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> These are not regulated products, unless you are using them for commerce So in other words a major category of medical devices, which are needed to prevent y

> These are not regulated products, unless you are using them for commerce So in other words a major category of medical devices, which are needed to prevent you from dying from eating undercooked poultry or whatever, aren't even regulated, then that seems to support what I was saying.

snowwrestler 9y ago
You absolutely do not need a food thermometer to safely cook food. Time and heat level is sufficient and is how most people (including restaurants, which are regulated) do it.
- Alex3917 9y ago
  Sure, but if you're relying solely on a food thermometer and it's not giving you accurate results, then it doesn't matter if it's possible to do it some other way. Also it's one thing to not use a food thermometer when making a burger or a piece of salmon, another thing entirely when making a 20lb turkey or whatever.
  - gamblor956 9y ago
    Food thermometers are usually with +/- 2 degrees Farenheit. What sort of food do you cook where a difference of 2 degrees actually matters?
    - Alex3917 9y ago
      > Food thermometers are usually with +/- 2 degrees Farenheit. Sure, if you buy any of the top digital thermometers on Amazon. But if you buy a random analog food thermometer at your local dollar store then it's not necessarily going to be much more accurate than a random number generator.
      - snowwrestler 9y ago
        I bought a food thermometer in a grocery store; it was obviously off by at least 20 degrees. I just set it aside and cooked as I normally do... I survived the experience. For purposes of this discussion: a food thermometer doesn't work directly on the human body and it is not a medical device regulated by the FDA. (If you are using a food thermometer on a human body, that's still probably not the FDA's jurisdiction--more like local police or the FBI.)
        Alex3917 9y ago
        According to Wikipedia, something is a medical device if (among other things) it's used for the prevention of disease, which is a completely reasonable definition. Just because the government isn't doing its job doesn't mean I'm wrong, especially since my point was about the government not doing its job in the first place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_device I had basically the same same experience as you in terms of buying something at the supermarket that was very obviously not giving accurate results, and also just returned it and bought another one that actually works. But if someone were to not notice, the results could be potentially catastrophic, especially if the person was pregnant or had a compromised immune system.
gamblor956 9y ago
Food thermometers aren't medical devices, and are not regulated as such. Generally, with food it doesn't usually matter if you're off by +/- 5 degrees, and most people with even basic cooking skills can cook a bird properly without any temperature measurements. In those situations where it does, you can pay for a more accurate thermometer. Medical thermometers are required to meet a much higher degree of accuracy because differences of even a single degree can have serious implications, and are correspondingly more expensive. As they're intended to be used in the body and not in food, they're also more fragile than their culinary counterparts.

snowwrestler 9y ago

You absolutely do not need a food thermometer to safely cook food. Time and heat level is sufficient and is how most people (including restaurants, which are regulated) do it.

Alex3917 9y ago
Sure, but if you're relying solely on a food thermometer and it's not giving you accurate results, then it doesn't matter if it's possible to do it some other way. Also it's one thing to not use a food thermometer when making a burger or a piece of salmon, another thing entirely when making a 20lb turkey or whatever.
- gamblor956 9y ago
  Food thermometers are usually with +/- 2 degrees Farenheit. What sort of food do you cook where a difference of 2 degrees actually matters?
  - Alex3917 9y ago
    > Food thermometers are usually with +/- 2 degrees Farenheit. Sure, if you buy any of the top digital thermometers on Amazon. But if you buy a random analog food thermometer at your local dollar store then it's not necessarily going to be much more accurate than a random number generator.
    - snowwrestler 9y ago
      I bought a food thermometer in a grocery store; it was obviously off by at least 20 degrees. I just set it aside and cooked as I normally do... I survived the experience. For purposes of this discussion: a food thermometer doesn't work directly on the human body and it is not a medical device regulated by the FDA. (If you are using a food thermometer on a human body, that's still probably not the FDA's jurisdiction--more like local police or the FBI.)
      - Alex3917 9y ago
        According to Wikipedia, something is a medical device if (among other things) it's used for the prevention of disease, which is a completely reasonable definition. Just because the government isn't doing its job doesn't mean I'm wrong, especially since my point was about the government not doing its job in the first place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_device https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_device I had basically the same same experience as you in terms of buying something at the supermarket that was very obviously not giving accurate results, and also just returned it and bought another one that actually works. But if someone were to not notice, the results could be potentially catastrophic, especially if the person was pregnant or had a compromised immune system.

gamblor956 9y ago

Food thermometers aren't medical devices, and are not regulated as such. Generally, with food it doesn't usually matter if you're off by +/- 5 degrees, and most people with even basic cooking skills can cook a bird properly without any temperature measurements. In those situations where it does, you can pay for a more accurate thermometer. Medical thermometers are required to meet a much higher degree of accuracy because differences of even a single degree can have serious implications, and are correspondingly more expensive. As they're intended to be used in the body and not in food, they're also more fragile than their culinary counterparts.