Customer Reviews

Polder 602-90 Digital Cooking Timer/Thermometer and Clock, White

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

After my second failure I've given up on this very inexpensive unit. No on-off switch so you must pull the battery when you put it away. Probe is the failure point on both of my units but, that's the most important feature for me. Time to look for another timer w/probe.

This thermometer is great for any roast. Put the probe in the meat, set the temputure you want, meat comes out perfect every time. This is my second purchase because probe wire eventually failed (after 5 years). Other than that product works great, a must have for bbq season.

I purchased the Polder meat thermometer to make prime rib and other roasts. I used it to make a prime rib for its first use. Less than 15 minutes into baking, the unit started beeping and HI displayed in the temperature window. The unit wouldn't reset and I ended up making an emergency run to store to buy another meat thermometer. This unit may be comparably cheap, but you get what you pay for. I'm going to spend the money for a better brand. Last thing I want is to serve burnt or undercooked roast to guests.

The thermometer appeared to be in working order when I got it and set it up. Thanksgiving came, I popped it in my bird, put it in the oven and within two and a half hours it read 161 degrees (I was following the recipie on Food Netwrok, the turkey is to come out of the oven at 161 degrees and rest for a half hour) I thought, "Well, that seems ridiculously fast for s 25 pound turkey, but I did brine it so out we go!" I pulled my turkey from the oven and when carving time came my turkey bled ALL over. I mean everywhere. My grandpa, who can't see past his nose, stood over this hanous bleeding bird and carved it up while eating the raw meat and frankly, people lost their appetites. Eventually, we pried it from his fingers and threw it in a roaster. I assure you- this was no easy task.
I thought I must have inserted it wrong, so like anyone who finds a 23 pound turkey for $5 and has some spare time, I decided to try again. I was extra cautious about thermometer placement but, within thirty minutes it read that it was 389 degrees in my turkey. I may be going out on a limb here when I say that is physically impossible.
My deduction from all of this is that the thermometer is apparently not able to withstand the temperatures of an oven. Not even for one turkey.
In conclusion, fellow probe enthusiasts, spend the extra money. Go for the better brands and maybe even go to a store near you and dig around.
Please be sure that this atrocity, my friends, does not grace any magnetic fields in your kitchens. It has not earned the right to be in a placement of honor on your fridge next to the hand-made magnets or school photos.

PS: if you happen to want some turkey, I have 50 pounds of it cooked up and sitting in my freezer.....

It's Thanksgiving day as I write this. The probe on my unit just failed. I had it in the turkey breast, as I was making my sweet potatoes the alarm (which I had set for 161) started to go off. I looked at my thermometer and it had shot to 293 degrees (really???) and then it stopped reading temps at all. It just says HI TEMP. Wonderful. There is no reset, pulling the battery doesn't work, etc. Jumped on Amazon to see if my fellow chefs have been duped as well - and I see that they have!

I like that it's a great timer - but don't trust this thing as a thermo AT ALL. Glad I have a backup (thanks Mom!)

If you want a reliable thermometer, spend the extra money. Avoid this thing.

I have had good luck with Polders in the past, except for the fragility of the probe wires, but the most recent one I purchased is absolutely worthless out of the box. I turned it on, it read 70°F, so far so good. I put it in a roast that was just out of the refrigerator, and the temperature climbed above 90°F. Huh? So I checked the calibration. Ice water 46°F and boiling water 211°F. I unplugged and replugged the wire, and tried the roast again. This time, it read 95°F. I checked with a Thermapen, and it was 57°F.

So, if you want an upredictable, unreliable thermometer, you might consider this one. There are no instructions for the user to adjust calibration. Also, they don't accept returns unless purchased from the Polder website.

These are great. Can be used for more than just cooking meat. Can be used to check hot oil, candy. Great kitchen accessory.

Used this to cook my turkey and it worked perfectly. Set my temperature on the oven. Inserted the probe and set my desired temperature on the thermometer and forgot about the turkey until the alarm went off. It was cooked perfectly and everyone enjoyed it!

Second time using it in 6 weeks, right at the time baking the Thanksgiving Turkey, it died. Only displayed HI when the thermocouple is plugged in and LO when it is out.

I've only used this as a thermometer twice; once to calibrate it against boiling water and once to check the internatal temperature of a turkey I was smoking. I have been impressed with its accuracy and relatively quick readout response time. Note: you are paying extra for the Clock and possibly the timeer. In my experience it is the thermometer probe and its wire that break first. I got 2 probes/wires with this unit. If it continues to work this well for a year I would give it 5 stars.