Why a meat thermometer is a cook's best friend

Time to stop poking and start probing instead.

Source: E+ / Getty Images

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw's fourth season airs weeknights on SBS Food(Ch.33) at 7.00pm. All episodes available anytime on SBS On Demand. --- 

 

You've probably got a drawer full of kitchen gadgets you barely ever use, but a meat thermometer shouldn't be one of them.

A thermometer is the easiest way of accurately checking that your meat is cooked (a) exactly how you like it and (b) to a temperature that's safe to eat (according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand, that's over 60 degrees Celsius)?

Ross Lusted, owner and chef at Woodcut has worked in large kitchens where the exact temperature of meat is critical. "Every item that is delivered has to have a recorded core temperature... and temperatures are taken at every production step for liability as well as best practice," he says.

If you want a steak Diane to tell you her secrets, you need to probe. Source: Kitti Gould

Get Adam's recipe here.

While this level of fastidiousness isn't required by the home cook, it does bring to light just how important meat temperature is for food safety. If you're cutting into the side of your steak to check for 'doneness', step away from the knife.

Firstly, you're actually releasing moisture and flavour every time you do that. Secondly, lighting can really change the way meat looks, so a visual isn't a good indication of doneness. Thirdly, most cuts of meat need to rest following the cooking time. The resting process relaxes the meat, redistributing the juices and making it more tender. Your meat will keep cooking in its own heat while it rests - so exactly how often are you poking around or cutting into your meat to know that it's 'done'?

Kill the cut - you need a meat thermometer in your life. And if you want to be completely certain, you'd better make it the chefs' favourite, a Thermapen. 

"Thermapen are very accurate, as well as giving a very immediate real-time temperature," says Ross. "They take quite a beating in a commercial environment, so longevity is important."

He'd recommend that anyone who enjoys cooking meat, especially baking or fermenting, go straight for this big gun when considering a meat thermometer. "They are expensive, but it is a tool... that will perform well for many years."

For a home cook, there are plenty of alternative brands that sell foldable pen thermometers for a fraction of the price.

Keep your crispy pork belly out of the red. Source: Brett Stevens

Find the recipe here.

Pip Pratt, Bistecca head chef has been using a Thermapen since the steak specialist restaurant opened six years ago. "Before that we just used a thin metal skewer and touched our top lip," Pip explains. "This worked for me, but it was difficult to teach others consistency when cooking a large amount of steaks at Bistecca. 

"I would recommend them to anyone cooking at home who wants to take out the guess work of "is it done?" and generally speed up and better their skills at home."

 

So, without a doubt, it's time to put the knife away and probe your meat instead. Your dinner guests will thank you for it.