A recent post mentioned a thermapen as being the only sure way to test a cake for doneness. Can anyone tell me more about this? Is it an instant type thermometer or does it stay in the cake while cooking? What is the temperature a cake should reach for perfect doneness? Is the name Thermapen the only one for this purpose or are there cheaper other types that work equally as well? Thanks in advance.
First off, I don't use one of these. Toothpicks, skewers, and thin sharp knives have never let me down.
That said, that's one pricey gadget. I don't see why any other instant read probe kitchen thermometer wouldn't work just fine. My probe is about as thick as the skewers I use for testing, so that hole size isn't a problem. That's the only real difference I see--the Thermapen cites a very thin probe and also the fact that it can be re-calibrated (don't know how often that would be a problem.
Most layer cakes are "done" between 195 and 205 degrees F, so I would think that any digital read probe thermometer that goes that high would do the trick. Instant read would be a plus in case the cake wasn't done you wouldn't be waiting around too long.
Just my .02
Rae
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