What is the purpose of using a thermometer in food safety practices?

Using a thermometer in food safety practices is crucial for ensuring that food reaches proper cooking temperatures. This is essential because cooking food to the recommended temperatures helps to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses. Each type of food, whether poultry, ground meat, seafood, or cooked dishes, has specific safe minimum internal temperatures that need to be achieved to ensure safety. The thermometer provides an accurate measurement, allowing food handlers to confirm that these temperatures have been reached throughout the food, avoiding the risk of undercooking.

While checking for contamination, measuring food texture, and assessing food appearance are important factors in food quality and safety, they do not directly relate to the prevention of foodborne illness in the way that measuring the internal temperature does. Therefore, relying on a thermometer is an essential practice in the safe preparation and handling of food.