Food Thermometer Educational Materials: "Now You're Cooking...Using a Food Thermometer!"

Use of food thermometers for checking the end-point temperature of small pieces of meat, such as hamburger patties, is recommended by the USDA but is uncommon among consumers. This article discusses a set of educational materials to educate and motivate consumers to routinely use a thermometer for small cuts of meat, with the long-term goal of reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses, particularly Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections.