September 27, 2011 - 7:16am
Probe thermometer
I am looking for a probe thermometer for telling the "doneness" of my bread :)
Looking at this one from amazon
Just wondering if this would be a good purchase?
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I am looking for a probe thermometer for telling the "doneness" of my bread :)
Looking at this one from amazon
Just wondering if this would be a good purchase?
That probe will work fine, it's so cheap that I would buy two.
Appreciate your feedback. :)
Ordering one now.
Besides my "digital" thermometers, I have a mechanical dial one that came from the supermarket for not very much money (since "digital" is in style, the older "analog" ones are often sold real cheap). I use the mechanical one all the time (the digital ones mostly stay in the drawer) and it works just fine. No tiny buttons to press, no problem reading from the "wrong angle", and never an issue with weak batteries.
With any of these "instant read" thermometers (digital or analog), aim to get the end of the probe (actually about one inch back from the end) right in the middle of your loaf. It's tempting to poke it in the top or bottom of the loaf as far as it will go, but with the end of the probe hitting against the inside of the crust on the other side the temperature reading will be mostly about the crust rather than the crumb and will be a poor guide to doneness.
This allows you to stick the probe in after about 30 minutes of bake time (loaf if firm, yet not done at this point)- insert into center of loaf quicly, then close the door. Take the 30" or so wire lead attached to the sensor and plugg into the unit- set the alarm to go off at say 203 or 205° - and not worry about it as it will tell sound the alarm when the internal temp hits the setting. Much easier than using your style in what may be several trials. Yes, I saw you ordered but this would certainly work - for roasts too!
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-1470-Digital-Cooking-Thermometer/dp/B00004XSC5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317170444&sr=8-1
That does look fantastic!
Can not find that model on any uk site, but just wondering if you (and others) thought this would be as good
http://www.amazon.co.uk/eKitch-digital-probe-thermometer-timer/dp/B003SOC7P6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1317198879&sr=8-3
Just requested a cancelation on the other one, so see if amazon let me do that.
and i am a bit suspicious about the accuracy in the lower range.
I put the tip into some stuff in the fridge, and my room thermometer nest to it, and left them there for a couple of hours.
The reading differed by 4C. Not good enough to control dough temperature. But I don't know about the higher range - mine reports boiling water slightly above 100C - Brighton is not that deep under the sea (yet)!
Oh, thats a shame. Any you could suggest? I quite like the alarm function of that.
Was just reading on the amazon reviews about needing to calibrate it, think that might be the issue?
Charlie
I have both an "instant read" thermometer and a "probe" thermometer (to me the term "probe thermometer" generally means the kind with the wire ...but not always).
Each has its plusses and minuses (including cost), and it's likely that different folks will prefer one or the other. For myself I'm firmly in the "instant read" camp; I don't use my "probe" thermometer at all any more. Just once catching the wire on my oven door and pulling a shaped lump of dough right off my baking stone onto my oven floor was enough for me:-)
(Also beware it's pretty easy to "fool" the probe by heat from elsewhere conducted along the metal. Stick it all the way in to the loaf and turn the 'L' bent part up; with the 'L' bent part turned down so it pointed at my baking stone, it read almost 10F hotter.)
Thank you for the advice. Seems that nothing is full proof! But its always good to know what I am dealing with.
Might try one of the probes just for the heat alarm. Will make my life a little easier.
Though the instant read ones are so cheap, I can easily pick one up if I find that the probe isnt doing it for me.