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Instant-Read Cooking Thermometers
by Rachel Hozey
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Overview
The most reliable way to tell if food is cooked properly is by taking its temperature, not by looking at it, smelling it or feeling it. One popular type of cooking thermometer is the instant-read, preferred by many chefs and home cooks because it works fast and is accurate. Instant-read thermometers generally have two parts, a head that displays the temperature and a shaft that is poked into the food and contains the temperature-reading element. They are generally not heat-proof.
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Uses
Instant-read thermometers are primarily used to instantly check the temperature of meat or bread cooking in the oven or on the grill. They can also be used to check the temperature of warm water to be used in yeast dough and, if they have the range, to check the temperature of freezing ice cream, oil for deep-fat frying, or boiling sugar syrup.
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How Instant-Read Thermometers Work
An instant-read thermometer contains an electronic part that reacts to changes in temperatures. The two types of electronic parts are thermocouple and thermistor.
The most accurate instant-read thermometers contain a thermocouple, which is made of two wires of different materials joined at one end. Because it is made of wires, the thermocouple can be contained in a needle-thin shaft that leaves a very small hole that not a lot of juice will leak out of. The thermocouple is very sensitive to temperature changes, even at the tip of the shaft. Therefore, it does not have to be poked very far into the food being tested and can be used in very thin cuts of meat.
The thermistor, on the other hand, requires a much thicker shaft. It leaves a larger hole in the meat than a thermocouple does, resulting in more leaking juices. In addition, the reading element in the thermistor is close to the thermometer's head, making it necessary to push the thermometer well into the meat to get an accurate reading.
Thermocouple thermometers are hands-down more accurate (readings are consistently accurate to within +/- 0.1 degree) and work much faster than thermistors, taking only 1 to 5 seconds to get a reading that would take a thermistor 20 to 30 seconds to get. They are, however, much more expensive.
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Features
Instant-read thermometers come with a range of features. The face can be a dial or digital, and the display can come in different sizes. Some models fold closed; others are bulky. Other features include the speed of the thermometer, its accuracy over long-term use, the ability to calibrate it, its range of temperature and price.
