Temping a griddle surface

Tips for Finding Pan Surface Temperatures with the Right Tool

ByMartin Earl Reading Time: 3 minutes

Searing, blackening, and wok cooking, all require you to preheat your skillet to a high temp, usually above 400°F (204°C). We often use an IR thermometer to tell that temperature, but this method has its limitations. IR typically works best with a black or cast-iron pan. It doesn’t work well for a stainless steel or reflective surface without oil on it. So, what is the best way to get the temperature of a shiny surface? Read on to find the tool you need for this and for other surface temperature situations!

Infrared Thermometers and Pan Temps: Why It’s Not So Simple

If you are using an IR thermometer on a shiny surface pan, you have to know the emissivity of the surface to be able to get a perfectly accurate reading. If you’re going from surface to surface quickly, that can be problematic, as can a pan of partial shininess. The more reflective the surface is, the harder it is to dial in the adjustable emissivity on your IR thermometer.

If you’re moving away from non-stick pans and more into stainless steel, this can be a real problem. But there is a solution!

The Best Tool for Surface Temperatures

After a lot of testing, we have found that using a quality surface temperature thermometer like our Pro-Surface Thermapen® gives you the most accurate pan temps. Pro-Surface Thermapen has all the accuracy of our Classic Super-Fast Thermapen, but with a flat foot to place against a surface. The thermocouple sensor is connected to the foot, so you can accurately read the temperature of a flat surface—like a frying pan—with it.

With Thermapen’s high accuracy and wide temperature range, you can temp just about any surface you like—from your griddle to your outdoor flat top grill. As long as you can get that foot flat on a surface, you can know its temperature in just a few seconds!

Hot Ways to Use Your Pro-Surface Thermapen

  • Preheating a Pan for Searing
  • Steaks, pork chops, or chicken thighs — you need that pan HOT (but not so hot that it scorches oil instantly).
  • Use the Pro-Surface Thermapen to nail that 400–450°F sweet spot before dropping the meat.
  • Setting Up a Griddle for Breakfast Foods
  • Pancakes, hashbrowns, French toast, bacon — griddles are often wildly uneven.
  • Knowing exactly where you have 375°F gives you golden pancakes instead of a burnt batch on one side and raw on the other.
  • Stir-Frying in a Wok
  • Wok cooking demands very high, very consistent heat — usually well over 400°F.
    Checking the wok’s surface helps you truly stir-fry instead of sad-sautéing.
  • Toasting Sandwiches or Quesadillas
  • Grilled cheese, paninis, or quesadillas — You want a hot surface (around 350°F) for a crispy outside, melty inside. If the temp is too cool, cheese sweats out before bread crisps. Too hot, and the bread burns before the cheese can even start to melt.
  • Smash Burgers
  • Smash burgers live or die by pan heat. You need a screaming hot surface (400–500°F) so you get that crusty on the outside, juicy on the inside burger.

Get Your Surface-Pro Thermapen:

Pro-Surface Thermapen

Pro-Surface Thermapen

Measure the temperature of griddles, cooktops, hotplates, and other surfaces with higher accuracy than an infrared thermometer with our Pro-Surface Thermapen.

Martin is the Culinary Editor at ThermoWorks. After receiving a degree in physics and a graduate degree in the history of science, he went back to school for a classical culinary education. Having worked in the culinary world as cheese monger, baker, assistant butcher, prep cook, sous chef, and, eventually, executive chef. He believes temperature makes all cooking better, and better cooking makes for a happier life.

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