Hamburger Bacteria Lab Results

The purpose of this lab was to show students that food should be cooked well.  Hamburger patties were cooked to different temperatures and then the juice was swabbed for bacteria and then incubated for a week.  The temperatures were room temperature (rare), 140 degrees (medium rare), and 170 degrees (well done).  The lower the temperature the meat was cooked to, the more bacteria grew on the petri dish.