Thermapen cleaning

rholt · January 9

So I just got my new thermapen which is incredibly awesome. My question is if people grill with Clorox wipes right next to the egg? Is that what most people use or what? I don't want to contaminate done chicken with un-done chicken. Thanks.

Mickey · January 9

Not sure, never cleaned it unless you count wiping off on shorts.

rholt · January 9

What about your undercooked chicken juices?

bboulier · January 9

After checking meat or poultry that is still in the hazard zone, I wash it inside with soap and water.

Pork's USDA temperature minimum is 145 degrees. I was brought up on well done pork, so I cook to 170 on pork roasts. But, you could probably omit washing the probe once you get above 145.

njl · January 9

Wouldn't just sticking it back into the meat at a safer higher temp be ok? i.e. any microbes on it that would be killed at the done temp are killed when you find the meat is done? I've never really considered it...but stuck it into steaks the other night that were only 105F the first time, but eventually read around 130F.

rholt · January 9

I too have wondered about reinserting in cooked places later on. It could also go both ways I guess where it would put salmonella juice in an otherwise good piece of meat?

Skiddymarker · January 9

I'm with Mickey, I just wipe it off, sometimes my shorts, sometimes a paper towel. After a cook I always give it a quick wipe with soap and rinse it off.

The other thing is to not complete close it, the clip for the probe tip can be contaminated.

MaskedMarvel · January 9

I homebrew, so I always have a spray bottle of StarSan around. It sanitizes anything in about seven seconds and is foodsafe/no rinse/doesn't bleach your clothes. It also can be reused and keeps forever, so a jug goes a long way.

About $15 for a bottle that makes many many gallons at your LHBS..

Try the discount code "EGG" when you buy it - you never know...

MrCookingNurse · January 9

Just lick it off

hartofatiger · January 9

Just rinse in between temp checks, and yes a clorox wipe after final temp check per instructions on thermapen.

yzzi · January 9

I keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol around to clean probes and boning knives.

Chubbs · January 9

I have never thought about it, I just run it under the water and wipe it off. Save the anxiety for something else.

Eggcelsior · January 9

I leave it open and wash off(soap and water) any solids, then wipe it with a lysol wipe. I let this sit for a minute or two and then wash it again. I let it sit until I start clean-up because I use the lysol wipe anyway to wipe down my counter tops.

mwraulst · January 9

i clean with the alcohol wipes for hand sanitizing. I don't think bleach is the best alternative. also brew beer and essentially that fancy sanitizer is oxyclean. Look at the active ingredients on the back of both products. buy some powered oxyclean (regular version) mix a little with water and you can safely clean anything food grade.

SmokeyPitt · January 9

My egg is outside just steps away from my kitchen sink, so I always take it in and wash it if I probe meat that has not yet reached a safe temperature.

Griffin · January 9

I just stick it in my bourbon and stir it around a couple of times.

(obviously I'm kidding. Or maybe that's not so obvious)

Eggcelsior · January 9

Griffin said:

I just stick it in my bourbon and stir it around a couple of times.

(obviously I'm kidding. Or maybe that's not so obvious)

You should probably go with a high-proof bourbon, like George T Stagg or Booker.

Although, I don't think I would denigrate those with chicken drippings

;)

Griffin · January 9

Wild Turkey 101 is plenty strong enough to kill off some wimpy salmonella. :))

Skiddymarker · January 9

Griffin said:

I just stick it in my bourbon and stir it around a couple of times.

(obviously I'm kidding. Or maybe that's not so obvious)

Sounds like a John Wayne "duster" movie where the sawbones disinfects the Bowie knife he is about to use for chest surgery with a bottle of rot gut....

Other than leaving some debris in the bourbon, this is a good plan and a great excuse to aways have a full glass on hand.

