The Thermapen Instant-Read Thermometer Is My Favorite Gift to Give Anyone on Your List
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TOTAL: 93/100
I didn’t really start cooking until my late twenties. Sure, I could whip up a few go-to recipes before then—pasta with roasted broccoli, precooked sausage and a jar of tomato sauce will forever be my go-to easy dinner—but I was long intimidated by more complex recipes, and specifically felt very hesitant cooking meat. How was I supposed to know when the chicken was actually done? Internal temperature is the best way to measure whether meat has been cooked through, but not overcooked, which is a very difficult thing to gauge with a regular thermometer or at a glance. Plus, my crappy NYC apartment had a crappy electric oven that desperately needed to be recalibrated, and so I never quite trusted the cook times listed on various recipes. So takeout and meatless meals became de rigeur until just a few years ago when my husband brought home a Thermapen instant-read thermometer and changed my life forever—and I am not being overly dramatic here.
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ThermoWorks
The Thermapen Classic thermometer is a super simple tool that instantly reads the temperature of anything from steak to poundcake to melted chocolate. The screen is large and bright with equally large numbers to make it easy to read at a glance. It comes with two CR2032 coin batteries that promise 1,500 hours of battery life (and that can be easily replaced once they do eventually die), and automatically turns on and off as you fold out the metal thermometer prong. And for the European crowd, the temperature read-out can be switched from the default Fahrenheit to Celsius instead.
So now when I pull my hot honey-glazed salmon or ginger pork chops out of my different-yet-equally-crappy electric oven, I can know in an instant whether or not they’re cooked to perfection. The Thermapen has eliminated the stress of what might happen if I accidentally undercook chicken or pork (risk of salmonella) and the inevitability of what does happen when I overcook it (tough, dry meat that no one’s happy to eat). It’s given me the confidence to greatly expand my recipe repertoire and become a far more adventurous cook in a way that no other kitchen gadget ever could.
Pre-pandemic, my husband worked as an assistant director on a number of cooking reality shows, some of which featured novices like myself learning the basics and others that highlighted the incredible skills of professional chefs who’d been in the biz for years, maybe even decades. Through exposure to this world, he developed a somewhat unconventional but definitely thorough education in cooking that I’ve benefitted from immensely (both as the recipient of delicious home cooked meals and as a beginner chef). His favorite kitchen tool, bar none, is the Thermapen – and I agree it’s definitely had the biggest impact on my confidence as a cook. I’ve even tried my hand at tempering chocolate, which requires heating then cooling chocolate to a very specific temperature to give it that glorious smooth, glossy finish you see in professional bakeries and keeps it from easily melting in your hands. It’s a super delicate process I never would have attempted without my beloved Thermapen.
At $89, the Thermapen Classic instant-read thermometer is not the cheapest kitchen tool, but I think it’s well worth the splurge for the peace of mind it provides while cooking. And if you’re willing to spend $20 more, the Thermapen ONE ($109) has the added benefits of a rotating display, waterproofing (the classic is described as splashproof) and 2,000 hours of battery life. Since experiencing the life changing magic of tidying up knowing the exact internal temperature of chicken, I’ve bought the Thermapen as a gift for so many friends and family, who agree it’s incredibly useful. So, if you’re looking for something to add to your birthday or Christmas wishlist, a wedding registry or even a gift to give to someone else, this is definitely one to consider.
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