Norpro Touch Screen Thermometer, Timer Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this device. I like that it has a touch screen and I find it easy to use. I also like that it has magnets on the back so that I can leave it stuck to the side of the oven. You can set the timer in either minutes and seconds, or hours and minutes. You can set it to a specific temperature so that the alarm will go off when that temp is reached. It goes to a higher temperature (572 degrees) than many other devices, which is one of the reasons I bought it in the first place.
I've had it for a few years now, and I bought it specifically for measuring the temperature of bread while it was still in the oven. I started learning baking using The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, my favorite beginner's book. When my loaves in the oven were almost done, I'd put the probe in one of the loaves in the oven and set the outside temperature to my desired goal temperature for the inside of the loaf-- in other words, I used it as an alarm for doneness, the same as you would for meat. Of course, I used the timer, too, especially when I had more than one project in my kitchen (I used this in addition to the timer on my stove.)
When I went to baking school, I switched to Advanced Bread and Pastry, a very technical book that certainly stresses the importance of temperature and time. I bought other multi-use thermometers for candy, chocolate, custards, etc. But I still use this occasionally for bread in the oven, to get water to the right temperature before mixing dough, to get the room temp, etc.
ONE CAVEAT:
Sometime within the first year I had this thing, the temperature probe went bad. I called the company and they sent me a new probe free of charge. I've never had a problem since. Their customer service was very easy to deal with.

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Norpro's Touch Screen Thermometer/Timer is easy to use and easy to read the extra large digits.Instant temperature readout during cooking.Perfect for your oven, BBQ, stove top and deep fryer.Oven door or grill cover can close over the high heat resistant 39" sensor cable.Has an extra long alert.The screen displays two temperatures at once:actual temperature, target temperature and time.

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Mastercool MSC52224A Infrared Thermometer Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this to use at my stove when cooking. It takes a little getting used to, since surface temperatures are significantly different from interior temperatures. Like, when cooking caramel, the surface temperature seems usually to be about 10F cooler than the interior (measured with a normal digital thermometer), whereas things in the oven, the surface will obviously be much hotter than the interior (so much hotter that this is really only useful on the stovetop.)
Once you learn to compensate for stovetop use, though, this thing is incredibly handy. Checking frying oil to make sure it's at 375F for best deep-frying results, checking on confections to stop them at the right temperature, making sure custards in a double-boiler aren't approaching a boil, I use this thing all the time. It sits on the shelf immediately above and to the left of my stove so it's within easy reach when my intuition isn't enough or I'm trying to do many things at once.
This was the least expensive one I could find on Amazon, too, with a decent FOV. For cooking, this one's 1:12 view cone is great -- means when you point and shoot from a foot away, it's sampling a 1" circle. Some of the other inexpensive ones have cheaper optics and some are as bad as 1:1, which means to sample a 1" circle you'd have to hold it an inch away from the surface -- completely unfeasible when cooking something like caramel, if you value your skin.

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Infrared thermometer ranges from -58 to 932 degrees F, with large easy to read 1" LCD display, scan mode, maximum temperature display, andF/C button. The unit includes 2 AAA batteries, instruction manual and a plastic molded carrying case.

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T-Fal Vitesses 1.7L (7-Cup) Electric Kettle Review

