Roast chicken is one of the easiest dish to make... but if not done correctly, can be a fast trip to the ER.  One of the problems with raw chicken is the possibility of food poisoning from salmonella if proper food storage, preparation, and handling techniques were not observed. 

We picked up the groceries from the market.  We checked the temperature of the lemon and chicken when we got back to the RainyDayKitchen.  Both were fine for being in the car for 10 minutes.

We washed, salted, and stuffed the chicken with lemon and rosemary, tied everything up and placed the bird on the rack, ready for roasting... all in about 7 minutes.

We then washed, scrubbed, and flavored the roasting potatos.  Wrapped them in foil, placed everything (chicken, potatos) in the preheated (400ºF) oven and cooked it for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, the potatoes were done.  However, a quick probe into the breast indicated some parts were only at 117ºF.  Other parts were higher, but clearly some more time was needed.

We cooked it another 10 minutes and rechecked the temperature. The internal has reached 156ºF near the bone, which tends to be the rarest part.  The meaty part of the breast read 178ºF... which should be fine.

When we carved it open, the bird was clearly cooked all the way through, but was still very juicy.

Having the ThermaPen definitely took the guess work out of determining whether the chicken was ready. We expect to be using this tool everyday in the RainyDayKitchen. We just wished we had found it sooner!

We cook our food to enhance its flavor, make it easier to digest, and to kill things that could make us sick.

One of the best way to gauge how well something has been cooked is to take its internal temperature.  However, most of the temperature probe available at the typical kitchen supply stores were not designed for quick accurate readings.

The folks at RainyDayKitchen did a little research and found an interesting tool called the ThermaPen.  We'll take a look at its basic features in the FirstLook review.

We'll make a roast of some sort, use the probe to check the food's internal temperature, and report back on how it performed in the FirstUse report.

Reviews:

1. First Look

2. First Use

3. In The Wild Report

Review Summary:

Initial Impression- Multi-angle probe

Usability- Simple, accurate

Durability- test in progress

Price- $85

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