We love a good cooking show here at Comark and BBCs Great British Menu is no exception! The hit BBC show is now in its 17th series and last night’s episode saw three Welsh chefs halfway through their battle, for a chance to win a place at the regional finals.
Tom Phillips, head chef of the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Story in London, was working on his desert – inspired by an iconic episode of Only Fools and Horses. Not wanting the ‘Anglaise’ for his chocolate mousse to split, he reached for his handy PDQ400 Waterproof Pocket Digital Thermometer to keep an eye on the cooking temperature.
Always Close To Hand
Looks like Chef Tom Phillips had his PDQ400 Waterproof Pocket Digital Thermometer close to hand. The handy little PDQ400 is compact and slim and has a 1.5mm thin probe tip for fast response. It has a range of -20º to +200ºC (-4º to +400ºF). The PDQ400 is also waterproof so it is ideal for use in busy, steamy kitchens like the Great British Menu kitchen.
Ensuring Optimum Cooking Temperature
Made from egg yolk, cream, sugar and fresh vanilla, the ‘Anglaise’ or ‘Crème Anglaise’ is the pouring custard that can form the basis of many desserts. The egg yolks will split if they pass a certain temperature. The ideal cooking temperature is around 70°C to 83°C (156°F to 180°F). The higher the temperature, the thicker the ‘Anglaise’ will be, but the higher the risk of the eggs splitting.
Images courtesy of BBC Great British Menu
About Tom Phillips
Tom Phillips, from Newport in South Wales, joined Restaurant Story in late 2017. His career has taken him through the kitchens of The Ritz in London, The three Michelin star Per Se in New York and L’enclume in the Lake District. In 2019, was the youngest ever competitor to represent the UK in the World Finals of the Bocuse D’Or – the chefs’ equivalent of the World Cup, finishing 10th in the world. With a deep passion for British products and a keen eye for detail Tom is now Head Chef at Restaurant Story.
Tom recently described his food as “elegant, precise, innovative and unpretentious,”. Perhaps part of that ‘precision’ is down to his choice of thermometer. We’re biased of course, but being a direct customer of ours now for many years, Restaurant Story has been repeatedly returning to us for Pocket Digital Thermometers, Probes and Accessories, making us truly The Professionals’ Choice.