Meat and poultry food products naturally have microorganisms in them. Human consumption of these foods would allow the transfer of these organisms from the meat to the person and may cause diseases. An appropriately high temperature that would ensure the destruction of these microorganisms in the cooking process is necessary. Also, using a food thermometer is the primary method to determine the “doneness” of a meal especially meat, poultry, and egg products and therefore guarantee the safety and savor of the food.
The following set of instructions enumerates two methods of step-by-step process on how to accurately calibrate and test a thermometer.
For the Ice Point Method, needed materials are:
- a large drinking glass
- thermometer
- needle nose pliers
- finely crushed ice
First, fill the large drinking glass with finely crushed ice. Add clean tap water to the crushed ice in the glass and stir well. Then, remove the digital thermometer from the package. Submerge about two inches of the food thermometer stem into the glass mixture of ice and water, making sure that it does not touch neither the sides nor the bottom of the glass. Wait for at least thirty second before adjusting.
Without removing the thermometer stem from the glass mixture, grip the Hex adjusting nut under the head of the thermometer with the needle nose pliers and turn the head so the pointer reads 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The Ice Point Method allows calibration within 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
For Boiling Point Method, the same steps as the Ice Point Method apply but turning the thermometer head should read 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Boiling Point Method allows calibration up to 1.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
The following guidelines depict the safe serving temperatures for various meat and poultry products:
- Pork - 165 degrees
- Beef - 170 degrees
- Chicken - 180 degrees
- Eggs - 180 degrees
- Whole poultry - 180 degrees
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