Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

"Instant" Read Thermometers..... Do You Use Them? And Why?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • "Instant" Read Thermometers..... Do You Use Them? And Why?

    There has always been a lot of discussion on this topic...... I have my own views, and always have a Thermapen nearby when cooking. For different reasons, as I'm sure will be brought up. But would like to hear yours

    There have been some folks that don't use temp gauges, etc. on their cooks & rely on experience, vision, touch, etc., to determine "doneness", where others would not be withoot a Thermapen, or some other sort of "quick temp read" thermometer.

    Granted, IMO, experience is probably the most reliable tool in your cooking "tool shed", but IMO, there are definately areas, where some additional help from technology is beneficial...... I could name some here, but would like to hear some replies, either way, for discussion
    sigpic

  • #2
    If I am cooking for a comp I use thermometers to get that just right temp but if I am cooking at home I usually don't use them unless it is a practice comp
    sigpic
    GO GATORS.
    Raymond Cato
    MOJO SMOKEHOUSE BBQ TEAM.
    125 Gallon Stickburner yet to be named
    BBQ GRILLWARE STAINLESS CHARCOAL
    2 ecbs
    bbq pro offset
    18.5"WSM
    22" WSM
    22" WEBER OTS
    smoked meat member #57

    Comment


    • #3
      I use instant read for several reasons.
      1. Food safety. I am a HUGE believer in food bringing people together. nothing would ruin that more than serving undercooked chicken.
      2. I have very poor eyesight the thermo really helps me zero in for rare/medium rare
      3. This is probably nothing but I like them for "SHOW" nothing says confidence and know how like pulling out the black thermopen and doing one's thing.

      Comment


      • #4
        I wouldn't dream of stepping out to the smoker without my lightning-fast white thermopen. Mine also reads surface temp, so it comes in handy to make sure your butt is to to 140° before you put in a probe.
        sigpic

        Smoked-Meat certified Sausagehead

        http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1443745685

        Comment


        • #5
          I us um, cause I can.
          Mark
          sigpic


          "Likes smokey old pool rooms, clear mountain mornins. Little warm puppies, children and girls of the night"?
          Smoked-Meat Certified Sausage Head!

          Comment


          • #6
            I found myself overcooking, especially on a direct grill, the thermo eliminates that problem.

            Comment


            • #7
              Nope, don't own one and I doubt I will ever buy one.. I have thermo's but I really never found myself in need of having meat temps given to me in less than two seconds even when I cooked comps..
              Ken


              I Should Have Been Rich Instead Of Being So Good Looking

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Texas-Hunter View Post
                Nope, don't own one and I doubt I will ever buy one.. I have thermo's but I really never found myself in need of having meat temps given to me in less than two seconds even when I cooked comps..
                On the smaller cookers.. EG: WSM's and such... it can matter. They take a bit to get the temps back up..the less time open the better.

                I ALWAYS temp chicken. That said..it'd become less critical now that I usually brine the boids

                And I do contract cooks/caters once in a while. It's insurance.
                In God I trust- All others pay cash...
                Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
                Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

                Comment


                • #9
                  I usually cook for others to eat. Because of that I temp everything...no one will ever be able to say that my food made them ill. Now, having said that I can tell a brisket or butt is done by the feel of the thermaprobe entering it...some are done (tender) at different temps and if I had a Slanted 88 RNTP I could use that just as reliably. Chicken is always checked with the blazing fast red thermapen, and I ensure my steaks are at the proper med rare temp too. If my thermapen broke tomorrow, I would order another one tomorrow. In my world, it is useful and required.
                  BBQ Eng.

