A cooking thermometer, or kitchen thermometer, is a device that can check the doneness of food.
It’s widely used for meat dishes to confirm that the meat is fully cooked and safe to consume.
Cooking thermometers are also useful to check the temperature of sugar for candy making. You can also use it with vegetable dishes and other types of recipes.
There are different types of cooking thermometers for different purposes.
Let’s take a closer look at them.
1. Meat Thermometers
Meat must be cooked thoroughly mainly for safety concerns.
If parts of it remain uncooked, it can harbor dangerous microbes that cause serious digestive illnesses.
Thus, a cooking thermometer is very useful to check for the doneness of meat.
Traditional meat thermometers have a large analog dial to indicate temperature. Modern digital versions are also available.
They can even be programmed to a certain temperature, and some devices beep when the meat reaches the said temperature.
How to Use Meat Thermometers?
You can insert a meat thermometer into a joint of meat, like pork, chicken, or turkey.
Depending on the type of thermometer, you can either leave it inside the meat while cooking or take it out after occasionally checking the temperature.
Only leave a thermometer in the oven if its maker labels it oven-safe. Dial thermometers can be oven-safe or instant-read models.
Some digital models have a heat-rated probe that stays in the food while the display remains outside. Follow the placement and temperature limits for the display and cable.
Read while the sensing area is inside the thickest part of the food, away from bone and fat. Wait for the reading to settle.
2. Candy Thermometers
Another area where thermometers play an important role is in the melting of sugar in candy-making.
To make candy, the temperature of liquid sugar must sometimes reach as high as 300°F.
Candy thermometers measure sugar-cooking temperatures. Some use a glass tube, while others have a dial or digital probe.
Choose a suitable temperature range and check accuracy as the maker directs.
On liquid-filled glass models, the colored column rises as the temperature increases.
Digital models show a reading on a screen.
How to Use Candy Thermometers?
Most candy thermometers have a clip that attaches to the cooking pot.
Position the sensing area in the syrup, clear of the pan bottom, at the specified immersion depth. Leave it in place only if the model is designed for this.
3. Instant Read Thermometers
Instant read thermometers are versatile devices that you can use to measure the temperature of different types of food.
Their probe can be inserted inside the cooked or uncooked food to take the reading.
You can use these thermometers to check the doneness of meat, hot foods like soup or baby food, or even cold items.
You can also use them to check the temperature of perishable food like rice that breeds microbes if left in the danger zone for too long.
There are both analog and digital versions of instant thermometers.
Instant analog thermometers have a dial with a needle display.
Meanwhile, digital thermometers have a digital display unit. These devices will display the temperature quickly and accurately.
How to Use Instant Read Thermometers?
Instant read thermometers are not meant to be left inside ingredients during cooking. So you can’t place them inside the oven or on the stove.
Insert the probe to the maker’s specified depth and wait for a stable reading before removing it. Clean it between uses, especially after checking undercooked food.
4. Deep-Fry Thermometers
A deep-fry thermometer measures cooking-oil temperature. Some models are also suitable for candy.
Use one for both purposes only if its maker approves the required temperatures and use.
Deep fry thermometers can measure high temperatures.
Choose a thermometer whose rated range covers the recipe’s oil temperature.
How to Use Deep Fry Thermometers?
Fit it securely as instructed, with the sensing area in the oil and clear of the pan bottom.
Follow the recipe’s temperature and monitor the oil as food is added; one temperature is not right for every food.
Add the ingredients to the oil when the temperature is right.
Check the food’s center separately with a food probe suited to its thickness. Oil temperature does not establish internal doneness.
5. Oven Thermometers
An oven’s temperature rises and falls as the heating system cycles.
The swing varies by oven and measurement location; a single reading above or below the setting does not establish a fault.
It’s also common for ovens to have hot or cold spots that affect the cooking time and quality of the dish.
For certain dishes that require precise temperature settings, an oven thermometer proves to be very useful.
A suitable thermometer can help you investigate temperature concerns using the oven maker’s checking procedure.
How to Use Oven Thermometers?
Most oven thermometers can either be placed on the shelf or hung from the rack of an oven.
You can see the temperature on the oven thermometer from the outside and monitor it closely.
Allow for normal cycling and follow the oven maker’s procedure. Do not change the control each time the reading rises or falls.
6. Refrigerator Thermometers
A refrigerator thermometer helps you check whether food is being kept cold enough.
Do not diagnose health symptoms from appliance temperature alone.
Unsafe warmth allows harmful bacteria to multiply. Refrigeration slows growth, but some microbes can still grow in cold food.
Keep the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below and the freezer at 0°F (-18°C), as the FDA advises.
If the compartment is too warm, adjust the control and check again.
A control-dial number is not necessarily the actual compartment temperature.
The best way to make sure that the temperature of a refrigerator is accurate is to use a thermometer.
You need a special thermometer for this purpose since it must be able to measure low temperatures.
So, a refrigerator thermometer becomes necessary.
Freezer thermometers are also available to check the functioning of a freezer compartment.
Freezers will usually store food at a temperature of 0°F. So, you need a thermometer that reads this low temperature to check the operation.
How to Use Refrigerator Thermometers?
Keep a suitable appliance thermometer in each compartment and check it regularly. Allow it to stabilize as instructed before relying on a reading.
These thermometers are usually built to sit on a shelf. So, you can place it there and close the door.
The thermometer will not occupy much space. To check the reading on the dial, you must open the door.
Read promptly and close the door instead of leaving it open while the compartment warms.
Regular checks help you notice a temperature problem.
Sources: USDA kitchen thermometer guide, FDA refrigerator guidance, ThermoWorks pot-clip thermometer example and GE’s explanation of oven cycling.
