If my understanding is correct, the reason I can cook a steak medium-rare and it's still generally safe to consume is that pathogens are pretty much on the surface. Sear the outside and it's all good, even if you're running a bit blue in the middle. Same thing goes for roasts and all things beef. Surface contamination is the reason ground beef doesn't play be the same rules as steaks. It's no longer solid and the surface has been pushed inward.
What makes poultry different? Why can't I treat a chicken breast like a steak? (Not that I am implying I want to have medium rare chicken because... no.) Are the muscle fibers different? Do the pathogens that generally hang around poultry work differently?
Bonus question (and yes, I realize this is the poultry zone): Why does pork operate differently than beef. Is it just the fear of trichinosis which, as a parasite, is definitely more than a surface contaminate or is it also different in some other way?
What makes poultry different? Why can't I treat a chicken breast like a steak? (Not that I am implying I want to have medium rare chicken because... no.) Are the muscle fibers different? Do the pathogens that generally hang around poultry work differently?
Bonus question (and yes, I realize this is the poultry zone): Why does pork operate differently than beef. Is it just the fear of trichinosis which, as a parasite, is definitely more than a surface contaminate or is it also different in some other way?
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