Way to test meat thermometer?

debrak_2008

13 years ago

I've very frustrated trying to use meat thermometers.

I have the basic kind and a digital. The basic kind I used a few times with mixed results. Recently used it on some chicken breasts. It said it was up to temperature but the chicken was clearly raw inside.

Today I put in the basic one in a pork tenderlion. I came up to 145 degrees pretty fast. I was concerned so I stuck in my digital and put in back in the oven. Digital read 145 quickly, while the basic took longer.

Ok I just cut into the tenderloin and it is RAW inside. How can both these be so off?

Is there a way to test?

Is this hopeless?

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Comments (31)

triciae
13 years ago
debrak,

I cook pork tenderloin to 145 degrees. It's still a bit pink on the inside. I think with pork and chicken there's a significant difference in what people consider "done" and others consider "raw". So, it's hard to tell exactly what's up with your thermometers?

Pork tenderloins are not very large. Is it possible the probe could have gone through far enough to slightly touch the cooking vessel? If so, then of course you'd get an inaccurate reading.

I figure on another 3-5 degrees during resting depending on size/type.

/tricia
Jasdip
13 years ago
In our previous apartment the hot water was always too hot. I used to stick the thermometer under the running water and it would clearly show 120, pretty quickly. That's the temp used if you have a dishwasher. Even though no one did in the building, I took this as an accurate temp.
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Aha - Good point about the microwave! But like I said, I have no experience with the microwave's probe. What I DO have experience with is my meat probe thermometer which despite its metal probe being in a hot oven for several hours does not suffer from any noticable inaccuracy. I just quickly took a look at Cooks Illustrated's testing of 11 meat probe thermometers, and of those only two were noted as having accuracy issues: one by up to four degrees and one up to two. So I guess the nine others had engineers who were clever enough to overcome or adjust for the thermodynamic properties of their metal probes. (If that was even an issue in the first place.) Making what I would guess is a safe assumption that the technology of an oven's built-in meat probe thermometer and a stand alone unit are similar if not identical, I stand by my initial assessment that if there's a problem, it's with either the probe, the oven or the way in which it's being used. As opposed to some fundamental flaw with the technology due to poking the meat with metal.
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As to cooking turkey so its not dry, when cooking a turkey bird in the oven I usually use a Reynolds Oven Bag in an appropriate size for the bird. One time use, seems to cook more quickly than standard roasting, easy cleanup, so tender and juicy that it falls off the bone (both white and dark meat), resulting turkey juices easy to contain and use for gravy or whatever. The only slight disadvantage I've found is that if you're more interested in nicely roasted and crispy skin rather than a nice tender and tasty bird, you'll likely be disappointed. To that end, we cook turkey to eat, not to look at and take pictures of so no problem there. Too, the cooking bag probably won't work worth a flip if you usually stuff the bird with anything but the typical seasonings (onion, celery, half an orange, salt/pepper, fresh sage, etc.). Traditional cooking method? Probably not but once you try it, you'll make it one of your go-to methods.
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bellsmom
13 years ago
Surely someone can come up with a better method than mine. But until they do. . . .
Check a thermometer (I use my thermapen) with boiling water and partially melted ice water to be sure of accuracy. Then heat some water to, oh, say 140 by whatever thermometer you have calibrated. Check your meat thermometer to see what it reads. Do this again at maybe 170.

You can tell pretty easily if it is reading consistently high or low and by how much. You can determine what it will register in water of 145. Hopefully it will be consistent.

Hope this helps.
cloudy_christine
13 years ago
Can't you just test the meat thermometer in boiling water?
debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
I will try with boiling water. I don't know why I didn't think of that.
debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
So did the boiling water test. The digital one I ended up throwing out. It won't show current temp, you can only set an alarm for a temp when reached.

The basic thermometer would only go up to 185 degrees in the water. It read up to 190 but I have seen it go over that.

That would mean it is under reading but what I have experienced with some very raw meat is that it is over reading. This thermometer is only a few months old and have only been used a few times. Its was about $10.

Just wondering if I need to buy a more expensive one, learn how to use it better?(I don't know what I'm doing wrong) or give up?

Please help.
jadeite
13 years ago
debrak - was the water boiling vigorously, not just bubbling or simmering? Could you get the temperature any high by turning up the heat? Assuming you're at sea level, your thermometer has to be 212F or something is wrong.

Check with freezing water. You need an ice and water mix, stir to make sure the water temperature has stabilized and take the temperature. If it doesn't read 32F I think your thermometer is useless.

There's nothing wrong with your use, most cooking thermometers are borderline useless. Unfortunately the best solution is to buy a thermopen, but they're around $90 which may be more than you want to spend.

You could buy another inexpensive thermometer. Make sure you keep the receipt! Do the boiling/freezing water tests again. If they don't read 212F/32F (or pretty darn close), take it back and get a refund.

