What Is The UK’s Best Kitchen Timer?
It’s no secret that it can be hard to get the timings right when cooking. Between trying to follow recipes, ensuring all the ingredients are prepped and ready to go, and making sure everything’s going in at the right time, it can be easy to overlook something and leave it cooking too long. Kitchen timers are invaluable for helping you keep track of time-sensitive tasks. This article will explore some of the best kitchen timers available today, so that you can find the perfect one for your needs.
Kitchen Timer Reviews
Kitchen Timers Buyer’s Guide
Whether you’re constantly overcooking your boiled eggs in the morning or you simply can’t get that Sunday roast just right, a kitchen timer will transform your cooking. These are easy, convenient little kitchen gadgets that’ll let you know when your roasts are cooked to perfection. With a range on the market, choosing the right one might be a little tricky. Here’s what to look out for.
Mechanical vs Digital
Mechanical timers are the more traditional timer, where you simply turn the dial to the time you need. The best mechanical kitchen timer will be easy to use and have a large, easy to read display. The disadvantage is that they usually have a time limit of 60 minutes so they aren’t good for longer cooking times.
Digital timers have a much longer time range, usually up to 24 hours or more. They can be used to count both up and down, and they also have a clock function. The downside is that these may run out of battery faster, and they can be more awkward to use.
Ability to Countdown Multiple Times
Crispy roast potatoes, the perfect joint of meat and the best gravy will all have different cooking times, so if your meals are a little more complex, you’ll want a timer that can countdown multiple times. This means you can set it for a range of different foods and you’ll be alerted when to take each individual component out the oven.
Alarm
If you’re hard of hearing, go for a timer with a louder alarm. Otherwise, as long as it’s clear and you can hear it, the alarm isn’t hugely important.
Some more advanced timers will allow you to set different alarm tones for different dishes. Other timers will alert you a minute before the timer is going to go off too. This means you have ample time to get your food out the oven; ideal for dishes where even a second over can be catastrophic!
Ease of Use
Your kitchen timer should be easy to use, and program. Mechanical timers are generally the easiest, as these have less complex features. It should also remain stable when either fastened using the magnetic strip or placed upright on countertops.
Ease of Reading
A large and bright LCD display will be easy to read. Mechanical timers are slightly more difficult, so opt for a digital timer if you’re worried.
Timing Ranges
Many kitchen timers will measure in hours and minutes but the more advanced models will measure in seconds – perfect for more precise timing, If you’re using a mechanical timer, the range will probably be up to an hour, but digital timers will have a much longer range which is ideal if you’re slow cooking.
Some timers will also count up which means you can see how long something takes to cook, and note down for next time. An auto count up means that once the alarm goes off it will start counting, ideal if you miss the alarm and want to see how long ago it went off.