Laser Thermometers

[smokin' joe]

Has anyone tried these digital laser temp thingys? Just point and shoot...looks easy enough. I was wondering how they would work around the pit and if so how accurate are they?

Not to mention the fun you could have by going around the house taking the temp of anything and everything.

Anyway just wondering. Let me know if you have a thought on the matter. Thx.

 

[peculiarmike]

The thermo you are speaking of is an infrared thermometer. The laser simply shows you the spot where the temperature is being read.
These thermometers are very accurate. They do not have much application in the smoking arts, they only read the surface temperature.
They have many uses, troubleshooting problems with the engine in your vehicle, heating/cooling systems, etc., etc.
You can buy a cheap one for around $30-$40 at an auto parts store.
Or you can spend some bucks and buy a professional model. Mine is a RayTec.
Note the red laser dot on the drum, that is the location where temperature is being read.

 

[pitrow]

I second what Mike said... not much use in a smoker since it measures surface temperature, not ambient temperature, but they are fun to play with and actually have many uses. Use it to find cold spots (i.e. poorly insulated places) in your house, see just how cold that cloud above you is, find the cylinder in you engine that isn't tuned right, check your A/C or heater, etc.

 

[cinnamonkc]

I was given one as a gift since I love to cook and most of the gifts I recieve are around cooking...anyway, it's great for candy and chocolate and things where the temp is standard throughout the product, but I experiemented quite a bit with it as it relates to roasts, steaks, cakes, etc and every time it was off quite a bit in relationship to the center. I can have a reading of 160, 170 externally with the laser and still have a raw piece of meat in the middle.
Fun to play with though!!

 

[smokin' joe]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the input and I think I will hold off for now. Maybe I will just spend the money on a couple more remote probe thermo's.