How To Use a Digital Meat Thermometer

  • November 4, 2009
  • 736 Views

Jason_Nemeth from Jason Nemeth (and 1 other)

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Don’t rely on chance or guesswork when it comes to properly cooking meat and poultry dishes. Take their temperature to be sure they are fully cooked.

You Will Need

  • A digital meat thermometer
  • A meat or poultry dish
  • Cookbooks (optional)
  • A computer with internet access (optional)

Step 1: Purchase a thermometer

Choose between an oven safe thermometer, which stay in your dish the entire time it is cooking, and one that’s inserted periodically for a quick temperature test.

Step 2: Calibrate your thermometer to heat

Calibrate your thermometer to heat by inserting the last two inches of the stem into a pot of boiling water. If it doesn’t read 212 degrees, adjust it according to the instructions.

Step 3: Calibrate your thermometer to cold

Calibrate your thermometer to cold by inserting the last two inches of the stem into a glass of ice shavings that has been topped off with cold water. If it doesn’t read 32 degrees, adjust it according to the instructions.

Step 4: Insert the thermometer

Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of your meat so that the last two inches of the stem reach its center.

Bone will be hotter than the meat that surrounds it. If you hit bone, it will skew your reading.

Step 5: Read the thermometer

Read the thermometer and compare the reading to your desired temperature. Oven-safe thermometers continuously update their display as the meat cooks. Spot-check thermometers take about 15 seconds to register the correct temperature.

Check a cookbook or the internet to learn the appropriate temperature for the dish you are preparing.

Step 6: Remove the thermometer

Remove the thermometer when the dish reaches the desired internal temperature.

Step 7: Wash the thermometer

Wash the portion of the thermometer that has been in contact with the meat with warm, soapy water, and then dry and store it for future use.

On July 4th, Americans eat over 150 million hot dogs.

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Comments (1)

Mitchelle_Perez

thanks for the step by step procedure on how to use digital meat thermometer..it gives me additional understanding in to it.. http://www.digital-meat-thermometer.net/

about 1 year ago by Mitchelle_Perez

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