Accurate oven thermometer?

[chef k-dude]

My 30 year old GE doesn't have that gasket. Neat and tidy.

 

[JckDanls 07]

I was gonna suggest if you have one of the better Multi Meters they come with a thermalcouple... Mine has one and it reads pretty accurately...

 

[chef k-dude]

Not sure if mine does, but I think my new ThermaPro just came in, so time to play here soon!.

 

[chef k-dude]

Finally following up on this. It was a while before I had a chance to test the ThermoPro and still I've only used it twice with only one of the probes. Takes a couple brain cells to understand how to set it at first but it seems to work fine.

Amazon.com

I used it first to test out the oven temp which is what caused my OP...I suspected my oven temp was way off. When I tested it, it was all over the place. I was trying to bake sourdough in a dutch oven at 425 and the oven temp varied from 400 to 450-ish and worse as the element cycled. I kept jacking with the oven temp trying to control it. Then I looked it up and found out its not unusual for a home oven to vary 20-50 deg either way so now I've stopped sweating it, it is what it is.

Like Mike243 said, I think the instructions on the Stouffer's lasagna box is just flat-out wrong and one needs to build in much more time for baking it. Gotta be careful to check it though in case that batch was a bad print and was just wrong. Problem is they tell you not to breach the film to cook it!

So my review on the ThermoPro is, so far with two cooks, at least using a single probe; it appears accurate. I baked a gyro loaf yesterday and had the probe set to alarm at 175. It alarmed at 175 and the ThermaPen read the same within a few degrees depending on where the loaf was probed.

The plastic tray inside the box arrived slightly damaged but it still works for storage so far. I'm thinking about getting a pluck-foam case to store it in but the cheapest ones are $20-30...I only paid $50 for the unit. I'm thinking I MUST have something around here I can use that I already have...just haven't found it yet.

This one would probably fit everything

Amazon.com

The one disappointment is that the clip that is supposed to clip on the grate to hold a probe off the grate doesn't work on my oven grate. They do fit on my grill and smoker but I wish they would position front to back as well as left and right. As they are they only clip holding the probe left to right so it either needs to be behind or in front of the cooking surface. My grill and smoker only has so much room to work with.

I dont really need one for the grill but may check the temp vs the thermometer on the hood but they should read differently anyway (grate over the burners vs. several inches up at the hood/housing) Just to see what it reads in comparison. I only need to check the smoker box temp once or every once in a while; if it's good one day, it should be good the next, and I know the MES30 meat probe is accurate becasue I checked that and its consistent.

So really, this is just going to replace my single probe old Pampered Chef unit which is not calibrated correctly, but also doesn't have a remote readout. My MES-30 DOES have a remote readout and I can even change the temperature of the box remotely if I want. This 4 probe unit will of course allow me to probe multiple things.

Just thought of this. Does anybody probe a steak with one of these? I tend to cross hatch the sear on my steaks so that might be cumbersome with the corded probe. I dont reverse sear. Never understood the point.

See, the probe clip wont fit the oven. Had to use an aluminum plate and put both clips on just to rest it on the plate without the probe touching it.

 

[fxsales1959]

Recently I suspect my old GE Profile oven is not holding temp properly. I noticed this after taking an easy button shortcut while sick and baking a Stouffers family sized lasagna. There was no way it was done when it was supposed to be, the cheese on top wasn't even melted. I remembered I had a couple old school oven thermometers so I hung them on the rack. With the oven temp set at 375, the thermometers were reading around only 325. Then I increased the oven to 425 to compensate and dang it if they weren't reading 425! How can one bake like that?!

I have always suspected these thermometers to be off. I had an old one, then bought a new one to check the old one and that just increased the confusion because they read a good 15deg different from each other. I have no idea if one, the other or both are wrong.

They are this type
View attachment 715013


So, I know there is plenty of temp probe, etc. discussion here. I have a thermapen, but thats obviously for probing and cant leave that in the oven. I'm in the market for a good "leave in the oven or smoker in the meat" probe since recently discovering the old Pampered Chef one we have is 15 deg off. The meat is 135 when the probe says 150 (interestingly the old instructions on that one say 150 is med-rare...and it is, except 150 on that one is 135 on the Thermapen!).

Is there also a thermometer that is good for monitoring the oven/smoker temp as well? Seems like a probe wouldn't be be right for that but I was wrong once...a gazillion times! I wouldn't mind investing in a thermometer system that does it all. In the meantime I need to find out exactly what the heck my oven temp is. I have an appliance buddy who can help me troubleshoot what might be wrong with the oven, but I need to temp it accurately to even begin that process.

Never had any issues with my Kenmore in wall, but if I were suspicious I'd sick one of my Inkbirdbbq I BBQ-4T probes, as they are tested to be accurate.

 

[fxsales1959]

Finally following up on this. It was a while before I had a chance to test the ThermoPro and still I've only used it twice with only one of the probes. Takes a couple brain cells to understand how to set it at first but it seems to work fine.

