OMG! Who needs to go out to eat!

I find the pen very useful when cooking steaks. Especially when cooking for a group with different tastes. The Egg is just the vessel I use to do my cooking. As long as you got a fire hot enough, it will do the job. Most people will tell you to cook your steaks in a cast iron pan for best results. I've started doing this to get a nice crust.
 
I find the Thermapen useful on steaks, but agree with posters who say that one can get good results based on experience. It's just that I tend to forget my past results and make new errors. Hence, I need a meat thermometer, and it does not have to be a Thermapen. It's just that the pen is much more handy with its thin tip and its measurement speed.

But here's something else that the pen would beat any other thermometer on. Yesterday, I fried some battered cod. These were some big fillets, with each chunk around 1/4 lb or more. The long tip of the pen let me reach into the pan and measure each piece at several locations. And I was surprised to see that while one piece was up to 150F, another was still in the 110s. Perhaps they were not thawed out evenly, one was thicker, or my gas burner was not even.

Before I had the pen, I tended to overcook them all to make sure they were not undercooked. Now, each piece was checked and pulled from the pan at the right temperature. My wife had to agree that the fish was crunchy on the outside, yet still moist and soft on the inside.

A larger tipped thermometer would have broken the fillet with multiple pokes, and would require you to hold it in place over the pan for several seconds to take a reading. The Thermapen makes it so easy. Thermapens rule!
 
Green Thermapen being closed out at $79.00 on the website. Ground shipping was $3.99.
 
audreyh1 said:
Please consider a Thermapen. This precision tool is totally worth the investment Super-Fast Thermapen® Thermometer from ThermoWorks

The brown ones are on sale at the moment. ThermoWorks - Splash-Proof Thermapen Private Sale

(No, I don't get a commision)
Click to expand...

I have held off getting a Thermapen only cause I'm cheap, but I'm close to pulling the trigger on one. However, on Amazon I see that ThermoWorks offers another super-fast thermometer called the ThermoPop at a much lower price than the Thermapen. The Amazon reviews are good for both products and reviewers don't seem to notice much of a performance difference between the two, perhaps a couple seconds.

Do any of you out there have any experience with the ThermoPop? If so, do you like it and do you have any idea how it compares to the Thermapen? If the performance is similar and the biggest difference is simply the form factor (Pop vs Pen) then I would probably go with the Pop.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZVJM6K...olid=N6GZUL8VBSNH&coliid=I3QCYE80PGBVK0&psc=1
 
I recommended Thermapen to a friend last fall and they decided it was too pricey and got the Pop instead. They are happy with it so far but obviously can't compare it to Pen.

Speaking of good stuff to eat, I decided to make green chile pork posole with some gourmet dried hominy my sister gave us for Christmas. It's in the slow cooker now. Hope it tastes as good as it smells.
 
pb4uski said:
I have held off getting a Thermapen only cause I'm cheap, but I'm close to pulling the trigger on one. However, on Amazon I see that ThermoWorks offers another super-fast thermometer called the ThermoPop at a much lower price than the Thermapen. The Amazon reviews are good for both products and reviewers don't seem to notice much of a performance difference between the two, perhaps a couple seconds.

Do any of you out there have any experience with the ThermoPop? If so, do you like it and do you have any idea how it compares to the Thermapen? If the performance is similar and the biggest difference is simply the form factor (Pop vs Pen) then I would probably go with the Pop.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZVJM6K...olid=N6GZUL8VBSNH&coliid=I3QCYE80PGBVK0&psc=1
Click to expand...

I am ordering the Pop so I can clip it to the side of a pan while making candy a couple times a year. It has to be similar to the pen in terms of quality, I would think.
 
ThermoPop is probably fine, since it's made by the same company as the Thermapen.

