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Instant-Read Thermometers & Timers:
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Buy one of those, once the temp of the center of the chicken is 165 degrees F then it's good to eat. Don't go by the color of the outside of the chicken, that doesn't tell you anything.
Thermapen's too rich for my blood but the twelve buck instant-read thermometer was a pretty good investment.
My waterstones. Especially 200,800,1000, and 4000 grit. My 8000 grit stone was a vanity purchase, not an investment.
You could just learn how to make them at home. That's what I did.
Tools needed.
Weber kettle 18inch or larger(or you can sear with a chimney charcoal starter)(blue bags of Kingsford are on sale every grilling holiday over the summer for $5/bag at Lowe's and home Depot) don't use match light, use a chimney with a lighter cube or alternative
Slow n sear, this is needed if you want to sear without the charcoal starter.(YouTube the cold grate technique) you want end to end brown on the outside, not sear marks from the grate and gray between the marks.
A proper thermometer (thermopop$30 or thermapen $60+ ) I had this one on Amazon and it was accurate https://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X-Thin-Tip-Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2?keywords=cdn+thermometer&qid=1537113187&sr=8-3&ref=mp_s_a_1_3
Learning how and where to buy steak. Personality I buy an upper choice grade or prime for $15/pound my wife and I split a 1-1&1/3 pound steak every Friday night.
Edit: you can YouTube and Google all the keywords I gave, there is lots of information out there. I think the cold grate technique video gives a great example of how to reverse sear a steak. But all the tools in the world can't turn a bad steak into a good one, focus on buying a proper steak, then focus on how to properly sear.
Not to freak you out too much, but you can get this superpower for 12 dollars
I use this cheap ThermoPro. Works just fine for home cooking.
Accurate accurate to ±0.9F in 3-5 secs. Backlight on one press, and magnet on the back to put on the fridge.
As for thermometers, I got this one from Amazon and have loved it. Cheap and accurate. Used to have an analog thermometer and it was impossible to get a good reading through the steam of the water/wort
It's a necessity. Both a good probe for instant reads (something like this) and something you can leave in while you bake (I use and really like this) are must-haves. I swear I don't work for ThermPro and I'm not a shill. They're just the cheapest options on Amazon and I find they work great and hold up.
Exactly. It doesn't need to be an expensive Thermapen (which I have, and love), but a quick instant read is very critical to have IMHO. You can make perfectly cooked food, without the stress.
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I haven't tried that specifically, but I've had another one that was around that price range. They are good enough to get the job done, and they are fast. 2s read time is just great for when you need to quickly check if it needs a few minutes or not.
1) Weber Kettle - $165 on Amazon (The one without the ashcatcher is cheaper, but the ashcatcher is worth it...especially for a newbie)
2) Chimney Starter - $20 bucks or less
3) Box of weber starter cubes - $4
4) Inexpensive Digital Meat Thermometer - $20 bucks or so
This puts you just over your 200 dollar budget, but the Thermometer is a must especially for a grilling novice. Having a thermometer takes all the guesswork out of cooking. You can print out a temperature guide for meats...and then instead of trying to time things, all he has to do is check the temp and pull it off once he hits his target.
A kettle will survive in the elements a hell of a lot better than a cheap propane grill, and they are pretty simple to keep clean.
I have a cheap $14 Thermopro off Amazon and I have zero complaints. It works fast and feels relatively sturdy. If it breaks on me, I may replace it with a thermopen, but so far I’ve had no trouble. I am someone who babies their possessions, though, so if you are harder on your tools, the more expensive option may be better for you. If $14 feels like a low risk spend, I’d advise you to gamble on the cheap version.
Just make sure your tea is 60c or lower when you drink it. You can get a cheap cooking thermometer to check pretty easily. If you want to cool it down faster, add milk or pour it between different containers after it's steeped to your liking.
Also, if I understand the study correctly, this risk only applies to people drinking more than 700ml per day of >60c tea. So if you only drink a cup (250ml) a day of hot tea you should be okay too.
Even at 700ml+ with temps above 60c, the increased risk isn't that significant. A 90% increased risk isn't even twice as much as people who don't drink hot beverages. That's like the difference between a 0.004% risk of getting esophegal cancer and an 0.008% risk (made up numbers, but hopefully this puts things into perspective).
My latest thermometer purchase was this. It's pretty decent and I bought it because it's slightly faster than the thermopop but to be honest, I probably should've just bought a thermopop
I would add that I've got this one and I've tested it, it's accurate and quick to read. Not as quick as a Thermapen,, but it's a fraction of the price.
Cooking doesn’t have to be too scary! I noticed your comment about not knowing what temperature to cook things to. One easy way to start learning is to cut whatever your cooking into evenly sized pieces and start from there. Sautee some pieces of chicken in a pan on medium heat and don’t mess with them too much - you can pull out a piece every now and then to check how done it is (cut it in half!) and put it back in the pan if it’s not done yet. It’s a good way to learn how quickly your food cooks. You could also get a meat thermometer . They are like $20 and an excellent investment - I wish I had mine sooner because it takes the guesswork out! You’ll just have to keep a chart handy for internal cooking temps.
