Cooking meat without a thermometer

[grumpyoldman]

how many here know how to cook meat without using a thermometor ?
it seems like nowadays its a lost art , while i do think its a great tool for people just learning to cook meat , i think the new cook should learn to tell the doneness of meat by touch or in some cases even sight, as i said before it can be a great tool as long as it doesn't become a crutch

 

[caseydog]

Since I sous vide steaks and chops, I don't have to use a thermometer or guess at doneness of those meats. For things like pork shoulder or braised roasts/short ribs, I go by tenderness (probe tender). For poultry, I definitely use a thermometer.

I don't think I have EVER thought of a thermometer as a crutch.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

I generally don’t use a thermometer if it’s a steak or a chop. I’m just mindful of the time and I can usually get it where I want by just pushing on it and feeling how soft (or firm) it is.

Chicken/turkey, I’m more apt to use one, but even then, it’s not all the time. I roasted that bone-in turkey breast yesterday and didn’t use a thermometer - I just went by the minimum time for it, and even then, I probably could have pulled it out a little sooner, but it was fine.

 

[grumpyoldman]

any experenced cook can/should be able to cook most meat without using one
but i swear i have seen some people that couldn't cook a peice of bacon without using one

 

[TastyReuben]

any experenced cook can/should be able to cook most meat without using one
but i swear i have seen some people that couldn't cook a peice of bacon without using one

I’m imagining getting that little probe “in the thickest part of the bacon slice.”

 

[grumpyoldman]

not to worry , if they haven't figured out how to do it yet , give em time and they will !!!

 

[karadekoolaid]

I´m not a meat eater, but a carnivorous friend of mine taught me how to grill/BBQ meat. Yes, you poke it , and depending how soft or hard it is, you know whether it´s rare, medium rare, medium or shoe leather. This bloke seems to be more or less where I go:
rare or medium
It´s a dying art, grumpyoldman. These days, it´s a state-of-the-art thermometer, digitally connected to the Institute of Culinary Arts, or some obsessive addiction to Kenji Lopez-Alt!

 

[TastyReuben]

I´m not a meat eater, but a carnivorous friend of mine taught me how to grill/BBQ meat. Yes, you poke it , and depending how soft or hard it is, you know whether it´s rare, medium rare, medium or shoe leather. This bloke seems to be more or less where I go:
rare or medium
It´s a dying art, grumpyoldman. These days, it´s a state-of-the-art thermometer, digitally connected to the Institute of Culinary Arts, or some obsessive addiction to Kenji Lopez-Alt!

I like the poke method if for no other reason than it’s faster. I don’t need to fuss with a thermometer.

If you do it enough, and pay attention, it’s not hard to learn. Start with a thermometer, get it where you want it, then poke/feel it a bit. Get a feel for it.

Do that three or four times, and memory should do the rest.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I've been going with the "no" thermometer for years, but on occasion when I do a large prime rib roast for guests, I use one. And a couple other times maybe. But usually not.