At first I thought it had to do with the accurate range of cheap thermostats, but it seems like it's related to safety: https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-

At first I thought it had to do with the accurate range of cheap thermostats, but it seems like it's related to safety: https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-cooking-temperature https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-c... Actual article mentioning a mention of the regulation (which I haven't found): https://www.chowhound.com/post/ovens-170-anymore-283403 https://www.chowhound.com/post/ovens-170-anymore-283403