Core Temp, Internal Temp, and Thermal Center: What’s the Difference?
As you read about food on the Web or in books, you likely come across the terms core temperature, internal temperature, and thermal center. Is there a difference? What is it? Basically, they’re all the same thing.
“Internal temperature” can seem a little vague, after all, many temperatures can be present on the interior of a steak (goose, chicken). It’s more specific to use the phrase “lowest internal temperature.” After all, food is only as cooked as its least-cooked part.
The “thermal center,” is the place where temperature change occurs most slowly—it will have the lowest internal temperature. That center could be seen as the “core” of a piece of food, thus leading people to the term “core temperature.”
But “core temp” can be confusing, as it has a scientific/medical meaning already. There, it means the operating temperature of an organism. So if you search for core temperatures, you may find answers that are less helpful for cooking.
No matter what you see in a recipe—internal temp, core temp, or thermal center temperature—they all mean the same thing. Use a fast and accurate thermometer like Thermapen® ONE to check it, and you’ll be fine!