Cheryl
debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
It was really boiling. The burner was on the highest setting. Can't do the ice water test as the lowest reading is 130 degrees.

I guess I would be afraid to spend that much unless I knew for sure it would be useful to my cooking. I don't know anyone IRL that uses a meat thermometer. I've read about it here and other places. I would love to be able to cook meat better, as in not over or under done.

I'm going to do the boiling thing again just to see if I get a different result.
debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
Ok so I did the test again but used a deeper pot when I was able to hold the thermometer deeper into the water. The markings on the dial only go up to 190 degrees but based on the calibrations I guessed it went up to at least 200 +.

What I learned it maybe this thermometer is not so off but that it needs to be deeper into the meat. ???
jadeite
13 years ago
How far are you inserting the tip? I think it has to be at least 1-2" deep, but make sure you aren't hitting bone or touching it to the baking pan or pot. Also, don't be too quick to take it out, thermometers can be slow to get to the temperature they're sensing.

I use thermometers all the time, not just to cook meat but to tell if a custard is near setting point, or if a reheated dish is warm enough, or if baked goods are done etc. I have fewer failures this way. It completely changed my mother's cooking when I gave her a meat thermometer, the kind you leave in the meat while roasting. All the guesswork went away and we had nicely done turkeys and roasts. Don't give up.

Cheryl
debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
Yeah, I don't think I've been putting it in far enough. I've been just focusing on the tip and positioning it so that I can see it through the oven window. Need to rethink that.

Well, I am now hopeful that I can get the hang of this!
bbstx
13 years ago
It is pricey but I love my Thermapen. Just after Christmas, they had an "open box" sale, but I think that is over.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermopen
bellsmom
13 years ago
I just had another ''open box'' sale announcement from Thermapen, which I also strongly endorse, but I deleted the announcement and can't give you details. If you are interested, you might post an inquiry here and someone else may be able to give you info.

Your problems are why I suggested checking the meat thermometer against another thermometer. Most meat thermometers, I think, do not go to the two extremes that are easy to check--boiling and freezing. So if you have another thermometer that you can callibrate to those temps, then you can check the meet thermometer against the callibrated one in the ranges the meat thermometer reads.

Anyway, good luck!

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Fri, Mar 8, 13 at 19:47
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
First, where do you live? If you live on a high altitude location, then the boiling water test at 212F is no good. You need to check with your local data base to see what is the boiling temperature in your area.

One of the important characteristics of a probe thermometer is the probe needs to be small, as small as possible.

Metal carries a lot of heat (thermal mass, specific heat) and metal conducts heat much faster than meat.

Therefore if you are measuring a steak with a thick probe, the metal of the probe will conduct a lot of heat from your grill into your meat and render your measurement useless. I think in science that is known as the Ã¢ÂÂ Observer Effect Ã¢ÂÂ.

dcarch
jadeite
13 years ago
The open-box sale isn't on thermapens, it's on infrared thermometers. See link below.

Cheryl

Here is a link that might be useful: thermoworks sale on infrared thermometers
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
I do recommend everyone getting an IR remote read thermometer.

With an IR thermometer, you can regularly and easily find out exactly:

1. Temperatures at each location in your freezer, and each package of food in your freezer. This will allow you to store food safely. You will be surprised.

2. Temperatures at each location in your refrigerator, and each package of food in your refrigerator. This will allow you to find out if there are non-food safe areas in you refrigerator. ItÃ¢ÂÂs a good idea to check the operation of your refrigerator in the winter and then in the summer and adjust the temperature settings accordingly.

3. Temperatures at each location in your oven vary a lot. You can get to know how your oven bakes with an IR thermometer.

4. You can find out exactly how hot to make your frying pan. I even found out my cast iron frying pan has hot spots.

5. You can find out which walls in your house need more insulation.

But before you buy one, you need to understand Ã¢ÂÂDistance Target RatioÃ¢ÂÂ first.

dcarch
grainlady_ks
13 years ago
Iced water is a better standard to check your thermometer (if it goes that low) than boiling water. Not only does elevation alter "boiling" point, but minerals in the water can too. I was taught to leave the thermometer in the water (boiling or iced) for at least 30-seconds, and at least 2-inches of the probe covered. There is more information than you'd ever want on the subject at the link below.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing the Right Thermometer to Verify Food Temperature
Annie Deighnaugh
13 years ago
Placement is an issue. I was using my oven probe and the roast came up to temp way to fast, so I moved the probe some and it dropped by 15 degrees...it again came up pretty fast so I moved it again and it dropped by another 10 degrees....it has to be deep enough yet not too deep in the center and not touching bone ... not always easy to estimate given the shape of what we're piercing.
debrak_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
No high alt. here.

Interesting about the thickness of the probe.

