Gadget Corner: ThermoWorks Thermapen
I think all cooks want to believe that they can just sense when what they are cooking is done to perfection. Some people can, and some people just get lucky. I've found that personally, my results often improve greatly if I know the precise internal temperature of what I'm cooking. Steaks come off the grill perfectly medium rare or medium. Pork and chicken are guaranteed to be cooked to a safe temperature, but one that also allows them to retain their "juciness." I've messed around with cheap cooking thermometers in the past, purchasing, I think, probably 3 different models. None of them worked well. They were slow, and they were inaccurate. And they were slow. Did I mention they were slow? In the past, I had read a Cook's Illustrated review of the Thermapen and they raved about it. To me, it always seemed too pricey to be really worth a purchase. Well I can tell you, after purchasing one and having it for a while now, that the ThermoWorks Thermapen is worth every goshed-darned penny of its near $70 price tag.
Readings with this cooking thermometer are displayed within 4 or 5 seconds on a large, easy to read LCD display. This prevents you from burning yourself or letting too much heat escape from the oven while you have it open to check on what you are cooking. The Thermapen has a long temperature wand (which folds for storage), perfect for the grill or oven, allowing you to insert the tip of the probe into the center of whatever you are cooking, without singeing your hand in the process. The Thermapen is tested and certified to be accurate, and it's dead-on. I can honestly say that I can't think of any one single cooking gadget has changed the quality of what I prepare more than this one has. Highly recommended.
The ThermaPen is available directly from ThermoWorks.
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posted by Michael on 11:22 AM
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4 Comments:
Same here, except I have to pay $16 to ship it to Canada! Makes it pretty expensive, but it sounds like something I would really use a lot, so I think I'll probably go for it...
I got mine a few days ago, and all I can say is WOW! I used to use one of two different small watch-battery-powered cooking thermometers that I paid about $15 each for, and they've both gone into the junk drawer. The Thermapen gives me a temperature in 5 seconds flat instead of 30 seconds. The display is HUGE and easy to read. And the quality is very, very good. It's $80, but money well spent. Why buy several $15 thermometers over the years when you really just need this one $80 Thermapen?
I think I have to get one of these - I was trying to skipm with the other "Instand read" kind for 10 bucks. Last week I was waiting for the alloted 30 seconds read to test if my bread was done. And the phone rang. Dumbo here - who's one other experience was with oven thermomenters, let the door of the oven close for the minute it took to go grab the phone, by the time I came back the thermometer had melted beyond recognition. When it says instand I need instant.
The ThermoWorks instant read thermometer is great, BUT, do be careful with it around the kitchen. I had used mine for a couple of weeks and it was great with high temperatures. Unfortunately, I dropped water on it, and before I could dry it, water seeped into it, and shorted it out. I called Thermoworks and they we polite, but firm, that water damage is not covered under their warranty. Buyer beware: It's a great product, but be very careful with it in a busy kitchen.
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