Infrared Food/Cooking Thermometer?

flyinglentris

flyinglentris

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There are many ways to evaluate the temperature of food. There are temperature controls on ovens, stove tops, microwaves, induction cook tops, pressure cookers, rice cookers, etc. There are thermometers that can be pushed into meats to give core temperatures of the cooked meats.

There is something new, I've found, hand held infrared thermometers, like those used to test human body temperature from the forehead. These infrared cooking thermometers are not the same as the human body infrared thermometers and can't substitute for them in usage.

I've been thinking how a hand held infrared cooking (food) thermometer might be used. Certainly, it would seem unreasonable to consider taking the core temperature of meats being cooked. But otherwise, there seems to be some versatility available. For instance, one can check the surface temperature of food, before, during and after cooking. One might also check the temperature of refrigerated or frozen food. Why that might be necessary or of interest, I can't fathom. But one might also evaluate the temperature of foods stored in open air or shelved in pantries or cellar larders.

So, yes, I have a curiosity about these new devices. Google for 'infrared food thermometer or cooking thermometer' to find out more.

If you have one of these devices, please comment.
 
I have one - I use it to measure the temperature of the pizza stone in my pizza oven to make sure its around the right kind of temperature (because the oven is outside the ambient temperature affects how long a pre-heat it needs). I've not found any other practical use for it around the kitchen yet - so I would describe it as a reasonably useful gadget for certain use cases, but not essential.

Its worth noting that with these kind of thermometers accuracy often isn't great....measurements can vary greatly depending on how close you hold it to whatever you're measuring (around 6" is ideal, but not always practical).
 
I think I've seen people on cooking shows use them for a quick gauge of deep-fat frying oil.
 
I am also impressed by write-ups, that they can be used for non-kitchen temperature readings, such as evaluating air conditioner output, automobile engine block temperature and inside temperature, etc.

I think being able to test coffee temperature is a good idea, for black coffee, to prevent burns.
 
I was thinking about a previous thread that expressed concern about food cooling while it was being photographed. One of these infrared thermometers could be used to confirm whether the food has cooled enough to require re-heating.
 
One word of warning, they will not tell you the temperature of reflective surfaces, so you can't use them to check the temperature of some pans.

I have one but honestly my instant read probe gets much more use.
 
I use it to check if my cast iron has come up to temp, because as you know you usually want that pan screaming hot (above 400 deg fahrenheit) before you toss in your steak.
Have also used it to check the temperature of my airconditioner vents... but the most common usage? Well you know how it comes with a little laser to help you pinpoint where you're testing the temperature? The cats love it! They know the clicky sound that my IR thermometer's trigger makes and then when they see the laser dot, they go completely insane LOL
 
This is the one that I use for most things, including for cooking!! :whistling:
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I do not currently have an infrared digital cooking thermometer. I got interested when I started looking for a medical infrared forehead no contact thermometer. My under the tongue thermometer went bad.

The only cooking thermometer I currently own is a meat thermometer.

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flyinglentris said:
I do not currently have an infrared digital cooking thermometer. I got interested when I started looking for a medical infrared forehead no contact thermometer. My under the tongue thermometer went bad.

The only cooking thermometer I currently own is a meat thermometer.

View attachment 72989
Click to expand...

I have one of those also, but smaller. :whistling:
 
I finally received my medical infrared no contact thermometer.

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I'll consider buying one for non-medical general use soon.
 
BTW: Here's my old medical thermometer, an oral thermometer, whose demise spurred me to go looking for an infrared no contact thermometer and spinning into food thermometers.

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It's probably just got a dead battery.
 
I've heard one of the best ways to check, if your melted chocolate has the perfect temperature for a shiny glacing, is with an infrared thermometer, because you don't touch the chocolate, what could affect the tiny sugar crystals inside of it. Many patisserie chefs bought one just to measure their chocolate.
 
GadgetGuy said:
This is the one that I use for most things, including for cooking!! :whistling: View attachment 72821
Click to expand...

That's an older version, the 774. I recently ordered the new version, the 1080D directly from Etekcity's website for $29.99 USD. That's about $10 cheaper than the cheapest price I have found elsewhere on the web and shipping was free.

The shipping tracker shows that it will be delivered today.
 
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