The two big differences I see are:

A. It takes an extra few seconds to give you the reading. If you can put up with that little nuisance, it's fine.

B. Being shorter, there are fewer inches between the probe tip and your hand. If you're sticking it into a very hot oven or over a hot grill, you'll probably want to have an oven mitt on your hand. For me, this would be a deal breaker, since I use my Thermapen a lot on the grill, and my hand stays far enough from the heat that it's fine.
 
audreyh1 said:
I think the green is much prettier. That brown was kinda yucky.
Click to expand...

audreyh1 said:
The very fast read speed and large display is important to me.
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I didn't really care about the color - I mean, it's a tool, not a fashion statement, although I suppose a bright red or yellow would make it easier to find if I drop it in the grass.

Surprisingly, I already received the email that it shipped! I didn't expect that until Monday - I guess I just got in under the wire.
 
Walt34 said:
I didn't really care about the color - I mean, it's a tool, not a fashion statement, although I suppose a bright red or yellow would make it easier to find if I drop it in the grass.

Surprisingly, I already received the email that it shipped! I didn't expect that until Monday - I guess I just got in under the wire.
Click to expand...

Well, the first one DH bought me was pepto bismol pink. Yuck! Later DH realized there were more color options. :facepalm: I eventually upgraded to one with a backlit display and gifted the pink one to my cousin who was threatening to steal my sister's Thermapen (also a gift from me).

I enjoy my current cherry red one. :)
 
I have been pleased with my ThemoPop. I used it to cook a nice rib-eye steak last week and it came out perfect.

See Grilled Cowboy-Cut Rib Eyes Recipe - Cook's Country

but in short, salt 2" thick steaks with kosher salt and let sit at room temperature until internal temp rises to 55F. Then rub with olive oil and pepper and grill over medium heat (300F grill temp) until internal temp rises to 75F, then turn and continue to grill until internal temp is 95F. Remove steak from grill, turn grill up to high and sear until internal temp rises to 120F (about 4 minutes on each side). Then let rest, tented in tin foil, for about 15 minutes and slice 1/2".

Ours came out excellent medium rare.. pink throughout with a nice sear on each side.
 
After all the raving about the Thermapen I bought one (on sale, of course!) and like it. So far I've only used it on chicken but will grill a steak soon and expectations are high.
 
Holy crap that must be the greatest thermometer ever. $96. Did I read that right?

My $10 version works just fine for me.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
This thread makes me smile. I keep waiting for someone to just start a "Thermapen" thread (not me, since I already bought one based on the prior posts).

It's never too late to pick up an "OMG!" though! :)
 
woodguy00 said:
Holy crap that must be the greatest thermometer ever. $96. Did I read that right?

My $10 version works just fine for me.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
Click to expand...

Depends on how much cooking/baking/grilling you do and how patient you are while waiting for the $10 thermometer to give you an accurate temperature. The Thermapen takes about 2-3 seconds versus up to 30 seconds waiting while the oven or grill is open losing heat. It's a very individual preference whether it's worth the $$$ to you. To my husband, it is entirely worth it.
 
Well, I just made my first home made pizza: Margherita. I would rate it a 6 on a scale of 1-10. But I can see where I can improve. Next time it will be an 8/10. And dinner cost ~$3. What's not to love? :biggrin:
 
When I was young and could eat a lot without gaining weight, the joy of food was all in the eating.

Now, as I eat less, I compensate by finding additional pleasure in the food preparation.
 
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Ronstar said:
I'm not an accomplished chef in the kitchen, but outdoors I can grill a steak to my satisfaction better than most steakhouses. Saw this online and it's foolproof - Grill the steak for a minute or 2 on each side on the highest heat setting. Then turn off the grill and leave the steak in the grill for about 5 minutes. This sears the outside, seals the juices inside, and lets the inside cook slowly to a pink center. Also smoke ribs, brisket, pulled pork using a Traeger smoker.
Click to expand...

Highest setting?

This is on a gas grill? Do they have standard temperature settings?

How's the cleanup on those grills?

One thing I noticed is that you can sear the meat with hotter temperatures on a simple hibachi with charcoal than you can on gas.

My parents went to the trouble of getting a gas hookup outside for the grill, was unsatisfied with the results and just used the pan instead.
 
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