An Haiku To My Thermapen
Posted by Curt McAdams on The Cook’s Kitchen.
I need temps taken.
You open to check doneness.
It’s not overcooked.
What am I talking about? Simply the most versatile thermometer I’ve ever had, the Thermapen, by Thermoworks. I’ve gone through a drawerful of thermometers, and none have come close to the usefulness of my Thermapen. I use it not only for barbecued and grilled foods, but also for water for tea and for bread baking.
What makes this thing so great? First of all, it’s a very fast read thermometer. For barbecuing, that means that my cooker doesn’t have to be open any longer than necessary for me to check temps, so I don’t lose as much heat in the cooking chamber. For grilling, it means that I don’t get in danger of burning out those probe thermometers by getting them a bit too hot, having to buy a new one for $20 or so each time.
The tea thing may sound a bit odd, but it’s really not. I boil water in an electric kettle, but boiling water is too hot for tea, especially white tea (which I drink). White tea needs water more in the 185 degree F range, so I use the Thermapen to check the water before it gets too hot.
And for bread, I don’t really time things too much. Partly because I sometimes use different temps in my oven or different modes of convection and baking. Partly because I’ve learned with barbecue that time isn’t as important as temperature anyway. So I figure out the right temp for my bread (a lot of recipes include this), and I check the bread quickly so it gets done just right. Again, by doing it quickly, my oven doesn’t lose all its heat when I check the bread.
Do I have other thermometers? Sure, but I don’t use them nearly as much as I do the Thermapen. They’re not cheap, but they’re worth the price!
photo from Thermoworks.com website
