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Digital Thermometer?

10K views 32 replies 15 participants last post by  bullseye 
#1 ·
I did attempt a search and did not find anything current. I am on my second analog meat thermometer from 'Wally world'. A name brand supposively. The first one, used just a couple times and sitting in a drawer for months was definately off. I bought a new one with a heat proof rubber ring around the dial and inserted it in a prime rib last week. It seemed to indicate accurately based on what I was expecting. This week, it came up to a 128 D. F. on a 9 lb. boneless roast in just over two hours at 250/225 oven temp. I was not expecting that and want to know how to get a good digital. Perhaps the remote type with the digtal and alarm that hangs out of the oven? Anyway, sorry for rambling, anyone else with knowledge feeling chatty?
 
#2 ·
I think that sounds about right for the boneless roast. Those will cook at about 15 minutes per pound at 250 to a temp of 130. So you're certainly in the ballpark if you started with a room temp roast and seared it off first.

PHil
 
#7 ·
I do not personally like digital thermometers. I prefer the simple dial instant-read type. I can calibrate it easily to both 0ºc and to 100ºC and know that it will remain accurate. When I was in hotels, someone at the daily KM meeting was designated to calibrate all dial thermometers. We never had any problem with incorrect temperatures.
Just my opinion though....
 
#8 ·
I have a remote digital made by Oregon Scientific. Model AW-131. It has one probe with transmitter. Remote works up to 200 or so feet away. Programable for different types of meat, and has warning before desired temp is reached. Can be found at Acadamey, Lowes, Home Depot and such. Good luck.
 
#12 ·
I just got a Comark 300B for $18 at Surfus. I tried to use it but I can't figure it out. Stupid one-button operation, and I can't make any sense of it. I'm taking it back.

Can anyone recommend a good instant-read digital probe thermometer? I don't want the kind with the wired probe, I want a one-piece unit. Consumer Reports tested a few meat thermometers. The Taylor Weekend Warrior 806 got the highest marks. Is a meat thermometer the same thing as a food thermometer?
 
#13 ·
A meat thermometer is meant to reside in the meat the whole cooking time.

Food thermometer is a vague term but is likely an instant read type. But you'll find oven thermometers so you can know what temp the oven really is as the temp settings aren't exact. Same for the refrigerator, particularly as those tend to be warmer at the top and cooler at the bottom.
 
#14 ·
For an instant read the Thermapen is the way to go. I use the cheap digital ones all the time for the BBQ pit. Most of mine are Polders which are around $30. I typically get 2-3 years out of them and they get abused, dropped on the ground, wet from splashing, grease from the BBQ pit etc.
 
#16 ·
You can give this one a go CDN ProAccurate Quick Tip Digital Cooking Thermometer - CDN Thermometers I used to have a few Taylor probe thermometers because I thought they were the best, turns out they don't handle well to falling out of a sleeve pocket. So I bought this the CDN, and it's performance is actually better. It takes temperatures much faster and it can take some abuse too thanks to it's metal casing. The one downside is it's larger so can get snagged if you have it in your sleeve pocket.
 
#17 ·
I used to have that same one. I really liked it but it died after 2 months (commercial kitchen, however).
 
#19 ·
I've used mine in a commercial kitchen to and it holds up fine. For what it's worth though, pocket thermometers are cheap and disposable. I'd rather drop that one then a dial thermometer that would almost certainly have to be re-calibrated or could even break, which has happened to me on several occasions. At $16 a pop or so, it's really not unreasonable to buy a new one every few months to a year.
 
#20 ·
Yeah, I agree. Pocket therms are constantly falling out of your sleeve pocket, at least that always happened to me back when I used 'em. Or you lend one and it gets dropped (on the floor or into the soup!:roll:) or doesn't make it back to you.
 
#23 ·
I dislike mechanical biotherms. They're slow to read, inaccurate and the calibration drifts wildly. Back when I used them (even good ones) I often had to recalibrate them every day. To see what I mean, stick 5 of them into the same item sometime just for kicks. See how far apart they all read.
 
#24 ·
My analog thermometers haven't needed calibration since the day I got them, about 3 years ago. And there's no drift either. OTOH the one and only Taylor digital I got worked poorly despite battery changes. If you're gonna' get a therm, spend some money, even on the analog ones, and you shouldn't have any problems in accuracy and functionality.
 
#25 ·
I'd really prefer a digital, that is if I can find a good one.

I spotted this Taylor model 3519 at Target for around $14.



It claims to be "waterproof" on the package and has the NSF logo on there too. Long warranty too, I think.

This must be a new revision to this model because I've seen this same model number on eBay and elsewhere on the web, however the one at Target is different in the layout of the buttons and other minor details.

I suppose I could try this and if I don't like it, Target has a pretty lenient return policy, so I could probably just return it no prob.

What do y'all think? Worth a try, or junk?
 
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