Thermapen - sanitize between readings?

JWF

So I know technically you should clean a thermo after reading an unsafe temp temp before sticking back in to check again, but in practice is there really a risk here? Thinking once the germs from the dirty thermapen hit the meat that's eventually up to temp all will get killed before cool-down. Thoughts? My family hasn't died yet but probably not the best rule to live by!

SkinnyV

Oops never done this, standing by. Then again I'm never raw when it goes in the meat has hit 100+ degrees.

milesvdustin

I usually wipe mine off on a paper towel. Meh.

Tjcoley

I sometimes wipe with a wet paper towel, or if the shirt I'm wearing is going in the laundry, I just run it through my arm pit to wipe it. 

bud812

That is what pant legs are made for.

Dyal_SC

For eggfests, I sanitize it between sticks to be courteous. At home, I just use a paper towel. lol. Haven't died yet either. I do however religiously wash and clean my grilling tongs between flips, especially when grilling poultry.

NPHuskerFL

This is your family &/or guests food so do what ya think is right. I rinse and sanitize when I'm using it at work. At home if it is probing the same piece of meat I'll usually just wipe clean with a clean rag or paper towel. Then clean and sanitize when I'm done.

anton

I wipe mine with a shop towel,or, just strategically place it where the probe isn't touching my grody table between probings, then after cook, isopropyl alcohol wipe down.
:-bd

johnkitchens

I let the dog lick it. No seriously if the temp is way below safe I will sanitize it. If it is pretty close I do the paper towel thing too. 

theyolksonyou

your supposed to clean those things? Damn that explains the explosive diarrhea...

NPHuskerFL

theyolksonyou said:

your supposed to clean those things? Damn that explains the explosive diarrhea...

) ~:> :@) 3:-O :-&

rifrench

I just lick it off, then stick it under the hot water when I get in the house!

Terrebandit

Never thought about it.

NPHuskerFL

Use my sweaty pits. >:)

Botch

rifrench said:

I just lick it off, then stick it under the hot water when I get in the house!

 

Same here, without the hot water.

I live alone, and watch old Julia Child shows on PBS where she flops raw cheekuns all over the kitchen.  Build up your own girly-man immune systems, peeps!  

\m/

paqman

rifrench said:

I just lick it off, then stick it under the hot water when I get in the house!

I lick it, no need to rinse =P~

DMW

As others have mentioned, depends what it is and what the temps are.

These are handy when cooking off-site where facilities are Not readily available.

pgprescott

Yes, of course I don't want to poise myself or others. You can use any number of wipes as shown by @DMW. I use either the ones made by thermoworks or Lysol or Clorox. Always on chicken or raw meats. Also on tongs or other utensils.

stemc33

Wipe it with a paper towel and call it good. When your food hits the desired temp, the minuscule amount of bacteria will be destroyed as the probe enters the meat. Too simple

EggObsessed

Would Clorox Wipes work, or are they not food safe?

apinion

I sanitize mine my licking it. MMMmmm

theyolksonyou

@DMW I saw some of those at the Dr's office...

Froman

I miss the like button!!

SmokeyPitt

I just insert the probe through one of the petals in the daisy wheel for a little while until it reads about 200.

FWIW I do the same thing with tongs if I am cooking hot.  I take off the daisy wheel and stick them down through the top.  The spring loaded tongs will just sorta hold themselves in place and auto-sanitize.  

On a random side note- if you go to one of those Japanese hibachi cook-in-front-of-you places don't watch too closely if you are worried about food safety.  They have no problem moving ice cold chicken around and then flingin a shrimp into your mouth with the same spatula.    

Lit

You gotta lick it, before you stick it

theyolksonyou

like dammit like!

Jeepster47

SmokeyPitt said:

On a random side note- if you go to one of those Japanese hibachi cook-in-front-of-you places don't watch too closely if you are worried about food safety.  They have no problem moving ice cold chicken around and then flingin a shrimp into your mouth with the same spatula.    

And that's this side of the ocean! 

Eat in some of the off the beaten track restaurants in Japan and you just know you're going to die before morning.  Or visit the markets and see how the slaughtered meat is treated ... you'll swear that even a ceramic kiln can not kill the germs incubating on the carcases hanging in the sun.  Yet, they have one of the longest lifespans in the world ... go figure. 

Lit

They're skinny cause they **** their brains out after every bout of food poisoning.

caliking

paqman said:

rifrench said:

I just lick it off, then stick it under the hot water when I get in the house!

I lick it, no need to rinse =P~

+1

Fred19Flintstone

Thermapen gets a paper towel wipe between sticks and I sanitize with isopropyl alcohol or a Lysol or Clorox wipe in a pinch afterward. Nobody has died yet. I use a couple of tongs. One for the flip and one to pull it off. The raw meat goes on by hand that's usually gloved.

dstearn

I just rinse the Therapen under hot water after each use and wipe with a paper towel.