Infraded thermometer??? Can these be used on meat? Why do the prices of these vary so much??

grainlady. I read the link. Yeah lots of info. A little confused on which ones are recommended.

annie, having the same issue.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
The article Grainlady linked explains in great detail of what I pointed out as to the importance of a thin probe for selecting a food thermometer.

No, an IR remote read thermometer cannot read the temperature in the center of food, only the surface temperature.

One thing interesting in grainlady linked article is, "----Some pocket digital thermometers priced from $11 to $15 are remarkably accurate, if one
chooses the correct one.----"

I have been using a $4.00 digital thermometer for many years. You can find many on eBay. Very accurate. I bought two, one for a backup.

dcarch
bellsmom
13 years ago
Jadeite
Thanks for the correction on the sale. I assumed the sale notice was for the thermapens, one of which I have and love, and didn't open it. Just used the link you supplied and ordered an infrared thermometer (for about half the usual price), which was on my list and is now scratched off. Thanks again to you for the correction and dcarch for the many ways to use an infrared thermometer.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
IR thermometer:

To make cold smoked salmon safe, you need to freeze the salmon for 7 days below -4 F.

With the IR thermometer, I was able to find out my freezer has an area that is -9 F, and a few areas 2 F.

Now I know what to do with my cold smoked salmon. :-)

dcarch
lcubed
13 years ago
as far as the original poster's issue, i think that she's having operator issues. to get an accurate reading, the probe must be in the thickest part of the meat being measured away from both fat pockets and bone.

since i do a lot of smoking (meat/salmon etc), i usually use a remote thermometer (maverick ET-732) in conjunction with a fast reading thermopen. f

or the most part, the extra conductivity of the probe has at best second or third order effects on the doneness (assuming that the item being cooked is much larger).

that said, we use the remote probe for smoking relatively thin salmon fillets to a preferred 130F
cj47
13 years ago
Dcarch, I've been considering ordering an infrared thermometer for a long time, thanks for providing a few uses for it that I hadn't thought of! (a little extra justification never hurts!)
Jadeite, thanks for pushing me over the edge by providing the link to the sale at Thermoworks. I've purchased a few items from them, and I'm on their mailing list. I don't know why I didn't get that email!

DebraK, I had and threw out a number of digital thermometers because I couldn't trust them to be accurate. I asked for, and received, my Thermapen for Christmas a year ago and I use it all the time. It's accurate and reliable, and best of all it has a very slim, very sharp probe that can be used on thin things, like a steak, thin pork chop, or pounded chicken breast or even fish (though it's easy to tell when fish is done). I have also used it to find out how hot foods are in a warming tray on my Thanksgiving buffet--and also how cold a salad is, so I know when to put it back in the fridge. I've also used it to measure the temp of hot water for brewing green tea or coffee, and the temperature of the water going into the fish tank, and various other things. It's one of the most used things in my kitchen, and I count it very much worth the money spent.

Cj
3katz4me
13 years ago
I've had similar problems with inexpensive meat thermometers. I wasn't willing to spring for a thermapen though especially since I need one at home and at weekend lake place. Somewhere I read some reviews, one of which recommended the Taylor 806E4L Weekend Warrior Waterproof Digital Thermometer. It was around $15-$20 I think. It works much better than any other one I've tried. In a bind I bought the Taylor Compact Digital Thermometer for the lake place and it is definitely not the same. As I was reading here I was thinking again about splurging on a thermapen to replace but still unwilling to spend $90 on a meat thermometer.
bbstx
13 years ago
gibby, it is a bit much to pay for a thermometer, but if you ever get one, you'll wonder how you ever did without.
Go to the Thermoworks website and sign up for their email offers. Sign up box is on the left side toward the bottom of the page. Earlier this year they had an "open box" sale and the Thermapens were $65.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermoworks
jadeite
13 years ago
Bellsmom and Cj - you're welcome. I think bbstx is the one who should be thanked. She posted the notice about the thermapen open box sale where I got my backup thermapen, and also signed up for future email offers.

Cheryl
3katz4me
13 years ago
bbstx - I signed up - in case I'm feeling particularly flush with cash some day.
triciae
13 years ago
Thermapen's are pricey. But, not so much when you consider the price of protein and the cost of what goes to waste 'cause it wasn't cooked properly.

/tricia
bbstx
13 years ago
Triciae makes an excellent point!

Jadeite, thanks for the nod. One year my entire family got Cuisinart ice cream freezers for Christmas because some kind soul had posted that they were on sale at Kohl's. Gotta love a good sale!
cynic
13 years ago
Am I the only one intrigued by that combo infrared with the fold out probe?

And ain't that little guy just cute and a half (maybe tree-quarter!). Especially for under $11

I missed the open box sale on the other. OK procrastinated and forgot.

Way to test meat thermometer?

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Way to test meat thermometer?

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