Maverick ET-733 thread

[jasonvr]

I finally go a response back from Maverick

Good afternoon,

Thank you for contacting us. I apologize for the delayed response.

The ice bath isn't recommended to test the probes because they're not made to measure such low temp. The boiling water test shows that the temp. is off by 2-4 degrees which is acceptable. We allow a difference of +/- 3 or 4 degrees in temp. If the temp. difference is higher, then that means the probes are defective.

I guess I agree on the boiling side, but it seems like a junk answer on the low side.  Their site clearly shows it should read down to 32.  Methinks a return and replacement thru Amazon is in order unfortunately.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I finally go a response back from Maverick

I guess I agree on the boiling side, but it seems like a junk answer on the low side.  Their site clearly shows it should read down to 32.  Methinks a return and replacement thru Amazon is in order unfortunately.

I just looked on their site, and that seems to be similar to what it says there ("Support" page).
[h3]DIGITAL THERMOMETER QUESTIONS[/h3]
I tested my thermometer in boiling water and it reads 208ºF instead of the expected 212ºF. Is there anyway to calibrate my digital thermometer?

No, there is no way to calibrate our units. Our digital food thermometers are designed to be most accurate at the median of the typical food-doneness temperature range (approximately 160ºF) with increasing tolerances at minimum or maximum temperatures.  All of our digital thermometers have a tolerance of +/- (3-4) degrees F so it is normal for the temperature readings to vary by a few degrees.

I personally never check mine at the 32° end for their same reason.

I also never looked it up on their site before, because none of mine ever checked out to being off by more than 2° at boiling.

Bear

 

[johnmeyer]

I just did a little technical snooping. I measured the probe and determined that it is not a diode, as I surmised in my earlier post. I measured the resistance at room temperature and then put it into some hot water. The resistance declined quickly. Thus, the probe is probably a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. It starts out at about 1.2 megohms (a really high resistance) at room temperature, and goes down to about 200 kilohms at about 150 degrees.

It might be possible to build a simple hack that would let you calibrate the sensor at one specific temperature. Whether this would throw off readings at other temperatures, I don't know. All you would need to do is add a potentiometer (a variable resistor) between the probe and the transmitter. Adding resistance would lower the resistance reading. Subtracting resistance (by putting a resistor in parallel rather than series) would do the opposite. You simply put the probe into water of a known temperature (see how to do that in my last paragraph), and adjust the resistance until you get a match with the calibrated thermometer.

However, this would probably affect linearity, so it might make readings at the extremes become less accurate. However, since most food measurements (the finished temperature) are between 120F and 160F (pulled pork is closer to 200F) you could probably get pretty close.

For me, the simplest thing to do is to use a really accurate thermometer (like a lab-grade bulb thermometer or a Thermapen), and create a table of corrections. Then, simply set your alarms using the corrected numbers. Not ideal, but it is certainly a way to get perfectly accurate results.

P.S. Just after I posted, I found this excellent post, from here in the forum:

Temp probe specs for possible generic replacements

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I just did a little technical snooping. I measured the probe and determined that it is not a diode, as I surmised in my earlier post. I measured the resistance at room temperature and then put it into some hot water. The resistance declined quickly. Thus, the probe is probably a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. It starts out at about 1.2 megohms (a really high resistance) at room temperature, and goes down to about 200 kilohms at about 150 degrees.

It might be possible to build a simple hack that would let you calibrate the sensor at one specific temperature. Whether this would throw off readings at other temperatures, I don't know. All you would need to do is add a potentiometer (a variable resistor) between the probe and the transmitter. Adding resistance would lower the resistance reading. Subtracting resistance (by putting a resistor in parallel rather than series) would do the opposite. You simply put the probe into water of a known temperature (see how to do that in my last paragraph), and adjust the resistance until you get a match with the calibrated thermometer.

However, this would probably affect linearity, so it might make readings at the extremes become less accurate. However, since most food measurements (the finished temperature) are between 120F and 160F (pulled pork is closer to 200F) you could probably get pretty close.

For me, the simplest thing to do is to use a really accurate thermometer (like a lab-grade bulb thermometer or a Thermapen), and create a table of corrections. Then, simply set your alarms using the corrected numbers. Not ideal, but it is certainly a way to get perfectly accurate results.

P.S. Just after I posted, I found this excellent post, from here in the forum:

Temp probe specs for possible generic replacements

But then how much is 3° or 4° off going to hurt?? Or 5° or 6°, especially if you know about it?

