Cooking With ChefAlarm and Thermapen: The Perfect Pair

Some things just go together, like steak and potatoes or peanut butter and jelly. Add the Thermapen and ChefAlarm to that list…

There are lots of great reasons why—the unique abilities of the Thermapen and ChefAlarm thermometers compliment each other so well.

First off, the Thermapen cannot be left inside an oven. You have to actually open the oven door to get a reading. While heat loss is really minimal because the Thermapen is so fast, the opportunity for heat loss is still a possibility, which can increase overall cook time.

Oven thermometers like the ChefAlarm, on the other hand, have heat-resistant probes that can be placed in the food inside the oven and relay that information by cable to a monitor outside of the oven.

On the other hand, the challenge with oven thermometers is that they can only monitor food in precisely one location (i.e. where you place the probe). That’s why using BOTH a ChefAlarm AND a Thermapen together can offer such a real advantage.

The ChefAlarm lets you know when you’re getting close to your temperature target, and the Thermapen confirms the actual internal temperature in several locations in the food. Here are some common applications. You can probably think of more!

Multiple Portions

ChefAlarm and Thermapen go hand in hand when you’re cooking more than one portion of something, like pieces of fried chicken in a deep fryer or planks of salmon in the oven. Place the probe of your ChefAlarm in the smallest or thinnest portion to let you know when it is nearing your target temperature, and then check the remaining portions with your Thermapen to verify when each one is ready to come off the heat.

Big Cuts

It’s also perfect for big cuts of meat like briskets, pork shoulders or whole turkeys, where internal temperatures can vary greatly throughout a single large piece of meat. Keep your ChefAlarm probe placed in the thickest part of the breast meat. Then spot check the temperatures elsewhere in the breast and in the legs when you’re getting close to done with your Thermapen to verify the exact temperatures throughout the meat.

Deep Frying

When deep frying, use your ChefAlarm with a probe clip to monitor the temperature of the frying oil, and then test the temperature of the food being fried with your Thermapen.

Tender Filets

When grilling or slow roasting tender cuts like fish filets, track the internal temperature of the center of fish with ChefAlarm and a needle probe, and then test the temperature gradient on the outer edges of the filet with your Thermapen.

BBQ

Use the ChefAlarm with an Air Probe and grate clip in your smoker, and then spot check steaks with a Thermapen.

Simultaneous Cooking

If you’re multitasking with several different recipes in your kitchen, use a Thermapen for small items on the stovetop, and let the ChefAlarm keep track of large roasted items in your oven. The scenarios for a ChefAlarm and Thermapen together are nearly endless.

To use ChefAlarm, place the Pro-Series cooking probe so that tip is at the thickest part of the food being cooked. Set the alarm to sound at least ten to fifteen degrees below your final target temperature. When the alarm sounds, open the door and test your food in several different locations with your Thermapen to accurately gauge doneness; then allow for resting. Juices will be reabsorbed and the carryover heat will lift the temperature by several degrees. ChefAlarm captures the actual finish temperature in its max display.

Take the guesswork out of your cooking with these two intuitive kitchen devices. Thermapen and ChefAlarm, like cookies and milk, like cake and ice cream, like waffles and chicken, like…