Final answer:
You should not use a mercury or alcohol thermometer when foods are thin like hamburger patties. Instead, use a bimetallic thermometer.
Step-by-step explanation:
In this situation, you should not use a mercury or alcohol thermometer when foods are thin such as hamburger patties. Instead, you should use a bimetallic thermometer.
The reason for this is that a mercury or alcohol thermometer operates based on the expansion and contraction of the liquid inside the thermometer. Thin foods like hamburger patties do not have enough thickness to effectively transfer heat to the thermometer, resulting in inaccurate readings.
On the other hand, a bimetallic thermometer works by using two differently expanding metals to measure temperature. It is better suited for thin foods because the metal strip can be inserted into the food to directly measure its temperature, providing more accurate results.