                  The "Cow Girls" were adopted from the shelter, and found on petfinder.com.
                  Adopt a homeless pet - http://www.petfinder.com
                  I built the Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden Smoker Build

                  Over 5000 unreadable posts...Photobucket can kiss my ass...they will never get a dime. I will not pay a ransom.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    They sure make my life easier when doing yardbird, sausage, and even keeping an eye on my grease when frying fish. They are as useful preventing over cookage as under cookage...peace of mind I guess for me.
                    z
                    sigpic
                    GMG Daniel Boone
                    UDS
                    Weber 22.5" Kettle (blk)
                    Vision Kamado grill
                    Weber Genesis Silver
                    Smokin Tex
                    MES 40 with legs Gen 2.5
                    Maverick ET 732
                    Brown and lime green ThermaPens
                    2 orange ThermoPops
                    A-Maze-N Tube 18"
                    A-Maze-N Smoker 5"x8"
                    Vortex

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      These days i cook everything to temp. It's just easier.

                      Thermopens speed is important when grilling/smoking sausages & burgers.
                      I would wager that most people on this forum overcook sausages - certainly from the pictures, most definitely are.
                      If your sausages get wrinkled when they cool down - you've overcooked them and lost a lot of moisture - that's why they wrinkle.

                      Since I've been using the thermopen to check them they're more succulent, stay hot better and are much tastier cold.
                      I'm talking small sausages not big ones. I cook them to an internal temp of between 65-70c (149-158f)
                      You don't get that black crispy outside, so most people don't realise they're fulluy cooked and let them go over.
                      I certainly used to overcook them.

                      The speed is useful as I don't want the bbq lid open too long and if you're checking a lot of sausages - you need a quick read.

                      For longer/larger cooks I use probe and wire based thermos.
                      Again makes life much easier. If I'm cooking a joint in the oven I just set the temp i want and just leave it in the oven till it beeps.
                      Nothing simpler.

                      But I'd urge you all to get a fast read thermo for the small stuff that most of us unknowingly overcook.
                      Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
                      Just call me 'One Grind'



                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I dont own a thermopen - doubt I ever will - looks like a good tool though -

                        I do have an olderstyle pocket dial thermo that i use if I am curious, but I am pretty good at hitting steak temps by feel and time - years of cooking steaks on a broiler in restaurants probably helps. Same goes for chops and chicken.

                        I have an old digital probe thermo I use for beef roasts(good for hitting perfect med rare) and pork butts(more for timing than anything else - the bone is the best termo - only goes to 230 degrees I think so its perfect for either.

                        I really dont worry grate temp/smker temp etc. the WSM thermo is for reference - my hand over the vent on the lid gives me the best idea of how hot I am running.
                        Just because you welded some shit together doesnt make it a WSM.

                        Twitter: @GrubSeeker

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I use my thermopen for snacksticks and lately I been using it to double check water temps compared to the controller in my sous vid cooks. Since it is almost water proof it works very well for this.

                          PBC Drum Smoker
                          Bradley Digital 4 Rack
                          THE BIG EASY INFRARED TURKEY FRYER
                          Miss Piggy Smoker
                          Sedona SD-9000 food dehydrator

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I use mine to get a feel of how long till I need to have all the other sides with a meal ready.... do I have 30 minutes or do I have 5 minutes... good tool to have if you are getting a meal ready!
                            Brian

                            Certified Sausage & Pepper Head
                            Yoder YS640
                            Weber Genesis
                            Weber 18.5" Kettle
                            Weber Performer
                            Misfit # 1899

                            sigpic

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I use my Thermapen for chicken, steaks, small sausages, burgers, pork chops tri tips, etc.

                              Bigger things like brisket and pork butts not so much unless I'm checking for the temp I want to foil at. Don't need it so much at the end as the "feel" of the probe going in comes into play there.

                              I discovered after I started using it that I was overcooking the shit out of pork chops and chicken breasts. Things come out much juicier now that they are cooked to the proper temp.

                              The big numbers and speed of the Thermapen are nice for me since, like Gman, I have poor eyesight. It's nice to be able to check the temp of things quickly without having to hang my face over the grill and cooking it as well.

                              Dave
                              CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
                              UDS 1.0
                              Afterburner
                              Weber Performer
                              Blue Thermapen
                              Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
                              Thermoworks Chef Alarm
                              Auber Smoker Controller
                              Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
                              -
                              "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X