Oven thermometers

[David.WE.Roberts]

We think our oven is running cooler than the temperature dial indicates.

The oven thermometer seems to agree.

However, how accurate are oven thermometers?

Ours is an analogue one - presumably some sort of internal coil.

Made by Copco.

There seem to be loads of choices via Google and most of the mechanical ones look very similar - stainless steel back, clip to go on the oven shelf, pointer and dual C/F scale.

Oh, and where in the oven is the best place to measure?

By the glass is easy to read, the temperature sensor must be at the edge somewhere, but should it be as close to central as possible? Even on a fan oven?

Cheers

Dave R

[polygonum]

We thought ours was under-temperature. Then, looking at the dial very carefully, realised that we were mis-reading it. The markings are something like this:

. 120 . 140 . 160 . 180 . 200 . 220 .

And the pointer has to point not at the number, but at the dot past the number (i.e. seemingly higher). Just that ovens both I and partner had been most familiar with pointed at the middle of the number itself.

We do have an oven thermometer (as last oven did seem a bit wayward at times) but do not use it precisely because of the difficulty in reading it from outside the oven. Were we to want another, we'd go for an electronic one which can also measure inside of joint temperatures, etc.

[Frank Erskine]

When was it last calibrated?

[harry]

Some oven thermostats have an adjusting screw.

[Mike Lane]

David.WE.Roberts wrote on Mar 3, 2013:

I have one of these:

It seems quite accurate - boiling water reads 100C. It's excellent for measuring the internal temperature of food while cooking in the oven

[Gordon Henderson]

Almost got one of those, but went for the dual-probe "Heston" ones a while back - which is good to be used while stuff is cooking (Keep the actual meter outside the oven though!) It works in the BBQ too :)

Gordon

[David.WE.Roberts]

Presumably the lead to the sensor fits between the seals for the door?

As the oven is brand new we might just call out the suppliers to check it.

Cheers

Dave R

[fred]

In article , Gordon Henderson writes

Nice one :-)

Not a bad price given the branding, silicone leads for an easy clean and hooks to help keep the probes in place

Not a fan of endorsed products but one of those would be worth bending a rule for.

[Mike Lane]

Gordon Henderson wrote on Mar 4, 2013:

I looked at those, but from what I understand the alarm can only be set to certain preset values, whereas the ETI one can be set from any value from 0 to 300C.

I sometimes use it set to 5 degrees to check when food is defrosted for example.

[Gordon Henderson]

Yes, it's preset values. Personally I just use them as a guide though. The one down-side is that it's a little slow - not an issue if you are cooking something with the probes in from the outset, but you can't just stab it into something and hope for a quick check - it can take 30 seconds to stabilise )-: If I'd known that before I got it, I might have thought twice, but it was on offer in the local cook shoppie.

Gordon

[Gordon Henderson]

They're Ok - slow if you stab them into something already cooking and want a quick check, but otherwise I've used them a lot (and in the BBQ as well as main oven!)

Gordon

[David.WE.Roberts]

Just working my way up to buying one of these and then checked the spec.

"Temp range from 16°F to 302°F or -9°C to 150°C"

So this is a food in the oven thermometer not an oven thermometer.

I need to measure up to 250C at least to check the oven temperature is accurate.

Years ago when our Creda oven had the fan and heating element replaced the installer had a multi-meter with a temperature probe.

This may be the way to go.

Cheers

Dave R

[David.WE.Roberts]

The oven thermometers discussed here seem to be intended for inserting into food to check the temperature.

I want a probe that can measure the temperature inside the oven to check if the thermostat is calibrated correctly.

Is there any reason why the ETI one cannot be used 'bare' instead of inserted into food?

Cheers

Dave R

[news]

There are plenty of relatively cheap oven thermometers these are but 2

[David.WE.Roberts]

:-) If you look back upstream you will realise that I already have one like that :-)

Problem with them is you can't read them unless they are right up by the glass.

I want one with a probe that can sit in the centre of the oven (or anywhere else I chose).

Cheers

Dave R

[news]

Ahh My apologies. I guess that it the downside of trimming posts. I guess visibility of this type depends on the state of your oven door - I simply use a torch shining through the glass to illuminate mine - but that does depend on you having a A) A glass door and B) It being clean enough to see through (but (B) is a whole new thread :-)

[Mike Lane]

David.WE.Roberts wrote on Mar 12, 2013:

No - I have often used mine to measure oven temperature. The only problem is that the probe doesn't sit easily on an oven shelf - it tends to fall through the slats.