I must have thrown away a few spoons and forks by distraction. It's getting rare now, thankfully.
A meat thermometer... I remember my mother using that. It's way too sophisticated for me though

And we don't often eat meat.
I read a funny book long ago, Cooking for Geeks, where they explain there's a temperature under which food doesn't overcook, no matter how long (within reasonable limits I suppose) and show how to build special devices to do that.
I like a scientific approach, but improvisation and a few crispy bits are more fun (even if that's not so healthy).
