Behind the Knife - tools, food, and the secret lives of chefs

To The Test: Oven Thermometer? Or Cat Toy?

I love multitasking.

I also love it when tools can do more than one thing.

When the BonJour Laser Probe Combo Thermometer — during the upcoming video, I’d inadvertently had the box turned to the French side — arrived in the offices awhile back and I showed it to Chief Tool Dude Chip Sheen, he said it was a favorite in his kitchen and he described the games that inevitably ensue in the pressure-cooker environment of a professional kitchen. After spending a few hours in the weeds — to non-BOH (back of house) workers, that translates to balls-to-the-wall flat-out work — one chef would point it at another chef to test his body temperature, and say, “Dude, you’re working way too hard,” possibly punctuating his words by throwing a pot of cold water his way.

Here at the BehindTheKnife.com offices, in the course of performing traditional tasks, I discovered a more prosaic use for the Thermometer: Cat toy. And so I also enlisted the assistance of Assistant Tool Researcher Little Sh*t to demonstrate the myriad uses of the tool:

When I started to say “Be forewarned” towards the end and then signed off, I wanted to mention that once you start playing laser tag with a cat, that’s it. It’s highly addictive, and that it’s highly probable that the critter will become quickly addicted and will come to expect her fix at the same time each day.

At least, that’s how it’s done here.

PS. The Key Lime Cake from All Cakes Considered turned out fine.