Thermapen Mk4 instant-read thermometer

Do I Really Need a Thermometer?

As you peruse your cookbook collection or the web looking for recipes or advice on cooking, you may often come across instructions like “cook your chicken until the internal temperature is 165°F,” or “fry the fish in oil preheated to 375°F.” And you might say to yourself “I’ve been doing pretty good work in the…

Annotate your cookbooks for better gastronomy

Annotating Cookbooks: a scientific approach to gastronomy

You’ve been waiting for days, maybe even weeks. Every day you go and check: nothing. But not today! It’s finally here! You can hardly stand the excitement as you rush back to the house from the mailbox and tear into it….your new cookbook! Ah, how often I’ve danced this waltz of purchase, anticipation, and reward….

Verifying the Accuracy of a Thermometer: the Role of Calibration

Verifying the Accuracy of a Thermometer: the Role of Calibration

Does your thermometer need to be calibrated? How would you know if it did? If you use thermometers at work, you may be required by law or company policy to provide documentary evidence that your thermometers are accurate at regular intervals, such as every year (even though time itself is one of the least important…