Contents
- Food thermometer use statistics in grilling and outdoor cooking
- Food thermometer use statistics by meat and poultry type
- food thermometer use statistics: Food thermometer ownership and household use statistics
- Food thermometer use and doneness checks in Ireland
- food thermometer use: Food thermometer placement knowledge and intervention results
- Sources
Food thermometer use statistics in grilling and outdoor cooking
Thermometer use was reported by a minority of outdoor grillers in a nationwide U.S. web survey published in 2025. The survey included 1,024 consumers who grill outdoors; in its abstract, 25.6% said they used a thermometer to determine whether meat or poultry was done. That overall figure sits alongside separate subgroup results for respondents who grilled meat and those who grilled poultry. The subgroup measures have different denominators and should be read as their own results, not as a breakdown that can be combined or averaged with the abstract figure. Source: 2025 outdoor grilling survey
Among respondents who grilled meat, the table total shows 22.9% used a thermometer to determine meat doneness. Among poultry grillers, 29.0% used one to determine poultry doneness. The survey’s tables identify samples of 520 meat grillers and 504 poultry grillers, while the reported thermometer-use percentages are based on the corresponding respondents with relevant data. These are self-reported techniques in an outdoor-grilling survey; they do not measure every cooking occasion or directly observe thermometer placement. Source: 2025 outdoor grilling survey
| Outdoor-grilling measure | Reported thermometer use |
|---|---|
| All outdoor grillers in the abstract | 25.6% |
| Respondents who grilled meat | 22.9% |
| Respondents who grilled poultry | 29.0% |
The same meat-griller table reports 20.1% use among male respondents and 28.3% among female respondents. These percentages describe thermometer use to determine meat doneness within the survey’s male and female meat-grilling categories; the table lists 69 and 50 relevant responses, respectively. The comparison is descriptive and does not establish why the reported rates differ. Source: 2025 outdoor grilling survey
For poultry grillers aged 65 and older, 43.8% reported using a thermometer to determine poultry doneness; the table shows 39 relevant responses for this age category. It is a specific subgroup finding from the survey, not a general estimate for all older adults or all home cooking. Together, the grilling results show that the reported rate depends on whether the question concerns outdoor grillers overall, meat grillers, poultry grillers, or a subgroup within those groups. Source: 2025 outdoor grilling survey
Food thermometer use statistics by meat and poultry type
The FDA’s 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey asked adults how often they had used a food thermometer for several foods during the preceding 12 months. Its weighted percentages are shares of all adult respondents in the 50 U.S. states and Washington, DC, not just people who cooked each item. The total survey sample was 4,398. The response tables distinguish people who did not cook an item, skips and missing responses from frequency answers, so “never” should not be treated as synonymous with not cooking that food. Source: FDA 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey
For beef, lamb or pork roasts, 16% said they always used a thermometer and 11% said they often did. For chicken parts such as breasts or legs, 13% always used one, while 23% said they never did. These are separate frequency categories; the values do not describe all thermometer owners or only those who prepared the foods. Source: FDA 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey
| Food in FDA survey | Always use a thermometer | Never use a thermometer |
|---|---|---|
| Beef, lamb or pork roasts | 16% | — |
| Chicken parts, such as breasts or legs | 13% | 23% |
| Baked egg dishes, such as quiche, custard or bread pudding | 3% | 31% |
| Beef hamburgers | 6% | 36% |
| Whole chickens or turkeys | 25% | — |
For baked egg dishes, 3% of respondents said they always used a thermometer and 31% said they never did. For beef hamburgers, the corresponding reported categories were 6% always and 36% never. The whole-bird question combined whole chickens or turkeys; 25% said they always used a thermometer. This is the all-respondent weighted figure for that combined food category. The survey’s executive summary also gives a separate 85% figure for thermometer owners who cook whole chickens, but that narrower conditional measure has a different denominator and is not the same statistic. Source: FDA 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey
The percentages in the table make clear that the same frequency label can refer to quite different reported levels across foods. They should not be read as a ranking of safety, nor as evidence about temperature accuracy: the survey asked about frequency of use, not whether a reading was taken at the right point or what temperature was recorded. The categories and denominators also differ from the outdoor-grilling survey’s specific questions about determining doneness while grilling. Source: FDA 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey
