That's great! I stick to sweets that can be made with tests rather than numbers since I'm just bad at thermometers. Anything that makes it easier is a good thing! That looks like it would work on an enamelled pot too. I probably need one...

That does look nifty!

Lol, yes, you probably do! It was $7.99, which is expensive for what you get, but oh well. My dad used to make old-fashioned fudge by dropping some into a glass of water to test it. I don’t have the patience or know-how to do that properly, so I definitely need a thermometer if I want to have any kind of success. I use it for making fudge and English toffee, but would also like to make some soft caramels this year.

I'm spoiled with my induction and little enamelled cast iron saucepan. I make a kind of toffee that just needs to be at the coats the spoon point. But, yeah, the spoon test, the water test, etc., work fine for me. Annie taught me the jam on the cold plate test and that worked great. Much easier for me than using a thermometer, but I don't do anything fancy. I put your clip thing in my Amazon cart. I've been known to pay a buck for a cake tester. I have wire, but I like the little handle. :)

OTOH, I have a thermometer scraper that Lars recommended--it's meant for chocolate but works great for making cheese. I seem to do okay with a thermometer for cheese...

I use the old water test too for soft ball stages, even though I have decent thermometers now. Nothing like a little sample to verify your target consistency.

(the real reason I had to reply to the OP @lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan was because of the avatar and username, though)

Oooo thank you! I hate fiddling around with the clip.

Oh @Gooster , I looked at your avatar as well...one of my corgis is a black-headed tri color like yours! And she is just the sweetest thing…

I always use a thermometer for candy, and I use my thermometer spatula for making crème anglaise. I might have to get one of those clips, but I have to make sure that I have the right thermometer probe to use with it.

I also use a thermometer when deep frying, and so this would be good for that as well.

I did not make toffee last year, but when I do make it, I cook it to 300°F, and this temperature is critical.

When I make caramel, I cook it to 244°-248°F, which is between firm ball and hard ball, and therefore the thermometer is easier for me to use. I hate fiddling with testing for ball stages, especially when I can see immediately how close I am to where I need to be by using a thermometer.

I've tried using the thermometer guns, and those might work, but I'm not sure. I use one to check the temperature of my pool water, and it is very accurate for that, and so it might work for caramel. I would not use it for oil, however.

ETA: I ordered three of them, as I will need to take one to Cathedral City.

Ah, @lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan except for the distance they could be long lost siblings. Beautiful girl.

Lars, there are three different sized slots on this little gadget, so hopefully one of them will accommodate the thermometer probe you use. I cook my toffee to 300 degrees as well, as I find that produces the perfect, crunchy-but-doesn’t-stick-to-your-teeth bite of goodness.

I became frustrated with my giant thermometer when I tried using it to make toffee earlier this year. As the temperature increased, the red liquid started separating inside the cylinder and I could no longer read the temperature of my mixture. I scrambled and grabbed my thermapen, which worked, but I had to stand over the hot pot with it and continually check the temp, which was not fun.

@Gooster , thank you! How about a close-up of your cutie? Here’s my other one…he’s a salty fellow!

@lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan Here's Jake -- from a ways back at Carmel. I don't think this was from the CorgiCon that was held there, though it could be.

The rest will have to excuse us crazy corgi people.

This talk of perfect toffee is making me very hungry.

Wow, @Gooster , what a handsome boy you have there! Great picture.

Crazy corgi people, indeed, lol!! :-)

Hmmm. Kind of OT, but I broke my candy thermometer and need to get a new one. I've always liked analog better than digital, because the digital ones seem to wear out fast, in my experience. But I may have to eventually get something like this. My late mother always tried to make candy at Christmas time, since it was a tradition in her family. Always seemed to get frustrated. But she was trying to make divinity!! That and penuche were the two I guess that her family had a tradition for.

I'm unlikely to make it without friends or guests to give some to though.

@l pinkmountain , I’ve had this chef alarm thermometer for a while now, but only recently tried using it for candy making, only to find out the metal clip it came with was a real pain. Which is why I bought the silicone clip above! I hope it works, don’t want to have to keep buying candy thermometers.

https://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiNiAoPqa9AIVFW5vBB1-HwX8EAQYASABEgKGRvD_BwE

Just this week Dad gave me a metal candy thermometer. He had it in with stuff that came from my Mom. He can't use it for meat, so I now have it for jelly and candy. But it has no clip. So this post ended up being quite timely!

Is it from your post? i went to check out and they were out of stock! :D

Lol, the 3 pack is still available! That way you’ll have back-ups. I should’ve bought the 3 pack…it’s like a buy-two-get-one-free deal. :-)

I have this metal candy thermometer, which I've been using mainly when deep frying, since I do that more than I make candy these days, and I hang it on my pot rack.

I used to use this cheap glass thermometer, but I've broken a couple of these, and so they do not end up being cheap. I do have one now, and I store it either clipped to my pot rack or clipped to an empty paper cardboard paper towel roll in a drawer. I got this tip from ReneeKY many years ago, and it has preserved my glass candy thermometer. I think it is important to have analog thermometers as backup, in case you are making candy and a battery goes dead.

@Lars , that’s the same giant metal thermometer I have two of! One worked for many years and I only used it for candy making…it was perfect! Then I used it to fry pickles and it never recovered; the next time I used it, the red liquid started separating in the tube and I couldn’t read the temp. Sigh.

Good thinking about needing an analog backup in case the batteries go dead, I didn’t think of that. And great tip regarding the protection of glass thermometers! I certainly need to be more careful with mine.