Bear

 

[gary s]

You're making it way more complicated than it needs to be.   How many BBQ places do you see that use probes ???

I have a Maverick and only used it a couple of time. Mainly because of my 45 + years of smoking I never used one and I forget to get it out.

The other reason is when I did use it I found myself staring at it all the time waiting for the temp to go up.

Gary

 

[gr0uch0]

 
You're making it way more complicated than it needs to be.   How many BBQ places do you see that use probes ???

I have a Maverick and only used it a couple of time. Mainly because of my 45 + years of smoking I never used one and I forget to get it out.

The other reason is when I did use it I found myself staring at it all the time waiting for the temp to go up.

Gary

    Confucious Gary nails another one....

 

[johnmeyer]

But then how much is 3° or 4° off going to hurt?? Or 5° or 6°, especially if you know about it?

Bear

That is, of course, the key question. I don't think errors like that are going to make much difference for the oven temperatures, but for the food, they might. If you are trying to cook a steak to medium rare, there is a pretty big difference between 130 and 135.

But, if you know about these errors and have measured them, then obviously you just do a little math in your head, make the adjustments, and everything works out perfectly.

 

[gr0uch0]

 
That is, of course, the key question. I don't think errors like that are going to make much difference for the oven temperatures, but for the food, they might. If you are trying to cook a steak to medium rare, there is a pretty big difference between 130 and 135.

But, if you know about these errors and have measured them, then obviously you just do a little math in your head, make the adjustments, and everything works out perfectly.

Anyone coming near a steak of mine with something that's going to pierce it is gonna have more hell raised than just a little bit.  What restaurant of any repute pokes holes in their steaks to figure out IT??  Not any that I've ever frequented

 

[johnmeyer]

 
Anyone coming near a steak of mine with something that's going to pierce it is gonna have more hell raised than just a little bit.  What restaurant of any repute pokes holes in their steaks to figure out IT??  Not any that I've ever frequented

I'm always willing to learn. How do you get consistent results without a thermometer? I know about sous vide, and have used that, so I know how you can do it that way. But if you put the steak on a grill -- even a gas grill where you can get somewhat repeatable heat -- how do you really know what it is going to look like inside without making some sort of measurement? Don't get me wrong, over the years I've cooked a lot of meat without measuring the temperature, simply by looking at it, or measuring time.

I've also had a lot of over- and under-done meat doing that way. I now always measure, and I get very repeatable results. For me, the slight loss in juice in one steak (I am usually content to measure just one) is a very small price to pay for knowing that I won't ruin my guests' meal.

At least I don't cut it open to look at the inside.

 

[gr0uch0]

 
I'm always willing to learn. How do you get consistent results without a thermometer? I know about sous vide, and have used that, so I know how you can do it that way. But if you put the steak on a grill -- even a gas grill where you can get somewhat repeatable heat -- how do you really know what it is going to look like inside without making some sort of measurement? Don't get me wrong, over the years I've cooked a lot of meat without measuring the temperature, simply by looking at it, or measuring time.

I've also had a lot of over- and under-done meat doing that way. I now always measure, and I get very repeatable results. For me, the slight loss in juice in one steak (I am usually content to measure just one) is a very small price to pay for knowing that I won't ruin my guests' meal.

At least I don't cut it open to look at the inside.

It's all about touch, texture, sight, repetition, and familiarity with your equipment.  I have full confidence in my years of being around grills & pits, don't worry about any grilled meat being over/undercooked, and know my equipment inside and out.  There are instances where I will use probes and thermometers, but no where near a grilled steak, pork chop, or chicken breast.  

 

[gary s]

I do use a temp gauge depending on what I'm smoking. Poultry for one. Usually my instant read.

Over 45 years of smoking and Knowing my Smoker I can tell by sight and feel. Early on back when I was young and worked in the food

industry I cooked thousands of steaks and was taught by touch.  So I have an advantage and the main thing I'm very comfortable with this.

In saying that If I was a new guy (or gal) I would take advantage of all the neat modern toy's available till I was completely comfortable.

Just don't get too stuck on 1 or 2 or more degrees and think you have to hit it exactly.

As you smoke, you will see that the same type of meat may take longer or even a different IT to achieve the same tenderness.

A while back I smoker two briskets ant the same time. They were as close to identical as I could get by weight, marbling and fat cap.

Yet one took over and hour longer than the other to reach the same tenderness and IT.

Gary