Need Thermometer that WORKS

Good morning Dan.
While i have only limited experience with digitals in a smoker,my Taylor 1470 digital has served in my household oven faultlessly for years and goes happily down the stack on my cs 55.
From my reading on the subject i have come to understand that the probes on this type of thermometer fail if overheated.
Taylor says not to put the probe in an oven above 392f
This is not commonly understood.
In a smoker i would not expect that upper limit to be a limiting factor.
My experience is limited to the Taylor but if you respect the upper temp. limit it appears bulletproof.
Best.
dick

0 for 3 seems like something else might be going on. In addition to burning them up as Dick mentions above (and which I've done to a few probes myself while grilling), another common culprit for failed probes is getting water in them.

Never submerge the probes in water. Instead, just wipe them down. Another trick I learned on this forum is to boil the probes in hot oil. This forces out any air or water from the probe and the pantene creates a seal to help keep moisture out.

Give it a try before buying a new unit. Also, most people here like the Taylor or Maverick units.

quote:

Never submerge the probes in water. Instead, just wipe them down. Another trick I learned on this forum is to boil the probes in hot oil. This forces out any air or water from the probe and the pantene creates a seal to help keep moisture out.

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I did manage to mess one probe by trying to wash it. Is it safe to boil the probe in oil? If so, do I completely submerge the probe and some of its cable under the oil and how long should I boil it?

I am corresponding with Tom at Thermapen about his units. Do they have a model that will work similar to the Polers, Mavericks, Acu-Rites, etc? I'm willing to pay the money if it will guarantee the unit will work and last. I've come to believe that accurate internal meat temperature is is vital for success. I recently started smoking and thanks to this forum my success rate has been phenominal.

Thanks all for the help,
Dan Ayo

Yes, submerge them in clean and hot oil, about 250 or more. The idea is to boil out the water and wick the oil into the inside of the probe. Oil seems to work for this just fine. I've recovered lost probes this way.

Remember the wire inside that cable is REAL small and bending/flexing/pulling will break it. Treat it like crystal and handle with care.

I have the instant read thermapens and swear by them.

There are also professional temp probes, not just thermapens, that work great and have an incredible accuracy and responsiveness, BUT a high price also.

What Smokin' said.

We use a lot of Taylor's[with wire] on the comp circuit and each of us carry a Thermapen.

They all take a beatin' and keep on workin.

The real high temps can cause a problem,although I have started turkeys at 400º for 30 mins in the oven and had no problems with the probes.

Hope this helps a little.

My Williams-Sonoma remote has worked well for about one year..... now that I'm using an 055 I don't know how many times the unit outside has been soaked in rain and continues to work fine..... unlike my digital camera...

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/4065835/index.c...mometer&cm%5Fsrc=sch

Richard

Would it be good practice to boil new probes in oil, since I understand the oil seals the probes?

Thanks for all of the replies,
Dan Ayo

That used to be recommended here,but the companies have started sealing the joint of probe and wire.

This has helped a lot.

I picked up 2 taylor made one at Target the other day. I noticed they have something sealing the braided cable to the probe.

I am trying the Maverick Redi Check and so far it works well. Even the remote is functioning well. I really like the displayed meat temperature on the remote instead of the base unit.

Thanks for all of the input concerning this matter.

Dan Ayo

For the Taylor model 1470 that Mr. Jig mentions above, see this thread about them being on sale right now for $10. Not sure if they are any better quality wise, but they'll give you one free probe replacement if it fails.

Nothing is more frustrating than not being sure
about what you are cooking. With that said I would highly reccomend the Maverick Model ET7 dual. Phone #732-417-9666 I've owned one for a couple of years now and I have never had any trouble with this. The biggest problem with any
of these are the probes. Get them wet and they
all get crazy... Good Luck

Gotta chime in on this one.

I have a 4 year old Polder. Checked it this morning. I think I will keep it.

32*F in ice water, 212*F in boiling water. Fairly tight I would say!

My Accu-Rite might have said 31-33 and 211-213. I like them both.

Original probes on both. Never boiled in oil. Never sealed.

I think they should be treated gently and taken care of well. (kinda like wine and women)

I have 2 Polders one of the dual temp mods and a regular one. I could lay both of them on the counter and they would read 3 different temps.

The dual one will start off okay and the next thing it is reading 340˚ in a smoker set at 225˚. The other one will start off about 10˚ lower than everything else, and a couple of hours later it reads higher than the rest.

I guess there are good ones and bad one as with everything else.

Mine is just a regular cheapo original type Polder.