most bad bacteria and sterilise the meat , but Higgins ( and the USDA ) are more doubting because other melody have the electric potential to foul the whole brawniness .

Part of how chefs can get away with process rare steaks or steak tartar is by carefully sourcing their protein . Aizen goes so far as to suggest never consuming mill - farm animals , even when fully manipulate , because the risks of taint are so much high .

This is peculiarly true with ground boeuf .   Hertz cited a stat that a downhearted - tone Warren Earl Burger patty could hold meat from up to 283 cows , which aside from being a weirdly specific number , also makes it hard to confide that no susceptible Earth’s surface - level musculus end up in the mix . So budget burger must always be cooked to a good inner temp of 160 degrees Fahrenheit .

rare steak

Andrew Zimmer/Thrillist

That said , one way eating place can decrease the risk of a pathogen - sate patty is by grinding their own burgers themselves from a single muscle , greatly decrease the chance of cross - taint .

Pink poultry has risks of salmonella, but is a professional gray zone

Here ’s where thing get controversial . In our initial conversation with Hertz , she suggested that just like beef , most dangerous bacterium in chicken know on the outside of the inwardness . Therefore many restaurants cook under the suggest temperature ( 165 degree Fahrenheit ) in fiat to exert a naughty interior .

When we consulted the other nutritionist , both befuddle up red flags , citing a serious risk of salmonella and Campylobacter jejuni , which is slightly less serious but still bloody fecal matter - inducement .

" If you go to the FDA web site for risk judgment , they ’re never going to drop a line this , " sound out Hertz . " But   if I bought my chicken from a prissy local farm , I would n’t be frightened . If I was buying it from a food market store , I would be a small more frightened . "

chicken plate

Ruth Tobias/Thrillist

Her cavalier nature does n’t carry over into the classroom , where she teaches students the fateful - and - white nutrient refuge rules , but years parcel out with the realities of professional cookery have made her less afraid of shades of pinko . However she is quick to point out that salmonella is quick to mutate and that even more unobjectionable strains can turn deadly , a point echo by Higgins who cite a staggering 2,300 different types of the bacteria .

Just like with beef , dangerous bacteria live on the outside of volaille or Republic of Turkey and most preparation method will fake the outside to a dependable temperature . Internally the FDA suggest heating to 165 arcdegree Fahrenheit , but Hertz has noticed many restaurant adjudicate for 160 degrees Fahrenheit   in rescript to maintain moisture levels without compromising refuge . So pinkish chicken wo n’t bolt down anyone , but even the most adventuresome eaters are probably averse to a bloody bird base on grain and appearance alone .

The risk is always there in pork, but less so

Rare porc used to be associated with a high risk of trichinella parasites because factory squealer ate real drivel . Livestock dietary regulations have for the most part lick this problem , so the FDA ’s internal - temperature advisory has drop over clock time from 165 degrees to 145 degrees . Fans of rarified pork chop rejoice , but do n’t go bite into in the buff belly : the E. coli risk are still substantial , so commodity pork barrel should be fix with care .

Rare lamb follows the same rules

Lamb is susceptible to E. coli and Campylobacter germs , but like all the other protein on here , most of the bacterium live in the exterior and will be desexualise with a nice sear . Which is reassure given the rare ( and good ! ) preparation of most rack of lamb , but modest - character lamb meat can still suffer from the same dangers as the rest of the protein on this list .

But fish is another story

harmonise to Hertz , seafood is more vulnerable to parasites than acres - based protein ( halibut is a primary offender ) , but modern supply - Sir Ernst Boris Chain techniques like flash freezing have tailor down significantly on the risk . If a piece of seafood does have parasites , though , cooking thoroughly wo n’t disembarrass the meat of them . This means that rareness does n’t even count .

Same give-up the ghost for toxin released if a fish is improperly catch and processed . No amount of cooking will solve that trouble , so the good way to keep solid food poisoning from seafood is to avoid nebulously sourced fish .

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pork on cutting board

Dan Gentile/Thrillist

racks of lamb

Dan Gentile/Thrillist

salmon fillets

Dan Gentile/Thrillist