Using a food thermometer when cooking meat, poultry, seafood and egg products can help prevent foodborne illness from undercooking food and verify that it has reached a safe minimum internal temperature.

What is Foodborne Illness?

Foodborne illness happens when food contaminated with dangerous bacteria is consumed. The onset of symptoms often occurs within minutes to weeks, with symptoms that could include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fever. Each year, it’s estimated that foodborne illness results in roughly 48 million people getting sick,128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths within the U.S.

Risk Factors that Cause Foodborne Illness

• Eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs and seafood.

• Drinking unpasteurized milk.

• Eating perishable foods that sat out at temperatures between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F for more than 2 hours.

• Lack of proper handwashing before, during, and after handling food. 

Why Use a Food Thermometer?

Using a food thermometer is the only reliable way to ensure that foods have been cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy any harmful microorganisms that may be in the food. 

Doneness Versus Safety

 “Doneness” refers to when a food is cooked to a desired state and indicates the sensory aspects of foods such as:

• Texture

• Appearance

• Juiciness 

A consumer looking for a visual sign of “doneness” might continue cooking it until it is overcooked and dry or could undercook food and get sick with foodborne illness. Using a food thermometer to check for “doneness” can help ensure food has both reached a safe internal temperature and is not overcooked. 

Most pathogens are destroyed between 140 degrees F and 165 degrees F*. Consumers may cook food to higher internal temperatures to achieve a particular “doneness.”

Color is Not a Reliable Indicator that Food is Safe

Visible and physical indicators, such as color changes and firmness, are often used to determine if foods are cooked. However, the only way to know food has been cooked to a safe internal temperature is to use a food thermometer. 

In a  USDA study, 21% of participants relied on visual cues such as color and grill marks to determine if their hamburger patties were fully cooked. Color and grill marks are not indicators that food is safe to eat and could put you at risk for foodborne illness if dangerous bacteria are still present in your food. For example, some foods like ground beef may turn brown on the outside when cooking before they reach a safe internal temperature that destroys foodborne illness causing bacteria. A hamburger cooked to 160 degrees F, as measured with a food thermometer, regardless of color, is safe.

Using a Food Thermometer

Most food thermometers will give an accurate reading within 2 to 4 degrees F (see Calibration). However, the reading will only be correct if the thermometer is placed in the proper location of the food. If not inserted correctly, or if the food thermometer is placed in the wrong area, the reading will not accurately reflect the internal temperature of the food. 

The food thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat or gristle. For thin foods, the food thermometer should be inserted through the side until it reaches the center of the food.

Always check each piece of food to ensure they have reached the safe internal temperature. Size, quantity and distribution of food when cooking causes the pieces of food to reach a safe internal temperature at different times. When the food being cooked is large or irregularly shaped, such as with a beef roast, check the temperature in several places.