I can hear it now - "Have to top up my drink dear, I'm just going out to check the temperature of the chicken".

fishlessman · January 9

i just go with the assumption that most of the bad bugs are on the surface of the meat and have already been cooked by the time i slip the thermapen into the safer interior meat. wipe it clean afterwards on my pants and scrape anything stuck on it off at the next cook. maybe its a bad assumption but ive survived this long so far
:))

Cuda1965 · January 9

They only thing I would worry about wiping the thermapen with a clorox wipe right before you use it again is you may get bleach on your food. Probably not a lot though

BENTE · January 9

i had this same question several years ago and ended up with no answer. then one day i said to my self "self why dont you look at target" so i went to target and in the phermacy they have alcohol swabs for use by diabetics (sp). they are single use end small. they come 100 or 200 to a box. i now have the two hundred count. it think i spen a whole 3 bucks on 200.

HTH

SMITTYtheSMOKER · January 9

Chubbs said:

... Save the anxiety for something else.

I like that, so true.

liquidicem · January 9

mwraulst said:

i clean with the alcohol wipes for hand sanitizing. I don't think bleach is the best alternative. also brew beer and essentially that fancy sanitizer is oxyclean. Look at the active ingredients on the back of both products. buy some powered oxyclean (regular version) mix a little with water and you can safely clean anything food grade.

Sanitizer and cleaner are not the same thing. The active ingredients in Starsan are Dodecylbenzenesulfonic Acid - 300ppm and Phosphoric Acid - 780ppm. The active ingredients in Oxyclean are sodium percarbonate (Na₂CO₃•H₂O₂), an adduct of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Very different stuff.

On topic. I usually just rinse mine off between uses if I think about it and wash it up with soap and water at the end of a cook. I really don't worry about it too much.

rholt · January 9

Cool beans. Thanks all. I have a package of those little single use alcohol wipes and I will give them a go. Fingers crossed for a better chicken showing later this week.

mwraulst · January 9

Sanitizer and cleaner are not the same thing. The active ingredients in Starsan are Dodecylbenzenesulfonic Acid - 300ppm and Phosphoric Acid - 780ppm. The active ingredients in Oxyclean are sodium percarbonate (Na₂CO₃•H₂O₂), an adduct of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Very different stuff.

I began brewing santizing with b brite sanitizer nearly 10 years ago, the active ingredient is exactly sodium percabonate. The stuff you speak of is indeed different, it's acid based and mainly used by brewers that have brew rigs with welds that can't be disassembled or commercial outfits. I've never had a batch ruin due to my sanitzer, which i switched to oxyclean 9 years ago after discovering they had the same active ingredient. I also clean all of my tap lines, fermenters, air locks, and pumps with it.

not all sanitizers are acidic & not all cleaners are hydrogen peroxide. I'd rather have residue of hydrogen perioxide lining my keg and fermenter than acid anyday.

nolaegghead · January 9

Yur supposed to clean the tip?!

Eggcelsior · January 9

mwraulst said:

Sanitizer and cleaner are not the same thing. The active ingredients in Starsan are Dodecylbenzenesulfonic Acid - 300ppm and Phosphoric Acid - 780ppm. The active ingredients in Oxyclean are sodium percarbonate (Na₂CO₃•H₂O₂), an adduct of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Very different stuff.

I began brewing santizing with b brite sanitizer nearly 10 years ago, the active ingredient is exactly sodium percabonate. The stuff you speak of is indeed different, it's acid based and mainly used by brewers that have brew rigs with welds that can't be disassembled or commercial outfits. I've never had a batch ruin due to my sanitzer, which i switched to oxyclean 9 years ago after discovering they had the same active ingredient. I also clean all of my tap lines, fermenters, air locks, and pumps with it.

not all sanitizers are acidic & not all cleaners are hydrogen peroxide. I'd rather have residue of hydrogen perioxide lining my keg and fermenter than acid anyday.

The energy boosting effects of H2O2 are probably safer than vodka and Red Bull anyway.

hartofatiger · January 9

rholt said:

Cool beans. Thanks all. I have a package of those little single use alcohol wipes and I will give them a go. Fingers crossed for a better chicken showing later this week.

i take the ones out of the iontophoresis boxes! sounds like you do the same.

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