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Dos and Don'ts When Using a Meat Thermometer
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Meat thermometers help you in many ways when you cook different types of meat. This tool ensures if meat is cooked well or not, and it prevents you from undercooking or overcooking them. It tells if the food is safe to eat and guides you in cooking food well. Using a meat thermometer protects you from foodborne illnesses and bacteria usually found in raw meat such as Salmonella or norovirus. The meat thermometer can guide you in cooking your food at the right temperature. Food safety is vital for everyone, especially since we need food to survive. So ensuring that the meat using a meat thermometer is an essential tool we should have in our kitchens. This tool guides you properly when you like to cook with precision.
Learn how to use meat thermometers easily
Why should you learn to use a meat thermometer? Is it an essential and not a fancy item in the kitchen? A meat thermometer is a vital tool that should be a household essential in every kitchen. Hence, you have to know how to use the meat thermometer effectively. Let us see how to use the meat thermometer here. For getting an accurate temperature reading, test the thermometer by using water and ice. If there’s any error, calibrate the meat thermometer again. To check the temperature, get your ThermoPro food thermometer and put the tip of the device to measure the center of the food you are cooking, whether you’re cooking using your stove, grill, or oven. Insert the probe to the core of the meat and avoid touching the bone of the meat, if there’s any. Since you won’t need to measure the temperature of the bone, you can rest the tip of your thermometer on the bone. Wait for 10 seconds in the center part to check the temperature reading. Continue cooking the food until it reaches the minimum temperature standard.
Dos and don'ts when using your meat thermometer
Using meat thermometers does not require any technical skills and most of them, especially the digital meat thermometers, are fairly easy to use. Effectively using this device can guarantee that your food is well-cooked. It’s always a good thing to familiarize yourself with using the meat thermometers in your kitchen. If you just bought one and you’re trying to familiarize yourself with the device, here are some dos and don’ts when you’re using your meat thermometer:
Do: Choose the best thermometer that you need
Choose the best thermometer that you need. Always keep in mind how you’ll utilize the food thermometer that you will buy. Some food thermometers are best used on meat, some are for baking and pastries. You should go with digital thermometers if you’re using it at home, since digital instant-read ones are sleek, handy, and versatile.
Do: Place the thermometer at the right place
Choose the thickest part of the meat, usually at the center, before placing the thermometer. insert the probe by around ½ or 1 inch and check if the measurement falls into the right temperature to know whether it is done or it still needs some extra time cooking. Check out this guide for ensuring food safety and the right temperatures for meat, fish, and chicken.
Do: Check the meat temperature early and often
You would need to check the right temperature early and often. It doesn’t hurt to check the temperature from time to time. Checking the temperature earlier can help you gauge how long you should cook the food, while checking it often can let you know if the meat is cooking thoroughly on the inside, too.
Do: Calibrate your thermometer
As mentioned earlier, you would need to calibrate your meat thermometer from time to time, just in case you encounter an error. Try dipping the tip in ice water and it should get a reading of 32°F or 0°C to see if your thermometer works fine. In case you encounter any errors, you can restart your device and follow the instructions in the product manual.
Don’t: Hit the fat and bone with the thermometer
If you hit the bone to read the temperature, you will get 10 degrees lower than the rest of the body. This is because the meat heats up faster than the bone which can result in inaccurate reading. So, stay away from the bone and fat part of the meat to take accurate temperature using a meat thermometer.
Don’t: Forget to take out the meat a few minutes earlier
Get the meat a few minutes before it’s done. Give the meat some time to rest and let its internal heat cook it thoroughly for at least five to 10 minutes. This would be effective for larger cuts of meat. Smaller meat cuts are easier to cook so you won’t need to worry whether it was cooked thoroughly.
Don’t: Forget to measure temperature on multiple spots
To get a more accurate temperature reading, you should measure on multiple spots of the meat, especially when you’re cooking a big chunk of it.
How to maintain a meat thermometer?
A meat thermometer must be cleaned before you store it in its usual place. Ensure the thermometer is cleaned before you use it again for checking the temperature. Prevent your thermometer contamination by cleaning it before inserting into the meat for temperature check. So, clean the device by using the following steps.
- Using cook spray
- Bar soap
- Alcohol wipes
- White vinegar
- Alcohol swab
- Boiling water
- Chlorine bleach and water
