I am an experienced cook and use one to produce consistent, on-target results. It more often prevents over-cooking, not under-cooking.
Yes. Especially for chicken breasts. It’s easy enough to know for sure they’re done, but they’re much easier to eat as soon as they hit 155F. My immune system has never questioned my chicken, but my taste buds are very thankful for the meat thermometer.
Interesting. I heard that chicken needs to be cooked to 165F. Do you let it rest (and does that get it to eventually reach 165F?)
I just want juicy chicken that won’t give me diarrhea!
I always heard 165 too, but I looked at the chart on the meat thermometer and it said 155 for breast. I tried it out and it’s much juicer.
TIL!! Thank you
I meant to reply directly to you: https://lemmy.world/comment/17040636
Yes, on the rare occasion I cook meat. Too unpracticed otherwise. I originally got one because I’m colorblind and was scared of undercooking red meat and tired of eating leather. As a bonus, I used it to get the temperature right when I got into fancier teas and inadvertently trained myself to judge the temperature of water pouring into my mug by the sound it makes within a couple °C, which is kinda neat. Now, if I could figure out how to do something similar so I stop overcooking food, that’d be grand…
Yes! There wasn’t a lot of meat prepared in my house as I was growing up, so I didn’t get any experience with it. Having a meat thermometer means I don’t need to guess. It’s good.
I’ve started cooking meat a lil cooler than recommended, in theory that it’s more tender. With a meat thermometer I know it’s still good.
Only for chicken, for salmonella reasons, and steak, because I’m terrible at judging doneness without it.
Yes. It will tell you what’s happening where your eyes cannot see.
Yes, vitally important when running a grill. I have one with 4 probes, one measures grill temp and 3 for meats.
My SO bought something like this, used it twice, and never again. I find it to be kind of a pain in the ass and have never used it. But I mostly grill shrimp or fish.
Shrimp and fish are a little different since you need to be sure they’re done. There is no “medium rare” for shrimp. :)
Tell that to the Japanese!
But I mostly agree.
There’s also the old saying “lookin’s not cookin’!”
You need to know the temps with the grill lid closed. ;)
They even have wireless ones now!
Yes, I have several of various types and use them extensively.
They are not necessary to cook, they are necessary to cook consistently.
Every time.
Perpetually, when cooking meat.
If I’m grilling I do.
I also use one for the bathtub for my toddlers bath. Haha
Yes, but never for meat. I use it when I make toffee, bake bread and some other things.
Hell yeah, if I didn’t everything would come out of my kitchen double well done.
I am a proponent of meet thermometers, but I have to wonder if perhaps you might have considered not cooking things quite as long?
I’m disabled in my brain so that doesn’t really happen for various reasons
No
Yep, I am absolutely crap when it comes to judging the doneness of meat. I’ll often over or under cook without one.
It also It makes things a lot less stressful when I cook. Rather than constantly going to the kitchen and checking if the roast (or whatever) is ready I just have a wireless thermometer I can look at while I play video games, read or something.