Amazon.com

I used it first to test out the oven temp which is what caused my OP...I suspected my oven temp was way off. When I tested it, it was all over the place. I was trying to bake sourdough in a dutch oven at 425 and the oven temp varied from 400 to 450-ish and worse as the element cycled. I kept jacking with the oven temp trying to control it. Then I looked it up and found out its not unusual for a home oven to vary 20-50 deg either way so now I've stopped sweating it, it is what it is.

Like Mike243 said, I think the instructions on the Stouffer's lasagna box is just flat-out wrong and one needs to build in much more time for baking it. Gotta be careful to check it though in case that batch was a bad print and was just wrong. Problem is they tell you not to breach the film to cook it!

So my review on the ThermoPro is, so far with two cooks, at least using a single probe; it appears accurate. I baked a gyro loaf yesterday and had the probe set to alarm at 175. It alarmed at 175 and the ThermaPen read the same within a few degrees depending on where the loaf was probed.

The plastic tray inside the box arrived slightly damaged but it still works for storage so far. I'm thinking about getting a pluck-foam case to store it in but the cheapest ones are $20-30...I only paid $50 for the unit. I'm thinking I MUST have something around here I can use that I already have...just haven't found it yet.
View attachment 717560
This one would probably fit everything

Amazon.com

The one disappointment is that the clip that is supposed to clip on the grate to hold a probe off the grate doesn't work on my oven grate. They do fit on my grill and smoker but I wish they would position front to back as well as left and right. As they are they only clip holding the probe left to right so it either needs to be behind or in front of the cooking surface. My grill and smoker only has so much room to work with.

I dont really need one for the grill but may check the temp vs the thermometer on the hood but they should read differently anyway (grate over the burners vs. several inches up at the hood/housing) Just to see what it reads in comparison. I only need to check the smoker box temp once or every once in a while; if it's good one day, it should be good the next, and I know the MES30 meat probe is accurate becasue I checked that and its consistent.

So really, this is just going to replace my single probe old Pampered Chef unit which is not calibrated correctly, but also doesn't have a remote readout. My MES-30 DOES have a remote readout and I can even change the temperature of the box remotely if I want. This 4 probe unit will of course allow me to probe multiple things.

Just thought of this. Does anybody probe a steak with one of these? I tend to cross hatch the sear on my steaks so that might be cumbersome with the corded probe. I dont reverse sear. Never understood the point.

See, the probe clip wont fit the oven. Had to use an aluminum plate and put both clips on just to rest it on the plate without the probe touching it.

View attachment 717557
View attachment 717559

I've also seen folks make a tinfoil ball around the probe and just set it.

 

[JckDanls 07]

.I suspected my oven temp was way off. When I tested it, it was all over the place.

That's the way oven's work... They use a contact relay so it goes by average.. So heat is ether on full or off... When it hits 450 it goes off... when it cools to 400 it comes on.. Therefore averaging 425... where as with a PID using an SSR (solid state relay) it keeps heat steady at set point...

 

[Fueling Around]

Electric ovens have 2 modes of heating. The warm air interior is conductive. The glowing element is radiant.
That's why many instructions want you to let oven run for at least 30 minutes after the preheat cycle to stabilize temps.
I learned that 375° most times works better than 350° for generalized baking. I don't do grocery store take and bakes so a long preheat maybe reduces the easy button convenience (and speed).

That's the way oven's work... They use a contact relay so it goes by average.. So heat is ether on full or off... When it hits 450 it goes off... when it cools to 400 it comes on.. Therefore averaging 425... where as with a PID using an SSR (solid state relay) it keeps heat steady at set point...

Climate control thermostats have a bult in anticipator element to prevent over runs and a tighter range to start again before cooling off much.
With today's electronics bult in appliance, it should be a no brainer to use a PID?

 

[chef k-dude]

Well, I wont be retrofitting my oven with a PID controller so I'll have to just deal with it!

At least I know what the deal is now. I dont do a lot of frozen take and bake stuff either. If the Stouffers family sized lasagnas goes on a great sale I'll grab one maybe once or twice a year. It's one of the few frozen entrees I can palate, but even then its borderline and I use them for an easy button when I dont feel like cooking. I think the instructions on that box were just wrong. I've baked sourdough and other stuff since and the oven works fine otherwise.

I'm still curious if people use inserted probes on steaks. I'm usually only grilling one at a time (wife and I split one) so it's feasible I guess. Can always give it a try! Wouldn't want to have 4 steaks with wires going at the same time

 

[JckDanls 07]

I'm still curious if people use inserted probes on steaks. I'm usually only grilling one at a time (wife and I split one) so it's feasible I guess. Can always give it a try! Wouldn't want to have 4 steaks with wires going at the same time

This is where the Thermoworks Thermapen comes in at... And the classic is on sale right now at a good price...

Classic Super-Fast® Thermapen®

The Classic Thermapen meat thermometer delivers fast, accurate readings to ensure perfect cooking, grilling, and baking results every time.

www.thermoworks.com