You don’t have to be a grilling newbie to benefit from a meat thermometer. While the tool is undoubtedly helpful for fledgling meat-searers, everyone can benefit from checking the numbers when it comes to firing up the perfect steak, said Harris Mayer-Selinger, chef and founder of Creamline, a burger and milkshake spot in New York City.
“Thermometers are great tools, even for ‘meat masters’ and the most experienced cooks,” Meyer-Selinger tells us. “Maybe you flipped too soon and can’t monitor the progression of color change on the side of the meat. Maybe you are just doubting your press and evaluating technique for a second. A thermometer is a great science-based backup.”
Whether you’re making burgers or brisket, Meyer-Selinger suggests keeping a meat thermometer on hand to help ensure your food is safe to eat and cooked to your liking.
For grilling, Joshua White, the executive chef at Brooklyn’s Turk’s Inn, a Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant with its own “Kebab Kiosk,” suggests picking up an instant-read digital thermometer. “Getting the temperature right can be tricky because of how fast of a cooking method it is,” White says. “I like to be able to check my meat quickly and be able to make adjustments as needed.”
Chef Rick Martinez, a James Beard Award winner, grill culture enthusiast, and author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook “Mi Cocina,” agrees, saying an instant read is a must for summer cooking. “Instant is very necessary if you are on the grill and checking a large piece of meat in multiple places,” Martinez tells us. “You don’t have time to wait or let the thermometer reset before you check another temp, as you’d be letting heat escape, and you’re risking injury by keeping a hand close to the grill for an unnecessarily long time.”
