Surprise (or maybe not): even if you don't cook by profession, you will discover that i thermometers Food is a tool extremely useful, if not even essential. Temperature control during cooking is an essential step in many recipes. Who knows temper the chocolate, to bake with sourdough or to prepare flawless caramel, a super lover of cooking in short, he knows it and surely already have their faithful measuring instrument, maybe more than one.
There are those who are still there USA – and with satisfactory results – the many precautions passed from generation to generation, especially for the perfect roast: here they are putting a knife or one toothpick in the meat, check the color, feel it with fingertips. Everything is fine, but the technique also evolves in the kitchen, and in the end the most reliable method to get an idea of the degree of cooking is its control through a – precise – measurement.
The perfect oven does not exist
Also because, it must be said, the temperature in the oven is NEVER constant. Even in the most modern and expensive ovens, even in professional ones. Even in your beloved oven that you now know as your hand. When you set one temperature, actually this varies over time: the oven starts with a higher temperature than the one you set to then lower it to reach the required degrees, then it goes down too much and heats up to return to the desired one: everything translates into a curve sinusoidal which shows temperature fluctuations around +/- 20 ° during your cooking. Furthermore, there is no oven point that has the exact same temperature as another.
A tip to minimize these fluctuations is to always warm your oven at least an hour before to bake. The temperature will be more stable and the quality of the results better. Seeing is believing.
A valid help also comes from oven thermometer: it measures the temperature inside while cooking your dishes (not the food you're cooking). It is made of stainless steel, with a hook to hang it on the grill; always keep it in the oven if you want, but remember to clean it occasionally because it gets dirty with the fat being cooked. It goes from 50 to 350 ° C.
A thermometer is also very useful to check that the refrigerator and freezer temperatures they are suitable for storing the most perishable foods such as meat and fish (especially if the power has gone off and you want to know if the food has remained well cooled or frozen or if you have to throw it all away).
When a thermometer is really necessary
Established that it is always useful to be able to check the exact temperature of the oven or freezer, and that the cooking of meat and fish gains a great deal, there are many other preparations where a precise temperature control is of fundamental importance, and one cannot ignore the use of a suitable thermometer:
- in frying (the oil temperature must be checked)
- for the merger of the sugar and the preparation of caramel
- to check the temperature of leavened, in particular it is mandatory in the processing of important leavenings such as the panettone or the dove
- to temper the chocolate
- in the preparation of yogurt
and, as the true gourmands will know, a thermometer is also appropriate
- for serve wine and beer at the correct temperature
- to serve the cheeses
- in the preparation of a real English tea
Ok we are convinced: but which thermometer to choose?
Not all kitchen thermometers are the same. Generally they are divided into two main categories – thermometers by contact (insert) and thermometers without contact (infrared). The first, the most common, are further divided into four large sub-types:
1_Thermometer from temperature to heart (or from roasts)
If you are on the first thermometer, this can be a good starting point.
Through a metal probe (a 10-15 cm long pin), you can get to the central point of the preparation and check its core temperature. Insert it directly into the piece of meat to quickly check the internal temperature, then remove it.
Some are designed to withstand the heat of the oven, while others are not heat resistant, and should only be used for a quick check during cooking. Always check.
The most classic are analogical, with a slightly retro dial with temperatures and indications on the degree of cooking, but always efficient (often designed specifically for roasts. If you want, find here cooking temperatures at the heart of roasts). Allow about 20 seconds to elapse from the time of insertion to the temperature reading. These thermometers usually measure temperatures from 50 to 130 ° and are inexpensive.
For an accurate reading, always thread the thermometer on the fleshier and less oily part of the piece of meat, away from the bone. In the case of whole poultry, thread the probe where the thigh attaches to the trunk, because it is an area of thick pulp that takes longer to cook. Thin foods like hamburgers, chicken breasts or pork chops require the insertion from the side, horizontally.
Do not prick the meat too often to avoid letting too many juices out.
2_Thermometer with probe
Generally it is in digital version and warns you with an acoustic signal when the temperature is at the right point. If fitted with wire probe, this thermometer allows you to use it even in the lit oven to control the temperature at the core of the preparation (in the oven there is a needle sticked in the meat and the actual measuring unit remains outside, connected to the probe by the cable, resistant to heat).
Often these thermometers can measure temperatures from below zero up to 250-300 °, which makes them very versatile, also excellent for leavened products, for caramelize the sugar, for jams, for the Italian meringue is for fries. It is a tool worth investing a few euros more, because you can use it for many preparations.
These thermometers, battery operated and therefore portable, are also essential in the outdoor kitchen (barbecue is grilling).
3_Thermometer for frying
Very useful for those who do not use the fryer. A correct oil temperature allows to obtain crispy and tasty fried and at the same time delicate; moreover, the temperature control allows to maintain the nutritive principles and the organoleptic characteristics of the oil, avoiding to burn the fatty acids with great health gain. The specific thermometers for frying are designed with a clip to stop them on the edges of pots and pans, so as to constantly keep the oil temperature under control: to keep it constant, it will therefore be sufficient to raise or lower the fire according to the detection.
