Without a quality kitchen thermometer, speculation is your only option when attempting to serve your guests succulent beef roasts and tender turkey.  If you no longer want the chef playing a guessing game, waiting until the arbitrary timer buzzes or cutting into breast meat to determine if the dish is "done," then it’s time to invest in the essential kitchen tool—a meat thermometer. There are a wide variety of thermometers available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

When picturing a food thermometer, the image that typically comes to mind is a dial thermometer. Though the least expensive option, it can be a challenge to get a correct reading from the face of these thermometers. Temperature is taken through a probe inserted 2 to 2 ½ inches into the food, which means that dial thermometers are ideal for juicy roasts and thick cuts of meat.  

Some dial thermometers can be inserted into the meat before it goes into the oven and keep a constant read. These oven-safe thermometers show temperature in 1 to 2 minutes, but are sometimes accused of causing false high reads due to heat conduction of the metal steam.  A waterproof model may be a good investment in a steamy environment. Other dial thermometers are instant-read for a quick and easy method of monitoring temperature, within 15 to 20 seconds of poking your food product. Be careful to make the distinction between oven-safe and instant-read to avoid serving your lamb with a topping of melted thermometer.

Digital thermometers provide better readability and can improve the accuracy of your cooking and perfect the pot roast. Many have Quick Tip technology on the end of the 1.5 millimeter, FDA-recommended probe. This means that the tip is sensitive enough that you can take the temperature by just inserting the probe ½ an inch into your bird. Shallow reading makes the digital thermometer conducive to use on thin foods.

The screen of a digital thermometer is also easy to wipe clean, so you can keep up with the health inspector’s sanitation requirements. No matter which style of thermometer you are using, it is essential to clean the probe thoroughly between uses. Probe wipes can be a great tool to make this process quick and simple.

For an extremely precise reading in the quickest time, the best option is a thermocouple thermometer. Thermocouple needle probes bring you the temperature of your beef practically instantaneously and are NSF listed. Waterproof models are ideal for use in harsh wet and steam-filled kitchens. Though this is a more expensive option, it is also the most professional thermometer on the market.

Once you have narrowed it down to the proper model, your next concern is making sure the thermometer you buy will be accurate. The number one issue of health inspectors is food temperature.  The fastest way to have your business closed, other than by a heath inspector, is lawsuits and lost business from a mass food poisoning.  Unfortunately, most of us in the foodservice industry know someone who was negatively impacted by a food poisoning issue.  All this can be prevented by carefully calibrating your thermometer using one of these two techniques:

• Ice Point Method: Fill an insulated container with a mixture of crushed ice and water to create a 32 degree environment. Insert the thermometer to the appropriate immersion depth, and wait for a Fahrenheit temperature model to read 32 degrees. Adjust the thermometer accordingly if it is inaccurate. Be sure to hold the stem of the instrument at least one inch away from the bottom and sides of the container to avoid error. Your thermometer can be calibrated to within 0.1 degree using the ice point method.
• Boiling Point Method: Bring a container of water to a complete rolling boil then insert the thermometer to the appropriate immersion depth. Allow a two-inch clearance between the bottom and sides of the container and wait for a Fahrenheit temperature model to read 212 degrees. You should be able to adjust your thermometer accordingly to within 1.0 degree accuracy when tested with the boiling point method.

Now you are ready to test the temperature of your dish! In order to get an accurate reading, most health inspectors require the core temperature of the food to be measured, avoiding bones, which heat faster than the meat and will throw off your reading.

By purchasing a quality meat thermometer you are making an investment in the success of your restaurant. Just one food safety scare could have you closing your doors for good. So keep the salmonella, E. coli and other disease-causing bugs at bay, and order that meat thermometer.