You often hear it said that cooking is an art whereas baking is more of a science.\u00a0 I would have to agree with the statement to some extent and it would follow that I consider myself an artist rather than a scientist.\u00a0 However there is plenty of room for science in meat cookery.\u00a0 TV cooks and their casual vernacular have given rise to plenty of confusion that would have Mrs Beeton or any of the great French chefs spinning in their graves.\u00a0 They use slugs of this, glugs of that, drizzles, and wine glasses in place of proper scientific measurements.\u00a0 I also hear references to large X and medium Y, such as onions or carrots, when small medium and large are comparative terms.\u00a0 It\u2019s not surprising that people have had disasters in the kitchen attempting to copy some of these TV endeavours.<\/p>\n
While I can\u2019t help you with a slug, a glug or a drizzle, the other constant debate is how to tell if meat is cooked.\u00a0 At this time of year with communions and barbecues in full swing, party buffets and grills mean joints of ham, turkey and beef are being cooked while steaks, sausages and kebabs are being roasted over the coals.\u00a0 Unless you are using professional caterers there is plenty of anxiety around the roast and turkey cooking.\u00a0 For some it will bring back memories of Christmas.\u00a0 I have two words to quell the anxious; meat thermometer.<\/p>\n
Thermometers are indispensable in a kitchen.\u00a0 They measure the internal temperature of your cooked meat, poultry, or casseroles and therefore take the guesswork out of cooking as you can be sure a safe temperature has been reached, any harmful bacteria have been destroyed, and your food is cooked perfectly.\u00a0 Of course a thermometer can be used for all foods and not just meat and you should get into the habit of using one.\u00a0 It would certainly stop the dreaded but common barbecue barbarism of cremated flesh on the outside and dangerously pink on the inside.\u00a0 How many of us have stuck with the salads at a barbecue for fear of the pink centred chicken?\u00a0 Temperature is the only way to gauge whether food is sufficiently cooked.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t already have one, you will be faced with several types to choose from.\u00a0 The old fashioned stainless steel, inexpensive model is fine but if you want real accuracy then modern digital thermometers are a good choice.\u00a0 The main thing is to make sure it is a meat and poultry thermometer as opposed to one designed for sugar or jam.\u00a0 To use a meat thermometer just insert it through the fat side of the meat.\u00a0 If you are cooking a joint on the bone be careful not to touch the bone as this conducts heat faster and you will get a false reading.\u00a0 I suggest immersing the probe part of the thermometer about 2 inches into the meat.\u00a0 For poultry I recommend that the best place is the inner thigh area, near the breast of the bird but, again, not touching the bone.\u00a0 For red meat, roasts, steaks or chops go to the thickest part away from the bone.\u00a0 If you are cooking a meat loaf I would suggest placing it in the thickest area of the loaf or for thinner items, go in from the side.\u00a0 Finally for casseroles, stews or pies insert into the centre.\u00a0 And remember to wash the probe after each use.\u00a0 Below is a table of meat temperatures for you to cut out and keep handy.<\/p>\n
While on the subject and as I mentioned it earlier a sugar thermometer is really important when making jam or sweets.\u00a0 Just like meat it is the most accurate way of testing the temperature.<\/p>\n