For years I used an 18" probe thermometer with a nice simple dial in degrees F and C, which cost $20. Then some fool (alright the same person), who knows not to run with scissors, ran with the thermometer and dropped it on a rock, breaking the face. I used it that way for a couple of years before looking around for another one. The same one was no longer available so I got the rather inferior Lee Valley one, which encourages very hot composting - which I'm against - by telling you which composting temp. range you're in. I usually do batch composting, and turn the pile only once, if that. I take the temp of the pile in the first couple of weeks to see how well I've built it. If it heats up into the 120-130F range I know I've done a good job of layering materials, and there's good moisture and aeration, so in a sense, the thermometer has trained me to be a better composter. IMO even $30 - the price of three movies - is cheap for something that lasts for years, and quickly gives you a glimpse into the inside workings of a pile - you can almost see what the bacteria are up to. Impress friends, amaze kids, maybe get a few of them hooked on composting. A two or three-foot length of reebar, left in the pile for an hour or so, will give you a good idea of the heat in there too.

Ok, I found it. I did calibrate it but then it wasn't reading the temperature of the room correctly. I'm waiting for my steak to be done to see if it works. It took so long to read that I wasn't expecting it to get so hot that when I took it out of the steak, I got burnt... Anyways... My steak was rare but it read it at 152. The thing that came with it said that 145 is medium rare. It stuck at 120 for a while when it was reading. My conclusion is that I need to get yet another thermometer to try.

I don't have a tablet, but I luuuvvv my iPod 4. It does everything a tablet would. It uses the iTunes format, but I'm sure the other devices have the same Apps. I do have the Kindle App if I want to "read." It's not a full function Kindle, but I do have 1,200+ print books in it, right in my iPod. 1,195 of them were free! I am nearly always listening to audiobooks. I tuck the iPod in the strap of my running bra; it stays in place and I don't even have to wear earbuds to hear it clearly. While I'm doing my mindless work of laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. I'm being entertained. The audio book is the foreground and the daily grind becomes the background "noise." I will list some of the Apps I use daily with links to their sites if you want to check them out. Of course, I have dozens more I wouldn't be without, but these are a few of the ones I use daily. MyStuff2 - Inventories and manages everything! I'd be lost without it. http://www.maddysoft.com/iphone/mystuff/ Pray! "Pray! helps you keep track of people you need to be praying for in a simple, intuitive, and efficient way." That way when I tell someone I'll be praying for them, I have their names and concerns before me. http://pray.zerodeviation.net/ iBird Pro Spendy, but worth every penny. Snoop around the site and you'll see al the features. A detailed bird guide with videos, sound clips, photos...everything! I also have the iBird/UK version because they had a special sell on them. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibird-pro-guide-to-birds/id308018823?mt=8 Sewing Kit "Sewing Kit is your new home for all of your sewing needs! If you have ever been in a sewing store looking at patterns, but couldnâÂÂt remember if you already bought the one you like, or if the fabric you like will work with the project you are working on, then you will love Sewing Kit! Sewing Kit lets you search through all of your patterns, fabrics, projects, and people to make sure you are not buying something twice, or getting home and finding out you forgot to get something you really needed! With Sewing Kit you can store and search on all of your: - patterns - fabrics - projects - measurements for people All of these things, all in one place." https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sewing-kit/id382162683?mt=8 I don't play any games or do FaceTime, but I do have links to all the Garden Web/Home Site forums on the iPod screen so I can check in often and easily. I also have apps for Etsy, Ebay, Amazon, Houzz, Pinterest, Flylady, Pioneer Woman, Bernina, Schmetz, Learn Spanish, Project Quilt, Ian's Laces, How-to-tie-a-tie, History Here, Weather Channel, PBS, NASA, KJV Bible, TallyThings, Convert (Measurments), and on, and on, and on, and on. I use them all at least weekly.

Okay Carol and others, I checked the website for the Thermopen thermometers and they also have one that is probably in line for what I would use it for and I think it's about $17 or so. I think I'll forego the King Arthur's and opt for it. I don't think of an instant read as a meat thermometer but one for many uses. If I did as much as some of you do with preserving, putting up or whatever you choose to call it, I would get the "Daddy of them all" in a heartbeat. Jude