Auburn, AL, March 12---Is a meat thermometer really necessary to cook hamburgers?

You bet it is – at least according to one food scientist.

"Let’s say it’s like insurance," says Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food scientist. "When you cook with a food thermometer, there’s no question the meat is done."

Weese is not alone. Other food experts are also offering the same advice.

The most common advice to consumers is to cook the ground beef until it’s brown on the inside and the juices run clear. Even so, while a brown interior usually is a good sign the meat is properly cooked, it’s not 100 percent accurate.

"We know that some beef may never get brown in the middle, even though it may be cooked to a high enough temperature," Weese says. "On the other hand, beef sometimes may appear brown even though it’s not been cooked to a high enough temperature."

Weese and other food scientists are advising consumers to be especially cautious with brown beef because of the presence of a potentially fatal food pathogen known as E.coli O157:H7. Every year, roughly 73,000 people eat E.coli-contaminated beef, and an average 61 people die from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s why Weese and other experts recommend taking every step to avoid exposure to the pathogen.

Meat thermometers are a good first step, she says.

"With other meats, such as steaks, browning in the middle isn’t as big a concern because the bacteria are only found on the surface." Weese says. "Ground beef is the one food where adequate cooking all the way through is absolutely essential, because it is the most susceptible to E.coli. That’s because when the meat is ground, any bacteria on the surface will be distributed throughout the patty."

Another problem associated with ground beef stems from the fact that it is often put on the grill while still partly frozen.

Ground beef that is not completely thawed when it is pressed into patties is often not thawed in the center by the time it is placed on the grill. Compression is essential to ensure the interior is exposed to adequate heat during cooking. What you often get is ground beef that browns at a lower temperature.

Also, thawing meat in bulk is risky, too, because meat exposed to air for extended periods may turn brown even before it’s cooked.

That’s why thermometers should be considered one of the essential accessories in grilling meats.

The USDA recommends cooking beef to an internal temperature of 160 F prior to serving in order to kill all residual traces of E.coli bacteria.