Ideal if you have to fry more mandates of different foods, with different frying temperatures, or for double fried foods, such as those required by chips and donuts.
4_ Sugar thermometer (or caramelometer)
It is similar to the "old" fever thermometer (but no mercury!). About 30 cm long, it is often made of glass protected by a stainless steel cage to prevent it from breaking; simply hook it to the edge of the pan. Some are equipped with a special hook that supports them vertically in the center of the pan, facilitating mixing during cooking.
Useful tool for measuring sugar temperature and for the caramel preparation, is also used for the liquid temperature measurement such as syrups, tea or milk (for babies or if you make cheese). It goes from 70-80 to 180-200 °. In the case of sugar, remember that few degrees of difference are enough to change the state.
Remember to never add cold ingredients or even at room temperature with hot caramel, to avoid splashing dangerous: in case you prepare creams like toffee or salted caramel, heat cream or milk well before adding them to caramel.
Also by contact, there are then the most specific
5_Thermometer for chocolate
This is also similar to the classic home thermometer, but is made of high heat resistant plastic. By immersion, it is perfect for those who want to try their hand at home with conching and for those who want temper the chocolate. Extremely accurate, it allows to measure temperatures from -20 ° to + 50 °.
The chocolate is preserved at an ideal temperature of 15-20 °; home-made tolerates the 26th. But don't put it in the fridge or buy the typical white patina, given by the cocoa butter that emerges.
6_Thermometer for leavening
Even if you do not usually throw on important leavened but love baking, to control the leavening temperature and calculate the correct times you need a thermometer. Those of you who delight in bread and sweets will know that bakery and pastry are an exact science (it is necessary to measure the temperature of the water, of the flour, of the room where the leavening and that of the final leavened dough will take place) and probably will already have its faithful thermometer. For a good start of the yeasts, the dough is in fact "closed" around 25-26 °. If you use sourdough, know that too low temperatures will slow it down, making it inactive.
If you knead a leavened cake by hand, dissolve the yeast in a liquid (water or milk) whose maximum temperature must be 40 °. There leavened it must take place in a warm place, within 30 °; if the temperature is too high it will be “accelerated”, with the consequent risk of bacterial contamination and of developing an acid taste in the product that will remain even after cooking.
If you prepare the panettone, remember that it is essential never to exceed the 26 ° of dough temperature (so as not to ruin the gluten mesh).
7_Thermometer of wine
The control of serving temperature of a wine it is important to better appreciate its features and qualities. These thermometers are simple to see, sometimes decorated with a funny "barrel" as a knob.
The wine thermometer is the ideal gift for passionate friends because it often comes in elegant packaging. Connoisseurs and new sommeliers will appreciate the liquid crystal wine thermometer, a band that "embraces" the belly of the bottle.
According to the AIS, the Italian Sommelier Association, these are the optimal service temperatures of the wines:
Dry sparkling wines 4-6 °
Sweet sparkling wines and sparkling wines 6-8 °
Young white and rosé wines 8-10 °
Structured white wines, raisin wines and white liqueurs 10-12 °
Structured rose wines and delicate red wines with low tannins 12-14 °
Red wines of medium structure and tannins, passito wines and red liqueurs 14-16 °
Advanced red wines of great structure and tannins 16-18 °
8_Thermometer for yogurt
It consists of a classic probe that ends in a small digital thermometer, to be used in immersion. To have one optimal yoghurt fermentation homemade 40-45 ° are required. If you make the cheese, it is ideal for measuring the temperature of the milk. The cost is generally low.
THE contactless thermometers they are usually professional tools; they carry out the temperature measurement without coming into contact with food, but by recording the infrared radiation emitted by a body. Digital infrared thermometers are also called pyrometers.
There are also lasers: both types allow you to check the temperature of surfaces without touching them (but they must not be too shiny).
However, they do not work for measurements through a glass, for example the door of the home oven. They are used for the pizza oven, for the pots, to measure the temperature of water and the outside of food being cooked. There are also digital infrared thermometers with a built-in probe for measuring internal food temperatures.
Cleaning and care of food thermometers
No one likes to use a dirty or rusty thermometer, not to mention hygiene problems.
Immediately after each use, wash the metal probe of your food thermometer with simple hot water and soap, and clean the rest of the thermometer from any grease splashes with a sanitizing solution for food.
In the case of sugar thermometers, fix them on the edge of a pot with boiling water and let it go for a while, so as to eliminate any residual sugar; if you have used a probe thermometer to caramelize or otherwise, just dip the metal needle into the pan.
Do not forget to turn off digital thermometers to preserve battery life; when you put down your thermometer, make sure that every part is completely dry to prevent rust.
A thermometer is useful only if precise: if you are not sure of the precision of your food thermometer do the test putting it in water and ice or boiling water. In the first case (ice water) the thermometer should register a measurement of 0 °, in the second (boiling water), of 100 °.
Learning to use thermometers in the kitchen allows you to work by reducing stress, avoiding many mistakes, achieving great results … and making us feel like a chef.
Francesca Tagliabue
Photo by Rebecca Smith / Flickr.com
November 2016
updated in April 2019
from Aurora Quinto
DISCOVER THE COOKING COURSES OF SALT & PEPE
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