Cubangirl wrote:
Ok stupid question, but why is it easier than the thermapen? I just got a credit from returning Under Pressure (should have listened to Amy lol) and I hate candy thermometers. I've been using the thermapen for caramels and toffee, but if this is better....I am ready to be enabled.
Consider me your enabler, Alina. For one thing, it's easier because it comes with a clip that attaches to a saucepan and you thread the wire/probe through it . So you don't have to hold anything while the caramel cooks. Plus, it has an alarm. So when I made the sugar syrup, I set it to the temperature I wanted (actually a degree or two lower to give me time to get it off the flame), and then I could ignore it until the alarm went off. It was awesome! The same thing for the ice cream custard. The alarm went off when it hit 40 degrees.
Not to mention another huge help that I haven't used it for yet, and that's setting it to the desired meat temperature when you put it in the oven (you close the oven door on top of the cable that's connected to the meat on one end and to the unit on the counter). This will be huge for me with pork and red meat -- I have to open my oven door a lot in order to not undercook or overcook them, and occasionally I still leave the pork in a few minutes too long.
The one thing that I highly recommend is to get the optional needle probe. That works for sous vide (a world I've not yet entered) as well as thin cuts of meat and more. I really do think it's one of the coolest gadgets I've gotten in ages. Plus even with the needle probe it's twenty bucks cheaper than the Thermapen (which is still of course very useful for checking temps in general).
Emilie