A Mega Weapon in the Barbecue Arsenal

Faster than a speeding bullet...

I hate sitting at a grill (or in front of a stove) with heat rapidly escaping while the meat thermometer slowly makes its way toward its temperature reading. I mean, how many times have you sat there while the reading slowly comes to a stop like that wheel on The Price is Right? When you finally do get the ready you still don't feel comfortable that it's what it says is.

Like a lot of people who cook at home, I have a kitchen gizmo fetish. Actually, I've gotten away from a lot of the frivolous less versatile stuff and delved into the more practical workhorse type items. Fed up with the temperature guessing game I decided to make the leap. Kenji Lopez-Alt who writes for the Food Lab on Serious Eats, has been raving about the Thermapen for a while. His praise of this thermometer couldn't be much higher.

This devise is absolutely off the chain. Temperature readings arrive in 3 seconds with a tolerance of .7°F with a range of -58°F to 392°F. With a regular thermometer you're never really sure exactly sure what the final temperature is because the reading never seems to stop moving. With readings that are within a .1° tolerance, if the number moves a little you're basically splitting hairs on a 1/10th of a degree. You really have to see it to believe it.

This is a barbecue mainstay. Next time you watch BBQ Pitmasters (how funny was last week's episode with the BBQ Pimp?), there's a very good chance you'll see these being used. Nothing sucks works than cooking pork shoulder or chicken watching your pit temperature plummet while the cheap-o thermometer does the "number dance". In three seconds you've got your reading and the lid shut. Done deal.

You're probably wondering, "Well that's great, but why would I spend $100 on a thermometer?" Currently, the older models are going for about 80% of their new value on Ebay. My thought is that between the retention of value and the cost of a couple of ruined pieces of meat from using a shitty thermometer - I think the Thermapen is a no brainer.

This whole thing is obviously predicated on whether or not you've got the spare change to blow on such things. Since I have no children I'm able to use my daycare money on stuff like this. You may even like what you have already - which is fine, too. However, if you are thinking about getting one now is the time to do it. For a limited time the price has been reduced to $89 with free shipping. Up to this point, it's the cheapest price I've ever seen on one of these new splash-proof models. Here is the link.

This is Food Lab's Take Here.