Wireless Meat Thermometer

Now that we're in the middle of grill season, I figured it's a good time to divulge one of our secrets. I know the finest of chefs can determine the donness of their steaks just by gently squeezing them with their tongs. I'm getting there, but very slowly. The point is to not puncture the meat because that gives juices an excellent escape route.

But we don't mess around much with chicken or pork. Not because we're terrified of salmonella or trichinosis, but because it just ruins the meat to take it off the fire, slice it, notice that it's underdone, then put it back on. Again, the juices get to escape. I have actually tried both rare chicken and pork, and I'm not dead. Unless it's smoked through or fixed up in a fancy-pants tartare or ceviche (in which you would find neither), it's just not good. The flavors are completely absent, unlike how steak and tuna have different flavors are different doneness.

We use our thermometer mostly for a pork tenderloin or chicken breasts. Insert it at least one inch into the thickest part of your biggest piece of meat. But remember that if you're doing steak, more thin pieces will be cooked more thoroughly.

And with this heat, there's no point in investing in a grill thermometer if it's not wireless. Let your hot Grill Master clip it to his belt and come in the air conditioning for a cold beer.

Usually I'd do my gadget shopping at Williams-Sonoma, and they used to have a thermometer like this one, but alas, it's not on the website anymore. AND between you and me, I think the WS one was TOO fancy. Apparently it had some sort of creepy voice instead of a good old, standard beep. I'm fairly certain ours came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and it's very much like this model. I don't know how Mike grilled without it!

Photo courtesy of PartShelf.