Thermometers for Meal Prep
Thermometers are essential kitchen items for checking the temperatures of your foods. Typically reserved for meats and barbecues, thermometers will tell cooks when food is ready to serve.
Knowing a meat’s temperature while cooking serves dual purposes. One, and most importantly, it’ll inform cooks if their food is safe to eat or not. Some proteins like chicken are not safe to consume raw and must be cooked to 165 Fahrenheit (or 74 Celsius).
However, thermometers also tell you what doneness meats like beef are at. This can help you reach your preferred style of steak consistently every time, making meal prep a breeze for those that want a hefty steak and potatoes type of meal.
Infrared
Infrared thermometers are the latest in kitchen technology, allowing us to get accurate readings on our cooking with a laser. This instantly reads the temperature, displaying the results on a small screen.
Infrared thermometers are popular for backyard grilling and barbecues because the laser provides users with a comfortable distance from the heat and flames of an open grill.
Infrared thermometers don’t just work on food only either. You can also use them to measure the heat coming off of your heating elements like charcoal being started or a wood fire. You can even use them for minimal inspection, checking if your oven is reaching certain temperatures consistently.
Instant-Read
The instant-read thermometer is a classic grilling device featuring a long metal rod that is inserted into food, usually meats, providing information on the inner temperature. Internal temperature is crucial when grilling, informing cooks with how much time is left.
The small metal rod is also fine enough that you’d have to worry about destroying your food when inserting it. You won’t lose any significant amount of juices or moisture from your cooking, it’s a small incision that isn’t noticeable once all is said and done.
Sometimes, when cooking without a thermometer, it is easy to question the readiness of your food, especially when you are cooking it for someone else. An instant-read thermometer can help you avoid the stress If it’s chicken, and you find yourself tearing apart at certain pieces looking for signs of raw meat.
Probe
Probe thermometers long metal sticks that are inserted into a food to check for temperature. They are normally threaded and attached to a device that will read you the recorded temperatures inside.
Similar to instant-read thermometers, these devices are great when you need to constantly keep watch of a food’s temperature when it’s in an oven. They can be set to beep at certain temperatures as reminders or warnings.
Some of the latest models have skipped the threaded aspect of typical probe thermometers, opting for wireless designings that are resistant to high-heats. These can be exceptionally convenient compared to their threaded counterparts which can be unwieldy at times.