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Equipment & Gear: Kitchen Thermometers
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Jim Cooley



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Posts: 377
Location: Seattle

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why not post a link right here to the cheapest/best value Thermapen you'd recommend? I"m not going to spend $100; but something on the order or $10-$20 bucks might just spur an impulse buy...
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thermapen is pretty much "the best you can buy" - and they know it.

I've never seen them in the $10-20 range.
I bought a digital when visiting the CIA in NY - paid about $20 for it; glad I didn't pay more.

sometime back they were selling off the beige/light brown ugly color at a decent discount (explained as "it's ugly, nobody wants this color, here's the color cheep) - tried to buy some but could not manage to navigate their site.

my standby is a dial analog Weston model 2261 - it has an 8" probe.
works like splendid for poultry and big roasts. it hasn't lost calibration in 20 years+, then again, it's not tossed / kept in the junk drawer - I drilled a hole in my knife block to keep it handy and properly cared for.

for some oddball reason I actually prefer the analog "see how fast the needle moves" in judging "is it soup yet?" and, put bluntly, the slower response of the analog eliminates the flashing number display making one wonder - gosh, what is the real temp....? the long probe is especially useful for sticking it in and then withdrawing it to check the "depth of temp profile" - a curious solution to the "did I hit a bone?" situation.
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Jim Cooley



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Posts: 377
Location: Seattle

PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 5:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was just thinking if Thermapens were in the $10-$20 range it might be fun to play with one as you have done.

I guess I'll stick with my (runs to check model #) Weston 2261!

Do great chefs cook alike? Big smile
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 5:26 am    Post subject: Comark PDT300 as a cheaper alternate Reply with quote

I took a cheesemaking class and the instructor was using a Comark PDT300 digital thermometer. It worked well in class so I bought one from Amazon for less than $20. Read time is about 5-7 seconds. Not as good as the Thermopen but great for the price. It also has the advantage of being waterproof. Handles temps from -58 to +300 so it can't be used for frying.
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My grill themometer go hot and leak out it's not mercury I don't think cause the metal is hard so I'm thinking it's a sodder anyone know if mercury would b use in a grill dial thermometer
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Christopher Hale
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:36 pm    Post subject: KITCHEN THERMOMETERS Reply with quote

Infrared thermometers have migrated from the cold depths of the garage and workshops to find themselves as an indispensable part of the cooking process. They take all the guesswork out of the cooking process and will give us more time doing other important things, like eating and breathing.
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

IR devices measure only a surface temperature.

they are not of any use when cooking - for example - a roast to a desired internal temp.

if you do not have a probe type thermometer for internal temps, a IR is not a useable substitute.
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naj
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:08 pm    Post subject: IR thermometers Reply with quote

I am looking for a review of an IR laser thermometer used for candy making. My old "clip on" candy thermometer has to be replaced, and I would like a multi-task thermometer we can also use outside the kitchen. Our query is this - will the IR laser thermometer accurately measure the different stages of syrup for candy making? Anyone tried this before?
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

have not tried it with candy making, but I have worked with IR temp devices in other uses.

I suspect you will encounter two problems:

to be reasonably accurate IR thermometers must be calibrated to the "emissivity" of what you are pointed at. this will change with every pot, light candy, dark candy, etc.

even when calibrated, their accuracy is not the greatest - the plus/minus reading may well be greater than the temperature range you need to measure for various sugar stages.
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Simon
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:33 am    Post subject: Thermapen Reply with quote

I own the Thermapen MK4 and it was one of the best investments in my home kitchen. Before that I had used a cheaper thermometer but it always took ages until it settled for a correct temperature. Especially when the temperature was changing that was a big problem. I've also used a cheap chinese thermocouple (20 dollars on Amazon) which actually worked quite well! But with the cables it wasn't very practical.
A tip for all Thermapen users: in almost no case there's a need to have the temperature to 1/10 of 1 Fahrenheit. It's easy to change the setting to show whole numbers and the Thermapen will work even faster.

Best regards from Germany,

Simon from
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John Sellers
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:31 am    Post subject: Thermapen Reply with quote Delete this post

The Thermapen is the BEST way to go. I have used one for years.

1) The sensing area is only the last 1/8 of an inch of the tip.
2) It takes a reading in 3 seconds.
3) It is accurately calibrated and comes with a certificate of performance within about 1 degree at 32 degrees and 212 degrees.
4) The battery lasts for thousands of hours.

I can put a steak in the pan and check near the top surface, near the bottom surface, and in the middle in about 10 or 15 seconds. Often this informs me if one side is too hot relative to the other side so I know when to flip it.

On any number occasions I have had more than one item in the pan which look exactly the same, and determine that one is done and the other needs to cook a little more.

There are many other cases that I find it very useful. I use it all the time, and also buy ones for gifts, which I might add are appreciated more than most gifts.

Also they are always improving the device. It now has back lighting control by whether there is not enough light to see if well, and the display rotates to vertical or sideways depending on the orientation of the device. It also goes to sleep when you set it down and wakes up when you pick it up, unless your turn it off by closing it.

The newest version which recently came out also has a build in infrared sensor for remote measuring of temperature.

There is no device that is better!
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