Customer Reviews

Polder Digital In-Oven Thermometer/Timer, Graphite

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

A common problem with previous Polder thermometers I have owned is that if you get the bare, metal probe cord wet, water can get into the probe itself and ruin it by throwing off the temperature readings. I have thrown away several probes because of this, especially since I use these thermometers for beer making.

Some reviewers complained that the cord was rubber and not metal like in the picture, when in fact this is a HUGE improvement over the old probes and that it appears to still be the metal, braided cable only it's now covered in the watertight rubber seal. Us home brewers used to go to great lengths to try and waterproof these cables ourselves. Thankfully now Polder has done it for us.

I can assure you that the temperature reads accurately since I used it in conjunction with a candy thermometer the first couple times I used it. The alarm and timer functions are invaluable. The pan clip is what prompted me to get this in the first place; the watertight probe was just a pleasant surprise.

Although you cannot technically turn it off, the amount of power this thing uses from a single AAA battery (included) is negligible and single AAA batteries are not going to break the bank. Overall, this is the best Polder thermometer I have owned yet, mainly thanks to its new watertight probe cable. Thanks Polder.

This is a good product for the price . Easy to use intuitive controls , display easy to read , temperature is accurate . There is no on/off button but this isn't a big deal as the battery will probably still last for years even with it always on .

You can set the alarm to go off when it reaches whatever temperature you set it for and the alarm is nice and loud . The reason I got this was for yogurt making . I wanted to have an alarm to let me know when the milk had cooled to the proper temperature instead of having to check it every 15 minutes . One problem though : You can only use the temperature alarm feature when going *UP TO* a temperature . If you have the milk at 180 degrees and set the temperature alarm to go off at 115 degrees the alarm goes off immediately because the temp has already reached or surpassed 115 degrees . In other words this thermometer is worthless for what I had hoped to use it for . You cannot set the temperature alarm to *GO DOWN TO* a given temperature which is too bad . Still, this is a well built easy to use thermometer ... just not what I had hoped for.

I got this for Christmas (it was on my wishlist) and I was delighted. It preformed well the first couple of times I used it. The third time, it put up an error code (Hi). When I looked at the instructions, I found that this means the cable has been damaged and needs to be replaced. What the &@%#??? I used the thing THREE times. Sent an e-mail to the company about it and, of course, got no response. My advice? Look elsewhere. Disappointed...

All in all, I like this timer/thermometer. I like that it has both a timer and a thermometer, that comes in handy. It works fine on the grill and after owning it for many months, it hasn't malfunctioned yet.
The only problem is that it doesn't turn off. It's always on, using the battery. There is no on/off switch and I find that very strange.
Edited to add: This thermometer broke exactly 6 months from the date of purchase. The timer still works but the thermometer now says either "low" or 'Hi" and doesn't work at all. I'm going to see if Polder will replace the cord.

The photo in the ad clearly shows that the wire is coated in steel mesh, not plastic. The thermometer I received was plastic coated, not as advertised. I have found that the plastic coated wires do not hold up and soon melt, needing to be replaced.

This is great product - easy to use. Wish it had an on/off button - it's a pain taking the battery out to turn it off.

I have had one of these for 10 years and needed a replacement. I do not know what I would do without it. I use the timer part at every meal and the probe for roasts and turkeys and it has been perfect every time. I bought one for my Mother who complains she never knows when the meat is ready - she can not believe she has gone all these years guessing.

It's perfect, i have no idea what I did without it. It doesn't have an on/off switch (it's just meant to be left on) which bothered me at first, but i've gotten over it. It's really easy to use and when making candy i just clip it in the pan and wait for it to beep, it's fabulous!

I got six months use out of it before it died. Was accurate up to that point and then the cable near probe started to go and intermittently gave the LO readout.

Need to find a quality product because this is not it!

Bought this thermometer 2 years ago based on the Cook's Illustrated recommendations because their review process is impeccable. I've been very happy with this thermometer overall. The main unit has no on/off switch, so to conserve batteries I take them out in-between uses since we only use this a dozen times a year (this is the only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5). The probe is a good length with a very long wire, so placement in the oven is simple, and the control unit is very easy to use. I've calibrated this once a year and it's remained very accurate.

This unit gives very reliable temperature readings although you do need to be careful where you place the probe when cooking large cuts of meat. In fact, for really large cuts where exact cooking is critical (roast beef, prime rib, etc), I'd recommend two of these placed offset at both ends of the meat. Most larger cuts are not perfectly symmetrical, so one end of the cut may cook faster than the other. Choosing the right placement for the thermometer is difficult for first-timers.

I even used this thermometer with a jerry-rigged set-up on my cheap Weber grill for smoking pork roasts and loins. My Weber doesn't have a built-in thermometer and slow cooking requires careful temperature control. I came up with an admittedly wacky set-up, but it works and the probe handled the low temperature readings off the ambient air in the grill perfectly (I double-checked the readings with my Polder digital thermometer, another excellent buy). Yeah, it's goofy, but it worked.