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How to use a meat thermometer

13 years ago

Yes, I know I ask alot of questions here.

Decided to start using a meat thermometer. The one I recently used was a basic one that stays in the food in the oven. I was cooking pork sausages. The recipe said 30 to 35 min. Before that I looked and it was way over 200 degrees.

My questions which surprizingly could not find good answers to.

In general do people tend to over cook meat?

When the meat reaches the correct temp does it have to be there for a certain amount of time or is it completely done?

Can you use a thermometer in a slow cooker?

I feel this must be some secret that good cooks keep to themselves as I have never known anyone who has ever used one.

I'm sure I will think of more questions but that enough for now.

Thank you to all who have been answering all my questions lately! I will say I'm a little intimidated on this forum as half the time I don't even know what you guys are talking about :)

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Comments (3)

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
"The one I recently used was a basic one that stays in the food in the oven. I was cooking pork sausages. The recipe said 30 to 35 min. Before that I looked and it was way over 200 degrees. "

If you are using a mechanical (bi-metal) dial-face probe thermometer, you can be getting highly inaccurate readings.

"In general do people tend to over cook meat? "

That's true, or a good part of the meat is overcooked.

"When the meat reaches the correct temp does it have to be there for a certain amount of time or is it completely done? "

It depends on what you mean by correct temperature. There is a term called "Resting time" and "carry-over heat", which you can get a more through explanation by Googling.

"Can you use a thermometer in a slow cooker? "

I suppose you can use a remote read thermometer, but you should only use a thermometer to take occasional readings. Slow cooker cooks best with the cover on.

"I feel this must be some secret that good cooks keep to themselves as I have never known anyone who has ever used one. "

Good cooks use good thermometers regularly.

"--- I will say I'm a little intimidated on this forum as half the time I don't even know what you guys are talking about :) "

That mean the other half of the time you know what they are talking about, not bad at all. :-)

dcarch
jadeite
13 years ago
There are a couple of things to note. First, make sure the thermometer is really in the meat, and not close to bone or to the surface. Both can throw off your reading. When the thermometer gets to the temperature you want, it's done (assuming the thermometer is accurate).

For me, most meat is overcooked. That's why I have a thermometer fixation. You want to find someone who uses one, come see me sometime.

I've never tried it in a slow cooker. If you have a glass cover, can you read it through the glass? If you're cooking a stew in the slow cooker, perhaps the temperature isn't too critical. For stews or casseroles I use a fork to check for tenderness.

Cheryl
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Let's see - in my thermometer collection I currently have 1 freezer, 3 or 4 instant read, 2 wireless Oregon scientific (both dead), 2 oven, 3 candy. I've discarded about 6-10 Taylors, Polders and various others - some basic, some fancy, some wireless, some wired. None of them is worth a d*mn. They are inaccurate, take too long to come to equilibrium, fail unpredictably and fatally. The only thermometer which I have found to be reliable is the thermopen. Having typed this I am afraid that it's going to die tomorrow when I have to smoke a huge load of ribs and chicken. I had high hopes for the Oregon Scientific units which are very nice wireless thermometers. They have silly presets which can be ignored. The first one lasted the longest of all this sad lot - perhaps 3 years? Then it failed Thanksgiving eve and I was forced to use the instant (not!) thermometers to roast my turkey. The replacement Oregon Scientific lasted a year. I kept all the pieces thinking I would get a third, but I can only be suckered so many times! As I understand it, the problem is the thermocouple, the most expensive part of the thermometer. Making one that can stand up to regular abuse in home kitchens just isn't that reliable. The maddening part is that once in a while someone gets a gem and tells the world how wonderful it is. Perhaps you can tell this is a fetish with me. I am a scientist by training and nature. I like my data to be precise, accurate and repeatable. Right now I have a probe thermometer which is a feature of the Electrolux oven. It plugs into a socket inside the oven at the top so can't be kinked, twisted or otherwise mishandled. So far (8 months) it's been reliable and reasonably accurate. I check on it with the thermopen because I'm obsessive. BTW dcarch, the thermopen works perfectly well when used in a pan over induction. I used it to check how long the cooktop took to bring water to a boil. It's pretty cool (sorry to sound so geeky) to watch the rate of temperature change as the water heated (2 minutes and change to bring 1 quart of water to full rolling boil). Cheryl
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Get one that uses an electronic probe at the end of a cable that can be left in the meat throughout cooking. Usually around $30 or so.
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Here are videos showing the factory assembling components into Thermapens. I don't know if they have the facilities to manufacture any components. I assume all the other products they sell are all imported. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvP0GXD3fcI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gspPLB4B1KY And this is from their WEB site: "ThermoWorks ----------- While a few of our products are manufactured here, many are made for us by partner factories in Europe, Asia and the USA. Most of our in-house staff is engaged in marketing, technical support, product definition, design, and operations. -----------" Thermapen is a very good product. I have one. I also have one I bought on ebay 15 years ago for $2.00. It is still working fine. Slower, but same accuracy as Thermapen. Amazingly, the same one is still selling on ebay, but inflation! $2.78 now!!!! dcarch
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Thanks! That might be the perfect Christmas gift for DSIL and DSS, both of whom fancy themselves as pit-masters.
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debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you!

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