Oven Thermometer

[mivler]

Hi:

Does anyone know of an oven thermometer that can go up to 900 F?

[chiguy]

 Hi mivler,
 There are some infared thermometers out there, they are point and shoot at whatever surface you need. One that come to mind is raytek i believe they can go up to 1000 F. This is their website but you may have to purchase from a registered dealer.
  www.raytek-northamerica.com
                                                                 Chiguy 

[abc]

interesting... know off hand how much one costs.

[Troy T]

I got mine at Sears, it was $70.00

Troy

[mivler]

Hi,

This might be helpful. There are a few links. The one I bought (last one) was about $70

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1222.0.html

Michael

[Pete-zza]

On the advice of November at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,1222.msg34127.html#msg34127 (Reply 10), I recently bought the Extech unit as a Xmas gift to myself, for $79 (plus shipping).

Peter

[November]

Peter,

How do you like it so far?

- red.november

[Pete-zza]

November,

It's been a lot of fun. I find myself checking the temperature of everything, like a kid with a new toy rather than a highly scientific instrument. It's actually kind of eerie to see that we are part of a technical world of myriad temperatures to which we are usually oblivious. I still use the microwave unit and probe to heat water to a desired temperature, and I still use my instant-read thermometer to measure internal dough temperature, but I use the Extech unit to see how accurate the other measurements are. Fortunately, the differences haven't been dramatic. Do you know if it is possible to check the internal temperature of a dough using the Extech unit? I thought to poke a hole in the dough and aim the red laser beam into the hole.

Peter

[November]

Do you know if it is possible to check the internal temperature of a dough using the Extech unit?

Not by design with that particular Extech model.  I would have recommended the 42582 model to get the full feature set, but it's a lot more expensive, and if you already have an instant read probe thermometer it probably isn't worth paying the extra money.  Of course, if you're going to keep up your experimentation like you have been doing, the printing feature is great for keeping records throughout the experiment.  Sometime this year I will probably be upgrading to that model for the use of logging temperature changes directly into a database on a computer.  I've actually had a need for it several times, but I never got around to ordering it.

http://www.extech.com/instrument/products/400_450/42582Thermo.html
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/extech/thermometers/42582.htm

Poking a hole certainly works.

- red.november

[mivler]

November,

When I purchased my thermometer (listed above)  I was frustrated to find out that it said in the manuel that it is accurate +-3 degrees (or something like that). I was going to return it and get the one you suggested when I read (in a review on amazon.com)

"This thermometer is not very accurate; the user manual indicates that it can be off by plus or minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Perhaps this is because it has such a wide temperature range (up to 1000 degrees F) and is more intended for crude diagnostics than accurate readings."

and
"he product is fair. It is a fun toy, but I'm not too sure that it is accurate. It is probably within five degrees. I like to test the ocean water to see if it is warm enough to swim and I get different readings every time I flash the laser."

It that going to be the case with all of these thermometers?

Thanks,

Michael

[November]

It that going to be the case with all of these thermometers?

In general, for anything under $100, yes.  Just like digital mass scales, the larger the range, the more precision they lose.  There is something you have to keep in mind though that these reviewers may not know about.  The rating for IR thermometers is as follows: ±x% or ±y°, whichever is greater.  You need to look at both parts of the rating to determine how accurate the device is.  Some lesser quality models have a higher ±x%, so the ±y° is basically pointless when dealing with extreme temperatures.  Using the IR201 (±3°) as an example (http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/extech/thermometers/ir201.htm), it can be off by as much as ±12.95° at its temperature limit of 518°, while the 42530 model would only be off by ±10.36° at the same temperature.

- red.november

EDIT: Which Bonjour model 53556 do you have?  Apparently, the 53556 used to have a maximum temperature of 750°F, and now it's 932°F.  I can't find the accuracy rating anywhere.

[scott r]

when a source is close to room temp mine ($75 one) works fine.   If it is at really high temps,  like 800 degrees, it can shift massively depending on how close to the hot object I am.

[mivler]

November,

Here is a picture if the info if it helps. I'm not sure. It doesn't say the model number.

Michael

[November]

Michael,

Yes, by the fact that it indicates the higher temperature and the date (2006) it is the latest model.  I also notice that the accuracy is indicated as ±2% or ±4° just like the Extech 42530.  The only difference (other than brand of course) is that the Extech has a slightly higher maximum and minimum temperature.  I wouldn't worry about replacing what you have until it breaks or you really need that extra 68° for some reason.

- red.november

[mivler]

November,

Thanks. I don't think I'll need that for several years.

Michael