Save Time and Money with a Digital Kitchen Timer
Do you have a digital kitchen timer and do you use it? I purchased my first CDN programmable digital kitchen timer more than ten years ago. It only sells for about $15, but I figure it has saved me countless greenbacks.
Now that I've been cooking for more than two decades, I can pretty easily eyeball when something is done or needs a few more minutes over the heat. But, truth be told, it's daily life that throws the biggest culinary curveballs into my repertoire.
You see, with three kids, a Golden Retriever, deadlines, and today's high speed technology, I can easily get distracted. This has led to many kitchen disasters, such as charred pizzas, rock hard oatmeal cookies, sulfurous hardboiled eggs, and even forgotten and deflated bread doughs.
Over the years, I've learned to rely on my timer to avoid these culinary calamities. With its light weight, small size and magnetic clip, I store the timer on the refrigerator door and reach for it all the time. As soon as something goes in the oven, I set the timer, clip it to my shirt, and head off to help with homework, check emails, sign paperwork, or locate a wayward soccer sock.
When the bell rings, I'm directed back to the kitchen. The timer also has the useful (albeit annoying) habit of beeping for one minute if it hasn't been manually switched off. After the beep turns off, the device continues to count up from when it originally went off. This is useful in case you are curious and want to see just how long you've overcooked something.
This might seem like a totally goofy tip, but I am serious about the importance of using a timer. Homemade food and hard earned money are precious. Why waste either one simply because duty called you elsewhere and the minutes slipped away?
--Melissa A. Trainer
Tom on July 10, 2009 at 08:29 AM
Most microwave ovens can be used as a kitchen timer as well.
Melissa Trainer on July 10, 2009 at 12:20 PM
That's correct. Some microwaves and even ovens have timers built into them, which is a very useful feature. However, I still prefer my clippable timer, because it goes wherever I'm going--into the office, upstairs, out to the garden! Have a nice weekend! Regards, Melissa