food thermometer use statistics: Food thermometer ownership and household use statistics
The FDA’s 2019 survey found that 62% of U.S. adult respondents reported owning a food thermometer. The survey was conducted in October and November 2019 and represents adults in the 50 states and Washington, DC. Ownership indicates access to a thermometer, not how often it is used or whether it is used for a particular food. Source: FDA 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey
An earlier FDA survey reported ownership at 67% in 2016. That survey questioned 4,169 U.S. respondents aged 18 and older, with fieldwork from October 6, 2015, through January 17, 2016. Its release also reported that 38% always used a meat thermometer for roasts, 19% always used one for chicken parts, and 10% always used one for hamburgers. Those are always-use findings from the 2015–2016 survey, not interchangeable with the 2019 FDA weighted frequency categories. Source: FDA 2016 Food Safety Survey
Another view comes from USDA Economic Research Service analysis of pooled American Time Use Survey–Eating and Health Module data from 2014–2016. During a typical week, 14% of U.S. at-home meal preparers who had prepared a meal with meat, poultry or seafood in the previous 7 days used a food thermometer. The analysis estimated this as about 19.5 million people. The population and time frame differ from a survey asking whether a household owns a thermometer or how often someone uses one for a specific food over 12 months. Source: USDA ERS, Consumer Food Safety Practices
The USDA analysis also reported use by employment category among at-home meal preparers. In pooled 2014–2016 data, 24.2% of those employed in food preparation and serving occupations used a thermometer at home. The reported share was 20.2% among those employed in accommodation and food service, and 17.6% among those employed in leisure and hospitality. These are conditional figures for meal preparers in the named employment categories, not rates for all workers in those industries. The observational survey does not show that a person’s occupation caused their home thermometer use. Source: USDA ERS, Consumer Food Safety Practices
| Measure | Population and period | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Thermometer ownership | U.S. adults, FDA 2016 survey | 67% |
| Thermometer ownership | U.S. adults, FDA 2019 survey | 62% |
| Use in a typical week | U.S. at-home preparers making meat, poultry or seafood meals, pooled 2014–2016 | 14% |
| Estimated typical-week users | Same USDA ERS population and period | About 19.5 million |
These measures offer context rather than a single continuous trend. The FDA ownership figures come from different survey years and the USDA statistic concerns actual use during a typical week among a defined group of at-home preparers. Differences in question wording, population and reference period limit direct comparison. Sources: FDA 2016 Food Safety Survey; FDA 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey; USDA ERS, Consumer Food Safety Practices
Food thermometer use and doneness checks in Ireland
A 2019–2020 consumer survey on the island of Ireland found that 15.7% of participants reported using a meat thermometer when cooking meat, while 17.4% reported owning one. The report describes a sample of 1,052 adults and fieldwork from December 4, 2019, to January 13, 2020; it was published in February 2021. Use and ownership are distinct self-reported measures, and the ownership percentage should not be read as the share who regularly used a thermometer. Source: Safefood, The Use of Meat Thermometers in Home Kitchens on the Island of Ireland
Participants reported several other ways of judging doneness. In the survey’s reported measures, 46.9% said they inserted a knife, 40.1% checked whether juices ran clear, and 38.6% relied on time. Following package instructions was reported by 35.0%, while 25.6% checked to see that there was no blood. These are self-reported checking methods from the island-of-Ireland survey, rather than observations of a cooking session. Source: Safefood, The Use of Meat Thermometers in Home Kitchens on the Island of Ireland
| Doneness check reported in Ireland survey | Participants |
|---|---|
| Inserted a knife | 46.9% |
| Checked whether juices ran clear | 40.1% |
| Relied on time | 38.6% |
| Followed package instructions | 35.0% |
| Checked for no blood | 25.6% |
For particular meats, the report defined thermometer use as “always” or “often.” By that measure, 15.4% reported using a thermometer for whole turkeys, 14.3% for whole chicken and 12.8% for roasts. The reported figures were lower for small cuts, such as chicken thighs or drumsticks, at 8.3%, and for burgers and sausages, at 7.9%. This is a frequency measure by meat type; it differs from the overall 15.7% who reported using a meat thermometer when cooking meat. Source: Safefood, The Use of Meat Thermometers in Home Kitchens on the Island of Ireland
