Taylor Digital Thermometer Review

Today for lunch I baked a chicken.  For myself.  You see, I had intended on making this for Al's birthday dinner last night but for some reason the oven stopped working and was stuck at 77 degrees.  We ended up ordering Dominoes (their upgraded recipes are amaaaazing- especially the herbs and cheese that are sprinkled on the crust), and I was left with a raw chicken that would not cook.  I wanted to see if the oven was being less fussy today.  It was- and in went the chicken!

I love baking whole chickens because I live for dark meat, whereas Alex turns his nose up at it.  I made him appreciate pork, so maybe one day he'll be able to enjoy the delicacy that is dark meat.  Baking chicken can be a real B, since most recipes will say "the chicken is done when the juice runs clear at the leg", but I have had a really hard time with reading how clear chicken juice is.  Also, for some reason traditional thermometers don't like me.  I've bought two and both have failed to give an accurate reading- even though it should be a simple process.  Enter the digital thermometer!

After doing a ridiculous amount of research for my wedding registry (I swear that I've read every review on every single item), I decided that I couldn't wait to see if someone would buy me this thermometer.  So I bought  it (yay for Prime membership's free shipping!) and I finally got around to using it today.

The Taylor thermometer is my new best friend!  The screen shows the goal temperature, the current temperature, and it has a timer as well.  If you are using it for its ability to reach a certain temp, there is a temp alert that you can switch on.  The best feature is that the display sits outside of the oven, so you don't waste any heat by opening the oven door for a temp reading.  It was only $14 on Amazon, which is only a few dollars more than the traditional thermometer.

This chicken turned out to be the most crispy and succulent version that I have ever made.  The recipe is quite simple, but is worth sharing.

• 1 whole chicken- thawed
• ~2 tbsp butter- at room temp
• ~2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt- I used the pink Himalayan salt which is available at Trader Joe's and it tastes even better than sea salt!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel

Massage the entire chicken with the butter, then repeat with the olive oil

Generously sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken

Place in a baking dish and bake until a thermometer inserted into the breast (but not hitting any bones) reads 165 degrees.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Devour!

I had a hard time keeping Lyonel away from his dream feast