RollaRecipe

What Should I Cook Today?

A world of recipes — Asian, Indian, African, South American, and more.

Try “harissa”, “coconut curry”, or “Thai”.

Check Your Thermometer in Ice Water First

Check Your Thermometer in Ice Water First
Photo by Veganbaking.net from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Thermometers drift out of calibration over time, especially the cheaper dial kind, and an off-by-several-degrees thermometer can make you think chicken is safely done when it isn't. Fill a glass with ice and a little water, stir, and let a thermometer probe sit in it for a minute without touching the glass: it should read 32°F (0°C). If it's off, most dial thermometers have an adjustment nut underneath the face; digital ones vary by model, but many read consistently off and can just be mentally corrected.

Sources & methodology: These tips draw on established food-science references — Harold McGee's food-science writing, America's Test Kitchen / Cook's Illustrated testing, Serious Eats' technique reporting, USDA food safety guidance, and peer-reviewed food-safety research (including UC Davis cutting-board studies) — not reworded recipe-blog consensus.

← All Kitchen Tips