food thermometer use: Food thermometer placement knowledge and intervention results
The Safefood report included a separate focus-group visual task asking participants to identify probe insertion points in meat images. This was not part of the 1,052-person consumer survey. In the task, 69.2% correctly identified the roast image (45 participants), 57.8% identified the chicken-thigh point (37 participants), and 29.7% identified the correct point for a whole chicken (19 participants) and for a burger (19 participants). The item-level samples were 65 for roast and 64 for each of the other listed foods. These results describe recognition in a visual exercise, not observed thermometer technique in participants’ kitchens. Source: Safefood, The Use of Meat Thermometers in Home Kitchens on the Island of Ireland
A 2017 meal-preparation experiment in six North Carolina test kitchens observed 383 participants preparing ground-turkey patties. Participants in the treatment group watched a USDA video before cooking; the control group did not receive that intervention. Thermometer use during preparation was observed for 75.3% of the treatment group, compared with 34.3% of the control group. At recruitment, reported ownership was similar in the two groups: 63.2% in treatment and 61.2% in control. The study therefore distinguishes having a thermometer from using one during the observed task. Source: Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Thermometer Use
| Observed or reported measure in turkey-patty experiment | Control | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Used a thermometer during preparation | 34.3% (69 of 201) | 75.3% (137 of 182) |
| Reported owning a thermometer | 61.2% (123 of 201) | 63.2% (115 of 182) |
| Correct placement among thermometer attempts | 23% | 52% |
Placement percentages refer to thermometer attempts, not shares of participants. Correct placement meant inserting the probe from the side to reach the center, described as the coldest spot. The report records 168 control and 322 treatment attempts. Among participants who used a thermometer, 73.3% in control and 82.0% in treatment checked both patties. In observed thermometer users, 38% of control and 42% of treatment participants relied solely on the thermometer to determine doneness; 70% and 79%, respectively, used it alongside patty firmness or texture. These are behavioral observations within the experiment, with denominators varying by measure. Source: Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Thermometer Use
The experiment also recorded behaviors among participants who did not use a thermometer. In that group, 46% of control participants and 29% of treatment participants were observed relying only on patty firmness or texture. A combination of patty color and touch was observed for 25% of control non-users and 42% of treatment non-users. These percentages describe the non-user subgroups, whose table denominators were 127 in control and 31 in treatment. The smaller treatment non-user group is one reason to retain the subgroup denominators when interpreting the results. Source: Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Thermometer Use
For thermometer users with available temperature data, 54% of control patties and 73% of treatment patties reached an instantaneous endpoint of 165°F. The table includes 44 control and 91 treatment records for that endpoint. Temperature data were unavailable for 71 participants because logger recordings could not be recovered, so the percentages apply to patties with obtainable data, not all 383 participants. The experiment provides observed outcomes for a specific meal-preparation task and intervention; it should not be treated as a population estimate for household cooking generally. Source: Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Thermometer Use
A 2024 survey of Australia and New Zealand respondents with some involvement in home meal preparation (n=1,929) reported that 25% used a clean thermometer to check that food was thoroughly cooked more than half the time. This measure concerns household cooking across the covered foods, not outdoor grilling alone, and its “more than half the time” response category is not equivalent to “always.” It adds a further population-specific measure of thermometer behavior, with a different geography and question frame from the U.S., Ireland and experiment findings above. Source: FSANZ, 2024 Consumer Insights Simple Report
Sources
- Self-Reported Food Handling Behaviors of U.S. Consumers While Grilling Poultry and Meat
- FDA’s Food Safety and Nutrition Survey - 2019 Survey
- Food Safety Survey Shows Consumer Knowledge Up, Still Room to Grow
- Consumer Food Safety Practices: Raw Milk Consumption and Food Thermometer Use
- The Use of Meat Thermometers in Home Kitchens on the Island of Ireland: Assessment of the Use of Meat Thermometers by Consumers
- 2024 Consumer Insights Simple Report
- Food Safety Consumer Research Project: Meal Preparation Experiment Related to Thermometer Use