Since our evolution 10 million years ago, humans have found countless ways to get and prepare food. Many of the biggest developments are recent. The discovery of bacteria and viruses in the last few centuries has revolutionized the way we cook today.
Thanks to microbiology, cooks understand the importance of cooking meat to an internal temperature between 145 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The one downside to this is that keeping food safe can require special equipment, in this case, cooking thermometers. We'll discuss some of the best cooking thermometers on the market in this article.
The Importance of Variety
A key thing about cooking thermometers is that one size does not fit all. Many people will swear by a good instant-read thermometer, but long-term thermometers also have their uses. There's a good reason why there are several types of cooking thermometers.
Leave-in thermometers allow you to track the temperature as food cooks. That way you don't have to pull it out of the oven and disrupt the cooking.
We recommend being vigilant when shopping for cooking thermometers. While variety creates many useful products, it also creates some that are lower in quality.
Instant-Read Thermometers
While instant-read cooking thermometers aren't the be-all-end-all of thermometers, they are helpful. They should definitely be part of your kitchen setup. Gauging the temperature of meat within a few seconds is a huge asset when running a restaurant.
This is important because making customers wait too long could cost you your business. Speed is important in commercial cooking, and third behind hygiene and food quality.
Meat Thermometers
Meat thermometers and food thermometers are often used interchangeably, but this isn't accurate. We can sometimes substitute meat thermometers for other cooking thermometers. We shouldn't make a habit of it, though.
Meat thermometers are left in for the whole cooking process. They differ from many cooking thermometers in this way. Some of them even come with a wireless monitor, so you can track the temperature without opening the oven.
Wireless meat thermometers make it easier to track the temperature and prevent foodborne illness.
Candy Thermometer
Though far more specialized, candy thermometers are indispensable when you need them. These thermometers are also known as deep-fry thermometers because they're designed to measure incredibly high temperatures.
Frying food requires the oil to reach temperatures of 375 degrees Fahrenheit, while sugar should be heated to 300 degrees at most. The reason sugar is cooked at such high temperatures is that it needs to go through a chemical change to become malleable. Sugar also turns brown at 300 degrees, which is where caramel comes from.
Meanwhile, food fries faster at higher temperatures and absorbs less oil. Less oil makes the food taste better and makes it slightly healthier. We would still recommend moderation, though.
Cooking Thermometers for Commercial Kitchens
For those who own a restaurant or other food-service business, you'll need to make sure you have the right cooking thermometers. We've discussed just a few of the essential thermometer types in this article, but there's much more to learn.
Feel free to look around our site, and get some of your questions answered.