Tips for using kitchen thermometers

 Tips for using kitchen thermometers

The success of your dishes depends largely on the temperature you use to prepare the food.

If you want to cook like a professional and prepare memorable dishes, it will not be enough for you to use the best ingredients and follow the advice of the great chefs; additionally you must learn to control the temperature of what you prepare. Indeed, the difference between a juicy turkey and a dry one, to cite an example, is not only in the time that each has spent in an oven, but to how many degrees they have been cooked. Fortunately, it is possible to master this aspect of the technique by employing a number of special kitchen thermometers .

- Tips for using kitchen thermometers and Instant-Read Thermometers Product

The reason for an oven thermometer

All recipes are meticulous about how hot the oven should be before and during the time required to cook a certain dish. Even though the vast majority of stoves incorporate a mechanism to set the temperature, many times (more than you imagine) it loses its calibration, so it is essential to acquire a device that allows you to know for sure the degree of heat.

The oven thermometers are inexpensive and even come in different forms, it is best to pick one that will hinder not manipulate the plate easily; he prefers, then, one that can be hung to one side. In the case of meats (veal, poultry and even fish) it is also convenient to know the internal temperature of the piece during cooking , to prevent it from drying out too much. For this there are also inexpensive stick thermometers.

Be careful with liquids

But also, when you cook directly over a fire, it is important to know the temperature. For some frying, it is necessary to know exactly how many degrees the oil is, for example, to prevent the food from burning on the outside and being raw on the inside.

In the same way, when you prepare caramel , it is essential to control that the sugar goes through the different heat levels; otherwise, it may solidify very quickly or burn. Luckily, there is a thermometer on the market that is used for both cases, that you can easily submerge in the liquid and that usually remains hooked to one of the walls of the pot or pan.

All in one

A digital probe thermometer can be used in any circumstance.
If you find it difficult to use so many utensils for the same function (measure the temperature), you can purchase a digital thermometer with probe , which has the characteristic that you can use it both in the oven and to pierce a piece of meat or to immerse it in a liquid hot.

As chef María Llamas points out, although it has a higher price, it is at the same time more resistant and reliable.

How to choose (and use) a kitchen thermometer

 How to choose (and use) a kitchen thermometer

To learn how to use a thermometer in the kitchen, it is not necessary to be a professional chef, just to know that measuring the temperature of food will lead to more accurate dishes and a more precise and tasty cuisine.
There are many types of thermometers on the market and to use one, the first rule of thumb is to learn the standard cooking temperatures of food: if it is red meat at 50 ° C, if it is fish or white meat 62 ° C, if it is oil for frying between 170 ° C and 180 ° C and so on. The second rule is to understand what we have to do. Let's see.

- How to choose (and use) a kitchen thermometer and Instant-Read Thermometers Product

Types of thermometers
In general, thermometers are divided into contact, which works by insertion, and infrared, which is generally used at a professional level. For those who enjoy cooking, the former are more interesting and, in general, there are 4 types: for roasts, probe, fry and caramel.

The roast thermometer , whether digital or analog, has a skewer that allows you to get to the center of the preparation. It can be heat resistant, and therefore always left in the oven, or also for quick control of cooking. If you want to use it to find out where the roast is (the general reference temperature is 72 ° C), you will have to poke it towards the center in the thickest part of the meat and wait about twenty seconds for an accurate reading. It is very economical and versatile, and can also be used to measure, for example, the temperature of a pastry cream (82 ° C) or that of the butter of a hollandaise sauce (40-45 ° C).

Then there is the probe thermometer , which also has a needle, but is connected to a cable and can also be used inside the oven on: it remains pricked in the food and with a beep it warns that the temperature reached is correct. Because it is capable of measuring a wide range of temperatures, generally from sub-zero temperatures to 300 ° C, it is useful for many preparations ranging from leavened to caramel, from jams to potato chips (although there is also a special product for frying) , and even meat on the barbecue. The only thing to consider is buying a valid product, perhaps spending a little extra money.

If, instead, the problem is the caramel, there is the classic sugar thermometer , a bit old: it measures about a foot, it is made of glass and can generally be hooked to the edge of the pot. And it will be needed if you want to choose between a light caramel (with a temperature between 160 and 170 ° C) or a dark one (between 165 and 177 ° C), but it can also be used to control the correct temperature of the green tea water (75 -80 ° C), syrups or milk used to make creams.


One more tip
If you are not familiar with this product as a kitchen aid, the advice is to buy a meat thermometer: it is easy to use (especially if it is digital) and easier to store.
On the other hand, if you are already used to cooking and plan to use it in a wider range, it may be better to opt for a probe product.

Whatever the choice, remember a general rule of thumb though: after use, wash and dry it properly, to prevent rust from forming. Because a thermometer is only useful when it is accurate.