Other than that, I echo everyone else’s sentiments. Start with easy starches like rice and pasta. You can add literally anything to them and they’ll taste great. This might be a good place to start to build a basic grocery list.
You’re going to do awesome. At the end of the day you just have to cook well enough to keep yourself alive! It’ll all go up from there. Good luck with finals!!!
Right, you have to cut and splice. I recently bought the 310T-B and the probe is hard-wired as well but they have an optional 12" probe that includes a 3.5mm mono connection. So if it really is just a bad probe, for the price of the 12" probe and a few minutes of cutting and splicing, you'd have another working temp controller (assuming they didn't ask you to return the malfunctioning one).
InkBird link: http://www.ink-bird.com/products-accessory-12in-Sensor.html Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A6DIPFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5MrAAb95ZVQ9Z
Can’t go wrong with the top reviewed one on Amazon. My first one (another company) was trash. This one is great.
ThermoPro TP03A Digital Food Cooking Thermometer Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Kitchen BBQ Grill Smoker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IHHLB3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dw4IAbKJTFCER
I have two thermometers of different brands like these: https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-TP03A-Digital-Instant-Thermometer/dp/B01IHHLB3W/
They both still work very well and I wouldn't pay more for one, if I had to pay more I'd get one that can be monitored remotely like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Thermometer-Bluetooth-Grilling-Carrying-Included/dp/B075L7V6NZ/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=meat+thermometer+android&qid=1551422020&s=gateway&sr=8-6
I have a waterproof instant-read kitchen thermometer. Stick the pointy end in the water and read the temperature. Very fast and accurate! I don't usually take it with me on the swim though. Something like this one:
Get a meat thermometer like this one and you will never again have to question if your chicken or any other meat is undercooked. It's got a pretty nice feature set for being under $20, it's accurate, measures temps quickly, and has a magnet on it so you can stick it to your fridge and never have to go searching for it when you need it.
I’ve used a ThermoPro TP19H for a year or two with no difficulties. $17.99 USD at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Thermometer-Grilling-Waterproof-Ambidextrous/dp/B07XXSYLL8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2OKP077M2D9LU&keywords=thermopro+meat+thermometer&qid=1660381560&sprefix=thermop%2Caps%2C318&sr=8-3
I feel attacked.
My ThermoPro has lasted me 3 years so far with no problems and I don't even know how many times I've replaced the battery in this old Sysco one I got at a job like 7 years ago.
Would this one be a decent one as I already have this one?
Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer - Waterproof Kitchen Food Cooking Thermometer with Backlight LCD - Best Super Fast Electric Meat Thermometer Probe for BBQ Grilling Smoker Baking Turkey https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B079DRC97N/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_904A0J1G9EX6W13GRCD4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
All my chefs from culinary school recommend these ones. Used to be 15 bucks, but they're still half the price of the thermopen. And you can calibrate them.
Comark Instruments | PDT300 | Waterproof Pocket Digital Thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U59MDA/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_RY0VXYH1HPMXJR4KJAEW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Had this one for a couple years. Really is instant and I love it. Use it for almost every meal.
KIZEN Digital Meat Thermometer with Probe - Waterproof, Kitchen Instant Read Food Thermometer for Cooking, Baking, Liquids, Candy, Grilling BBQ & Air Fryer - Black/White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073KYTWGB/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_S5YC8MGQG7M9AEQCM6D1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is exactly right. Worth investing $15 in a digital probe thermometer, they are very handy to have around.
Get a meat thermometer. It is the only way to cook meat. There's no guess work. I love this one. It comes ready to use and they even include an extra battery, and it has a hidden magnet. Mine is stuck to my stove by the knobs. Super convenient.
Found the one I got her! It also shows the temperatures of "cooked" meats on the thermometer itself, which is nice. It has some other buttons for when you want to do fancier things but it doesn't take any work to get it to do the basics of just measuring the temperature. I'm not sure if it's available in all countries. It's definitely not a super high quality item, but you can also try looking at cooking stores in your area for digital ones.
KIZEN Digital Meat Thermometer with Probe - Waterproof, Kitchen Instant Read Food Thermometer
I have the ThermoPro TP18. Amazon for 20$. My favorite thermometer right now. Super fast read. Not expensive.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0793MSG7S/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Pretty sure that is a reaction to sudden temp change. Highly suggest you use an instant digital thermometer. I bought this one on Amazon for $15 and I love it, ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer for Cooking with Ambidextrous Backlit and Motion Sensing Kitchen Cooking Food Thermometer for BBQ Grill Smoker Oil Fry Candy Instant Read Thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XXSYLL8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_PMAGZQ6P1EB2DNHBWEYY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1.
Using your hand to test water just isn’t accurate and it’s pretty important to fish to have same water temp.