Finally Broke Down - Thermopen

Captain_Paul

OK so I've seen you guys raving about these but have a question. Why is this better than my probe that stays in the food and gives me the readout on a remote I can carry with me and an alarm that I can set to my desired temp? Seems like I can keep track of the temp as it gets close without continuing to open the dome to check and hope I get it right. 

buzd504

Brewing beer.

JohnnyTarheel

You will kick yourself for holding out so long. And the red one is quicker and more accurate !!

Jstroke

because when you are cooking something on high heat quickly it is much simpler. think fish or thinner chops etc. 

WeberWho

Captain_Paul said:

OK so I've seen you guys raving about these but have a question. Why is this better than my probe that stays in the food and gives me the readout on a remote I can carry with me and an alarm that I can set to my desired temp? Seems like I can keep track of the temp as it gets close without continuing to open the dome to check and hope I get it right. 

A couple different thermometers are nice. One like you mention above that can stay in and monitor temperatures for low and slow and another that's quick and accurate. That's where the Thermapen comes into play. Let's say you have a hundred dollars plus worth of dry aged steak you've just spent the last 45 days dry aging. You wouldn't want to keep one single probe in a random steak than assume the other steaks are going to cook identical to the one probed steak. So what you need to do is probe each steak quickly and accurately. The Thermapen can give you a reading within 3 seconds. The faster the reading the quicker you can keep the dome shut and grills temperature maintained. The Thermapen also comes in handy when checking different temperatures on a piece of meat. If you're using a thermometer that stays in one spot the whole cook you are getting a reading in just that area. It's nice to check around.

I also use a remote thermometer like you mention (low and slow) but more for guidance and where the temperature is at. I than use the Thermapen to double check temps and check other areas. They work great as a combination.

It doesn't have to be a Thermapen. The reason why the Thermapen is so popular is that it's accurate and fast. It also comes from a great company. Yes you can buy another cheap thermometer for 1/3 of the price but will it last? Will you get a reading in 3 seconds? It's the best tool I've bought outside of the egg. It's used almost every cook. Definitely worth it in my book and I'm a cheap a$$!

Captain_Paul

I don't do a lot of low and slows at least yet. Seems to me if I'm doing a steak at 300* and want to pull it at 118* if I use a thermapen I'm going to get readings of 115, 116, 116, 117, 117, 117 and then 118 and pull. Or, if I don't want to open and check those 7 times i'll get 115 and then 120. But I do see the point of double checking or checking a different part. I did that last night with a little round dial probe thermometer and I got a different reading than my remote. And it probably took more than 5 or 6 seconds to come to temp. Not sure if I'm willing to spend $80-100 but maybe a Thermopop for around $30. They seem to be pretty popular here too. 

WeberWho

Captain_Paul said:

I don't do a lot of low and slows at least yet. Seems to me if I'm doing a steak at 300* and want to pull it at 118* if I use a thermapen I'm going to get readings of 115, 116, 116, 117, 117, 117 and then 118 and pull. Or, if I don't want to open and check those 7 times i'll get 115 and then 120. But I do see the point of double checking or checking a different part. I did that last night with a little round dial probe thermometer and I got a different reading than my remote. And it probably took more than 5 or 6 seconds to come to temp. Not sure if I'm willing to spend $80-100 but maybe a Thermopop for around $30. They seem to be pretty popular here too. 

Thermopop is a good thermometer for the price. Lots of happy people here with them. I'm going on 7 years with my Thermapen and others double that. So it's roughly cost me a $1/month. So in the grand scheme of things it's been worth the money. I'd hate to spend the $90+ for a thermometer that's only good for a year or two but this one has justified the cost and the use.

I recommend grabbing a Thermopop or Thermapen when looking to purchase a thermometer. It's been known that people who went with a cheaper thermometer route end up paying more in the long run when they eventually pick up a Thermoworks product. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway other than being a happy 7 year customer