Tools for Cooking

[peter halle]

Happy Sunday!

Now that warmer weather is on the horizon for us North of the equator, and knowing that we all need to eat, and that there are many here who like to grill, barbecue, or cook in general, I thought I would start one of my Sunday threads that are non-woodworking.

I came across this website after attending a food safety class where the instructors - all health inspectors - used one of the Thermopens:  http://www.thermoworks.com

After years of buying one digital thermometer or another and having to replace them because something happened to the probe - and not being able to get replacement probes - I bit the bullet and placed an order.  This company has a large assortment of accurate instruments and has even an assortment of different probes for different situations.  Just offering this information up for digestion.

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Peter

 

[Lou in DE]

Hi Peter - we bought the Thermopen Instant thermometer several years ago after seeing it on "Americas Test Kitchen" on PBS. This is by far the most accurate and fastest reacting kitchen thermometer I have ever used. We do a lot of grilling and with the price of nicer cuts of (say) beef & lamb - not to mention whole poultry - it will save you money over time. It's a little expensive but money well spent - my only regret is that I wasn't into Festool at the time of purchase so I bought the white color  [big grin] [big grin]

 

[nclemmons]

I've had one of their Thermopen units for years.  Best thermometer for grilling or indoor cooking.  Instant reading.  Durable.  Great battery life.  Stainless tip.

 

[atomicmike]

I love my Thermapen! I finally bought one a couple of years ago, after being frustrated with several other cheap thermometers. I still have a really cheap probe/grilling thermometer that I need to replace, and have been eyeing the ChefAlarm. The one I have now has a "neat" habit of entering power save mode randomly, so if I don't keep an eye on it, the temperature alarm will never sound.

 

[Jbmccombe]

Best investment I have ever made after throwing away many cheaper instant read thermometers that never really worked.  They now have a backlit model which was not available when I bought mine and it is a feature I wish I had, especially grilling in the evenings. Well worth the cost.

John

 

[rvieceli]

[member=8351]atomicmike[/member] This new offering caught my eye this morning after Peter's post. Looks like it might be a winner.
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/alarm/dot.html

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I'm a big fan of thermoworks.  I think a lot of beginning cooks make the mistake of cooking something for the time mentioned in the recipe.  No, No, No!  Cook it till its done, use a good thermometer.

Here's another useful tool.  I use it for seeing if a pan is ready to sear or sautee.  It also is great to finding cool spots on an unevenly heated pan.
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lase...=UTF8&qid=1461510943&sr=8-3&keywords=infrared+thermometer

 

[Tinker]

>>>I came across this website after attending a food safety class where the instructors - all health inspectors - used one of the Thermopens:

 

[rmwarren]

I'm a big fan of thermoworks.  I think a lot of beginning cooks make the mistake of cooking something for the time mentioned in the recipe.  No, No, No!  Cook it till its done, use a good thermometer.

Here's another useful tool.  I use it for seeing if a pan is ready to sear or sautee.  It also is great to finding cool spots on an unevenly heated pan.
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lase...=UTF8&qid=1461510943&sr=8-3&keywords=infrared+thermometer

I can also vouch for this laser thermometer, it replaced my ~$70-ish one that died and seems to be every bit as good. Bought a second one to keep in the house it was so cheap.

RMW

 

[atomicmike]

I'm a big fan of thermoworks.  I think a lot of beginning cooks make the mistake of cooking something for the time mentioned in the recipe.  No, No, No!  Cook it till its done, use a good thermometer.

That's long been one of my frustrations with recipes, especially those targeted at beginning cooks. For some reason, cookbook publishers think that telling people to use things like a thermometer or scale makes the recipe too difficult or intimidating, when the reality is just the opposite. There's so much variability in ovens, measurement techniques, etc. It winds up making people think they can't cook when they're really just not being taught how to cook.

I used to have rotten luck with baked goods, especially bread, since recipes give you useless indicators of doneness. "Sounds hollow when tapped" might work when you have a ton of experience, but if you're not an experienced baker, it's meaningless. My breads were always over- or under-done. When I found a recipe that gave a target internal temperature, it came out perfect! Same thing with cakes... I'd pull them based on how the top looked, only to find out when I cut into it that I had a soggy mess. (For anyone wondering, 200-205 ºF is a great target internal temperature for baked goods.)

