Key Difference: A meat thermometer is a thermometer that is used to measure the internal temperature of the meat that is being cooked. It indicates the temperature of the meat inside to determine if the meat is fully cooked or it remains uncooked. On the other hand, a candy thermometer is a device is used to measure the temperature of candy or sugar solution. A candy thermometer is also known as a sugar thermometer.

Oxford Dictionary defines a thermometer as a device that is used to measure the temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. While the most common thermometer is used to determine the temperature of a human body, there are thermometers that can be used to check the temperature outside, including winds and humidity levels. A temperature is an important part of human lives and used in our day to day lives. Thermometers also play an important part in the kitchen for checking the temperature of food when cooking. Two such thermometers are known as meat thermometer and candy thermometer.

A meat thermometer is a thermometer that is used to measure the internal temperature of the meat that is being cooked. It indicates the temperature of the meat inside to determine if the meat is fully cooked or it remains uncooked. These thermometers are popular when cooking stuffed meat, roasts, steaks, etc. In such cases you cannot keep cutting the meat open to determine if the stuffing inside or the meat is thoroughly cooked from the inside. The thermometer can be left inside the oven, while the meat is cooking to help indicate when the inside temperature reaches the desired temperature.

A meat thermometer has a metal probe on one side with a sharp point in order to help penetrate the skin of the meat. On the other side there is a metal dial or a digital dial which shows the temperature. Some thermometers use a bimetallic strip that rotates a needle to show the temperature. Another popular thermometer is a pop-up timer that is most commonly used on turkeys; these timers are attached with a spring that pops up when a certain temperature is reached. More expensive kinds of meat thermometers also include an alarm, which goes off once the desired temperature is reached. This is an important device to have in a kitchen if a person frequently cooks meat and is very popular among chefs.

On the other hand, a candy thermometer is a device is used to measure the temperature of candy or sugar solution. A candy thermometer is also known as a sugar thermometer. These thermometers can also be used to measure the temperature of oil for deep frying. This type of thermometer is most commonly found in pastry shops, cake shops or candy/sugar shops. When dealing with sugar, there are various stages of sugar that can be obtained, such as crystalline, liquid, solid, etc. When dealing with sugar, temperature is an important aspect, as the wrong temperature can cause the sugar to burn or harden.

Similar to meat thermometers, there are various types of sugar thermometers such as traditional liquid thermometers, coil spring "dial" thermometers and digital thermometers. Digital thermometers work best, as they read the temperature more quickly and accurately compared to other ones. Some models are also available with alarms, which go off when a certain temperature is reached. Candy thermometers can read higher temperature that can go up to 400 °F (200 °C) or more.

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