A meat thermometer or cooking thermometer is a thermometer used to measure the internal temperature of meat, especially roasts and steaks, and other cooked foods. The degree of "doneness" of meat or bread correlates closely with the internal temperature, so that a thermometer reading indicates when it is cooked as desired. When cooking, food should always be cooked so that the interior reaches a temperature sufficient, that in the case of meat is enough to kill pathogens that may cause foodborne illness or, in the case of bread, that is done baking; the thermometer helps to ensure this. Characteristics A meat thermometer is a unit which will measure core temperature of meats while cooking. It will have a metal probe with a sharp point which is pushed into the meat, and a dial or digital display. Some show the temperature only; others also have markings to indicate when different kinds of meat are done to a specified degree (e.g., "beef medium rare"). Meat thermometers are usually designed to have the probe in the meat during cooking. Some use a bimetallic strip which rotates a needle which shows the temperature on a dial; the whole thermometer can be left inside the oven during cooking. Another variety commonly used on turkey is the pop-up timer, which uses a spring held in by a soft material that "pops up" when the meat reaches a set temperature. Bimetal coil thermometers and pop-up devices are the least reliable types of meat thermometers and should not be trusted as a standalone meat thermometer. Other types use an electronic sensor in the probe, connected by a flexible heat-resistant cable to a display. The probe is inserted in the meat, and the cable comes out of the oven (oven seals are flexible enough to allow this without damage) and is connected to the display. These types can be set to sound an alarm when the specified temperature is reached. Wireless types, where the display does not have to be close to the oven, are also available. Models Meat thermometers have many different models, such as single probe and multiprobe. Single probe models are usually the cheapest, but they can only monitor one section of the meat, which requires the probe inserted into different places to monitor the whole piece of meat. Multiprobe models are more expensive, and usually can connect 2-8 probes. More probes means the temperature of