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BGE Instant read

BajaTom
BajaTom Posts: 1,269
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Anyone using the BGE instant read thermometers? Thanks for any info. Good luck to all.

Comments

  • RVH
    RVH Posts: 523
    If it is the one that only LOOKs like a Thermapen, don't waste your money.
  • hornhonk
    hornhonk Posts: 3,841
    It will give you the temp, but your hand will be well-done by then! Listen to RVH.
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    To elaborate a bit - it is instant read and not instant results.

    It begins reading the temp instantly, but takes several seconds longer than the thermapen to reach the actual final temp reading.
  • I use one and it does the job, but it is slow and if you are cooking semi hot 400+ then you better put on a glove and make sure the thermometer is being blocked by the meat or it won't read at all. I got mine for free but wouldn't buy one.
  • doubleA
    doubleA Posts: 20
    I have a CDN instant read thermometer... I use it all the time!! Reads fast and accurate. I use it for beer brewing and cooking. Cheap and accurate.

    http://www.amazon.com/Component-Design-DTQ450-ProAccurate-Thermometer/dp/B00064BCPM
  • Ahhhhaa, but I'll bet it is good for searing in the juices on a hamburger. :woohoo:
  • RVH
    RVH Posts: 523
    Fidel wrote:
    To elaborate a bit - it is instant read and not instant results.

    Now that is truly funny. I hadn't thought about it quite like that. :laugh:

    My BGE thermo takes about 25 seconds to give a final reading, as opposed to the two-three seconds for the Thermapen.
  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    Tom, I've been using one for years with great results, but it does take more effort. As everyone has said above, it does take much longer, but a quick pre-heat by holding the probe above the dome & you can cut the 20-25 second read down to 2-3 seconds

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=755578&catid=1
    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • Somehow I don't find this to be a $100 plus problem.

    It's nice to have a Mercedes or a BMW, but I really don't need one to get across town on time.

    The BGE Instant Read thermometer reads very quickly to within 4 or 5 degrees of the final temperature.....only to slow down considerably in order to record the last few degrees.

    If it reads 135 within 5 seconds, I'll assume the tested meat to be 140. No big deal. Yank that puppy out of the meat and be done with it.

    Five degrees is a hell of a lot closer than the "finger press" technique practiced by world class chefs everyhere.

    It's nice to own the best, but very often, middle ground is good enough.

    Sorry, I don't buy into the theory that a piece of meat cooked exactly to XXX degrees is superior to a piece of meat cooked to XXX degrees plus or minus 5 degrees.

    My suggestion is to stick a BGE Instant Read into a piece of meat....record the temperature after 5 seconds.....and then leave the thermometer in the meat.

    Record the temperature after 10 seconds...even as much as 15 seconds, if your fire doesn't equal Mt. Vesuvius.
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    While I might agree with a few of your points on some level, by your logic you could also cook the same piece of meat on a $15 throw away aluminum grill and cheap briquettes, no? So why not save yourself $700 and forgo the BGE altogether?

    And I would certainly argue that a 5 degree difference does make a of discernible difference in several cuts of meat - especially fish. A thin cut of fish can rise several degrees just while you're waiting for that final reading.

    Those world class chefs may use that "finger press" technique - but through training and (to a much greater degree) experience, they know precisely what they are looking for in each thing they are cooking.

    But to each his own.
  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    I gotta stand with Fidel on this one...many of those "world class chefs" have been captured on tv using a thermapen..the touch method is certainly a learned art...we spend roughly $1000 every fest we attend...an $80 thermapen is certainly not a benz or beemer in the grand scheme of things when put into perspective..if your happy with your 30 second read..then just keep on keepin on..
  • Good points and I agree. I love my Thermapen. Well worth the cost.
  • BajaTom
    BajaTom Posts: 1,269
    Thanks for the feedback. The reason I asked for the feedback was the cost diffrencem between the two. Good luck to all.