sanitizing probes

[Rusty Long]

Im wondering how people sanitize their meat thermo's.
At this stage i just use a cloth and wipe down my probes, no i have one probe that appears to be registering 30deg hotter so i must be doing something wrong here.
Few questions i have.

1. Do you sanitize after each smoke?
2. Do you just boil them in hot water or use some sort of chemical?
3. Do you need to do the entire wire or just the probe bit?
4a. Do you also clean the inbuilt probes?
4b. If yes to 5 do you do this after each smoke?

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Im wondering how people sanitize their meat thermo's.
At this stage i just use a cloth and wipe down my probes, no i have one probe that appears to be registering 30deg hotter so i must be doing something wrong here.
Few questions i have.

1. Do you sanitize after each smoke?
2. Do you just boil them in hot water or use some sort of chemical?
3. Do you need to do the entire wire or just the probe bit?
4a. Do you also clean the inbuilt probes?
4b. If yes to 5 do you do this after each smoke?

I use food grade plastic pads..they're abrasive, but won't hurt the metal. I use a little dish soap and hot water and scrub them down. I only do the probe bit my self. Then before inserting it into the food, I do a rub down with an alcohol pad. You can buy these. <Heck I've used my glass cleaning pads and then just clean my glasses with them after. They're a scratch free microcloth after all>

I do this if I intend to use the inbuilt probe in any food; if I don't, I see no reason to clean it..as it's not going in food. Normally I don't use it as the accuracy is suspect, and I have a Maverick Redi-check.

 

[Meat Man Matt]

I just do soap and water on my probes. I don't bother with the wire (unless I spill some drippings on it), it doesn come in contact with the food anyway.

If you are having issues with the accuracy, it may just be that your probe is damaged/defective. I wouldnt worry too much, just buy a new probe, and hopefully you didn't have any bad cooks as a result of the defective one.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I got one probe reading super high <It's broken alright. it says my fridge is 150f or so>. It can happen, you have to be careful when storing them as coiling them etc can break the wire.

 

[Rusty Long]

Oh maybe i shouldn't coil them and just hang them instead.
Can you use any probes or do i have to use the ones that are for my specific device?

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Oh maybe i shouldn't coil them and just hang them instead.
Can you use any probes or do i have to use the ones that are for my specific device?

Been wondering this my self, because Maverick probes ain't cheap....maybe some one will tell us!

I have a large enough space I can lay mine out; but I hang them up over a coat hook if I plan to use it again the next day now. The one that went was the one I had to coil up to fit back in the box every time I put it away..that is why I stopped putting them back in the box.

 

[Meat Man Matt]

Any probe should work with any device. Provided that the plug is the correct size, which most are. But anytime you are using a new probe, it doesn't hurt to use a secondary measure to verify the new guy is doing his job

 

[gmc2003]

I just use a soapy sponge on the probe with a quick rinse after then I dry them off with a paper towel.

Chris