London Officials Crack Down on Rare Burgers

Chefs in London are criticizing the Westminster council for what’s being called a “crackdown” on rare and medium-rare burgers, the Evening Standard reports.  The reaction comes after food safety inspectors ordered Davy’s Wine Bar in St. James’s to stop serving its burger undercooked — an order the eatery is challenging in court.  While the council said it has not placed an outright ban on rare burgers, restaurant managers say they have been advised to cook only medium and well-done burgers. Some have stopped serving rare burgers altogether to avoid a similar situation to Davy’s.  The law firm representing Davy’s has stated that the bar’s burgers are produced with “high-quality ingredients” and that the restaurant “has safe measures in place to serve rare or medium-rare burgers to customers who request them.”  The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). E. coli and other fecal contaminants on the surface of a meat cut will be transferred to the center of a burger when ground, and they can survive inside burgers cooked to lower temperatures.