 

[Rick Christopherson]

I came across this website after attending a food safety class where the instructors - all health inspectors - used one of the Thermopens: 

Seriously? These words came from your keyboard? Someone with a sous vide is turning to health inspectors--whose standard answer for everything is 180 degrees!!.  [scared] [scared] hehehehe  [poke]

As you already know, I've always preferred cooking by temperature, and would love one of those thermalpens. But it is pretty hard to justify the price they are asking. Not that it isn't worth it, just hard to spend that.  [sad]

 

[peter halle]

I came across this website after attending a food safety class where the instructors - all health inspectors - used one of the Thermopens: 

Seriously? These words came from your keyboard? Someone with a sous vide is turning to health inspectors--whose standard answer for everything is 180 degrees!!.  [scared] [scared] hehehehe  [poke]

As you already know, I've always preferred cooking by temperature, and would love one of those thermalpens. But it is pretty hard to justify the price they are asking. Not that it isn't worth it, just hard to spend that.  [sad]

Rick,

Just like you I have many sides.  And always looking for business opportunities.  I have already learned that the phrase Sous Vide sends those who inspect restaurants into spasmodic fits and thus requires a myriad of paperwork and procedures in order to proceed.  Not doable in my state.  Science and regulatory hasn't meshed yet.

I actually got a chance to take a beautiful drive a few weeks ago and visit with Sysco - the largest purveyor of goods to the restaurant industry and spent 3 hours with their chef going over menu ideas, etc.  Kinda weird for a carpenter but fascinating for me.

You can get the accuracy with the thermometers for a much lower price, but you will wait for the results - typically 5 + seconds.

One thing I learned in the class was that for food service most of the cheaper thermometers can't be used because they have glass lenses which can shatter.  Must be plastic.  The one I got for attending the class also had a mark 2+ inches up the probe that indicated the insertion depth.  After a great talk with the supervisor of the program my decision was made.

Haven't read about new cooking episodes lately - stay well my sv buddy.

Peter

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Haven't read about new cooking episodes lately - stay well my sv buddy.

Peter

Yeah, I haven't done too much new experimenting, except for that re-smoked ham a month or two ago. I don't remember if you heard about it, but it was TOO.DIE.FOR!

To recap, whole smoked hams were dirt-cheap, so I got 2 to experiment with. I did a low-temperature smoke on my horizontal smoker with an air-temp below 150 degrees. After letting them cool overnight, I injected them with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and did a 120 degree sous vide for 6 to 8 hours. (Smoked hams don't need to be cooked...this was purely to tenderize.)

They had a very smooth smoked flavor that was a little higher than store-bought, plus a nice added sweetness. But what really set them apart is that EVERYTHING had the succulent tenderness that normally only select core muscles normally have. (Kind of like turning the whole thing into a tenderloin-type meat, but for ham.) It melted in your mouth!  [tongue]

 

[tjbnwi]

I don't use any devices to test temp while cooking. Haven't killed anyone--------yet. [wink]

Tom

 

[luke duke]

I have 3 Thermapens, they're great.

 

[atomicmike]

You can get the accuracy with the thermometers for a much lower price, but you will wait for the results - typically 5 + seconds.

The other annoyance I've run into with cheaper thermometers is that they just don't last. Even in really light use around the house, I've been lucky to get a few years out of them. Some of them also have significant calibration drift, likely because the voltage regulators they use are garbage. While they're certainly cheaper than a Thermapen, the frustration of having one die (or give a wildly incorrect reading) just when you need it isn't worth it to me. I also love the simplicity of the user "interface"... no power/mode/unit buttons. Just open it up and measure!

 

[peter halle]

Mike,

I wasn't clear in my post.  i was referring to the less expensive thermometers from Thermoworks.  I still have a Weber two probe bluetooth one that I will be cross checking.

Peter

 

[rmwarren]

I have never sprung for a Thermapen but I did pick up a simple one at a restaurant supply for around $6. Response time is minimal (never actually measured but guessing is

 

[luke duke]

I don't doubt the Thermapen is a great product, but it does seem pricey compared to some options out there.

Just like Festool.

 

[RockstarRemodel]

My C15 is used as the motor for my manual burr grinder for coffee every morning.