Why You Should Always Use A Timer When Cooking

Kitchen timers are a tool that you may be dismissive of when you are cooking. But if you are not getting the results you want and find yourself over or undercooking your dishes, you may want to start using them. And if you don't have a kitchen timer, it might be time to invest in one. 

As Epicurious notes, a timer allows you to cook a dish while simultaneously doing one of the 100 other items on your to-do list. That means you can fold laundry or take a ride on your Peloton, knowing you will hear a little ding or beep once your desired cooking time has been met. 

PMG Now explains that a kitchen timer can improve your cooking in multiple ways. Specifically, a timer will help you achieve consistent results in the quality of the final product, and it will also make you feel more efficient, freeing up time in the kitchen to do something else. But they also suggest that using a food timer will help you stay clear of one of Andrew Zimmern's pet peeves: food waste. When food is properly cooked to the right temperature for the appropriate time, you will be less likely to throw it away. But using a food timer also gives you something else.

Using a kitchen timer will ultimately give you peace of mind that you are cooking your food safely. That alone should be enough, but it will also save you money, as a timer means you are decreasing the potential of burning food and throwing it away, according to the blog Budget Bounty. At the end of the day, timing is everything, especially when you are cooking your favorite meals or baking your pies and other goodies. A kitchen timer also allows you to delegate the food watch to a child or spouse, and make the process as smooth as possible.

And while we realize using timers on our smartphones and other devices have made this process even more convenient — even food makers such as Barilla encourages its customers to use its playlist as a timer while they cook their favorite pasta shapes to perfection — Epicurious advises against it. This is because you will have to touch your phone or tablet at some point to turn them off or add additional time, and if you have dirty hands, your phone is also going to get grimy. Instead, the outlet encourages you to have a loud, dedicated timer so you can clearly see and hear it. 

So, if you're having problems burning food, getting your phone dirty while cooking, or multitasking in the kitchen, investing in a timer could give you peace of mind.