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(More customer reviews)I spent hours researching every electric kettle available (and looking at them in person, in stores) before settling on this one. I've owned it for about 6 months now, and it's been great. The concealed heating element and the simple one-piece plastic jug design make it very easy to clean (not that I've needed to) and leak resistant (I assume, from a design perspective, since mine has no leaks yet). The only way it could leak is if the grommet sealing the metal bottom piece to the plastic jug developed a leak, whereas most of the stainless steel kettles being sold have several parts, many seams, and thus many places a leak could develop. There is some mild browning of the plastic inside the jug, I suppose a reaction to the high heat. This same thing happened with my roommate's older plastic electric kettle, so it's to be expected. People complain about plastic vs. stainless steel, I settled on plastic for one primary reason: it is a better insulator, so not only will it keep the water hotter for longer, it will be safer to handle in general (ie. it won't burn you or a child if it is accidentally picked up by its sides while it contains hot water). People complain about plastic "leeching chemicals" into the water, I haven't noticed any difference in taste, personally, and I doubt stainless steel would be much "safer" than plastic in this respect. The switch works great, and mine has never spilled water or over-boiled it (as long as it contains the minimum recommended amount of water). The spout and handle shapes make it easy to pour, and the locking top makes it pretty tough to spill. Definitely recommended, I'm buying another one for my parents right now.
PS - While researching electric kettles, I frequently saw complaints of how kettles designed for use in the USA don't heat water as fast as those in the UK. This is for a very simple reason: UK uses 240 volt power, USA uses 120 volts. Most electrical receptacles are rated for 15 amps (though the kitchen are often has at least two 20-amp circuits, per NEC recommendations). Watts = volts * amps, which means that UK kettles can get up to 240 volts * 15 amps = 3600 watts, while USA kettles can get up to 120 volts * 15 amps = 1800 watts. Manufacturers might sometimes avoid approaching this limit, perhaps due to safety or liability issues? Just note that this 1750 watt Tfal kettle is very close to the typical USA receptacle wattage rating. It's just about as high as you'll be able to get in the USA...most other USA electric kettles only go up to 1500 watts.

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With 1750 watts of electric power, this high-speed kettle brings 1 cup of cold water to a rolling boil in one minute. Fill the kettle to its 7-cup capacity, and achieve a full boil in five minutes. The kettle comes in handy for making instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate, instant soups, and more. To ensure the water doesn't boil away, the unit shuts off automatically once the water reaches a full boil. For added convenience, the kettle lifts off its corded power base for cordless pouring, can be set on the power base in any direction, and turns on or off with a simple push of a button on the handle. In addition, the unit comes with two exterior water-level indicators that offer perfect visibility for left- and right-handed users, and its removable and washable anti-scale filter extends the life of the kettle and ensures scale-free beverages. Other highlights include a stainless-steel concealed heating element, multi-level temperature controls--from boiling to immediate sipping, a locking lid with a large pour spout, cord wrap underneath, and an exterior of hard, gleaming plastic that wipes clean easily. The kettle measures approximately 8 by 11 by 8 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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EXCITING EASY TO READ GRAPHICS. ChimGard® Energy Meter (3-4) Woodstove Thermometer. Durable genuine porcelain enamel with yellow & orange zones clearly indicated on brown case -- shows safe flue temperatures at a glance. CALIBRATED FOR FLUEPIPES Review

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(More customer reviews)Works well. I assume its reading is representative of the temperatures. Color is not too bright and offensive. Looks good on black stove. You sometimes have to tap it to get it to give current temperature as it occasionally gets a bit hung up on its way up. Not the end of the world.

Click Here to see more reviews about: EXCITING EASY TO READ GRAPHICS. ChimGard® Energy Meter (3-4) Woodstove Thermometer. Durable genuine porcelain enamel with yellow & orange zones clearly indicated on brown case -- shows safe flue temperatures at a glance. CALIBRATED FOR FLUEPIPES

If you're using a woodstove, you need to know what's going on inside your chimney. If you're burning too cold, you could be coating your chimney with creosote, sending massive amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere, and losing quite a bit of heat from your wood.If you're burning too hot, you could be wasting energy, damaging your catalytic combustor or even chancing a chimney fire. It's important that you know exactly what's happening, so you can burn efficiently, stay comfortable, and most importantly, stay SAFE.Condar patented surface thermometers are bimetal instruments that attach magnetically to your stove or flue pipe. They indicate the surface temperature, and by extension the temperature of the flue gasses. They're instrumental in fine tuning your burning habits for maximum safety and efficiency.The ChimGard 3-4 Thermometer is the most popular surface thermometer for use on single-walled stove pipe. Colored "zones" on the enamelled steel face indicate safe burning temperatures, letting you know what's going on. A cool-touch metal bail allows you to move the magnetic thermometer wherever you wish on the pipe, or you may use the safety screw (included) to insure the thermometer stays exactly where you want it, with no chance of slipping off the pipe.

Click here for more information about EXCITING EASY TO READ GRAPHICS. ChimGard® Energy Meter (3-4) Woodstove Thermometer. Durable genuine porcelain enamel with yellow & orange zones clearly indicated on brown case -- shows safe flue temperatures at a glance. CALIBRATED FOR FLUEPIPES