Patent ID: 8752500

Claim:
An apparatus for indicating doneness of a food object, comprising: a) a longitudinally extending housing adapted for insertion into a food object in which attainment of a particular temperature is to be indicated, the housing including I) an open first end; ii) a closed second end sized and shaped for insertion into the food object; and iii) a longitudinally extending central bore with an orifice and a lower chamber, the orifice joining the central bore with an exterior of the housing first end and the chamber being associated with the housing second end; b) a movable indicator structure cooperating with the housing to indicate attainment of the particular temperature associated with the doneness of the food item, and the indicator structure including I) an elongate stem extending longitudinally within the central bore, the stem having upper and lower portions; and ii) button indicator joined with an upper end of the stem; c) an actuation subassembly adapted for biasing the indicator structure from a closed configuration to an open configuration when the particular temperature is attained, the actuation subassembly including I) a non-metallic biasing member for biasing the stem away from the lower chamber; and ii) a non-metallic high-melt plug adapted to soften when the particular temperature is attained, the high-melt plug being located in the lower chamber and releasably engaging a lower end of the stem when the indicator structure is in the closed configuration; d) the housing first end includes a pair of opposed upwardly extending fingers; e) the stem includes a perpendicular through-bore spaced below the button indicator; and f) the biasing member includes an extensible elastic band extending through the through-bore and engaging each of the fingers.