Had to pick between a $20 oven thermometer and guessing

My oven runs hot, I knew that, but I kept relying on my gut and burning cookies. Finally spent the $15 on a basic Taylor thermometer at the restaurant supply store, and my first batch of sourdough came out perfect, not dark on the bottom. Anybody else put off getting a simple tool and regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_joel21d ago

The whole "I can eyeball this" thing is a trap we all fall into, especially in the kitchen. It's like how people swear they can parallel park by feel alone until they kiss a bumper. Spending fifteen bucks to know for sure what's happening in your oven is cheaper than ruining a batch of good sourdough or burning a roast you planned all week. Once you have one of those thermometers you start to realize how much guesswork you were doing with other stuff too, like not checking your coffee water temp or just hoping your pan was hot enough. It's funny how a tiny piece of metal can save you from so many dumb mistakes.

murphy.linda20d ago

My husband still insists he can tell when a steak is done just by poking it. I finally bought a thermometer last year and now I just smile and nod while he's cutting into another dry piece of meat. Fifteen bucks is nothing compared to the peace of mind it gives you.

lisaf389d agoOG Member

So how long did you have to pretend the steak was good before you bought the thermometer behind his back? Because I'm trying to picture the exact moment you said "enough is enough" - was it after a hockey puck ribeye or the third time he served well-done what was supposed to be medium rare? One of my friends finally broke down when her husband served a $30 filet that looked like shoe leather and still insisted it was perfect. I'm just curious if you started noticing that the polite nod started getting real heavy by the second or third bite.