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By: Bill McGrath
The ThermoWorks Therma K Plus Kit is an expensive thermometer that exhibits superb accuracy and very rapid response times. The readout cannot be left in the oven/grill while cooking, but cabled probes can, making this a versatile unit that can act as a rapid-read hand-held or an in-food/in-cooker thermometer.
The thermometer can accept any K-type thermocouple probe. The thermometer’s inherent temperature range is –148 to 2501ºF (-100 to 1372ºC), but with the kit probe, the temperature range is a more suitable -58 to 482ºF (-50 to 250ºC). Other probes can extend the range considerably, but our focus here is on food temperature measurements. The unit does not have a water-resistant rating, but otherwise it has all the features one might want: min/max functions, a hold button, a backlight and F/C flexibility. The accuracy is right-on, and this probe reacts almost instantly, going from ice water to boiling water in about 4 seconds. The battery life is so long that you might never need to change them.
The manufacturer’s contact info, including address, telephone number, website and e-mail, is found on the instruction sheet. The thermometer is covered by a 1 year warranty. A certificate of calibration is included.
While this thermometer isn’t cheap, it is well made and performs with the best of them. For these reasons, we give it a Gold medal.
* Temp range is probe dependent.
Click here to order the Thermometer Kit.
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Published On: 5/7/2014 Last Modified: 7/24/2023
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When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first then the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
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