They say chicken should be cooked to 165° F. in order to be safe from food borne contaminates. These rosemary lemon chicken skewers I was grilling Wednesday evening are a degree shy of safe in this photograph but within seconds, I’d overcooked them because I was fiddling around trying to take photographs when I should have been paying attention to the food. I decided to take photographs of my new instant read kitchen thermometer that had arrived earlier in the day. After my third digital instant-read thermometer in as many years bit the dust I decided to splurge on what I know to be an excellent piece of kitchen equipment. The Thermapen has been recommended by Cook’s Illustrated , the same people who produce America’s Test Kitchen, for many years that I know about. But, instead of paying $99 to get something reliable that would pay for itself, I kept buying cheaper versions ranging in price from $10 to $40. My new Thermapen MK4 (hmmm, I’m wondering if there might be a connection to my Lincoln MKZ!) arrived Wednesday just in time to let me instantly check the temperature of the food I was grilling. And, unlike all of the other thermometers I’ve tried, this one DOES read instantly. I won’t have to wait for the thermometer to get to temperature anymore while my hand sizzles from the hot coals.
You’ve made a good choice, as you say they’re truly instant. I’ve had one for 4-5 years and it’s still working well. This one should last for you.