It may sound obvious, but a thermometer is simply a tool that provides temperature information of the food you are preparing. YOU have to make the decisions about when to increase or decrease the heat and whether the food is adequately cooked based on this information. Generally, when the thickest part of the food reaches the required temperature the food can be considered cooked. For example, it is recommended by health professionals that chicken must reach the temperature of 74°C to be fully cooked. Some meat (eg veal) can be cooked to different levels of “doneness”, however there is still a minimum temperature of 52°C that the meat must reach in order to ensure all bacteria has been eliminated. Please see the Temperature Chart for more information.