Customer Reviews

Taylor Classic Instant-Read Pocket Thermometer

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

There may be better instant read thermometers out there, but this has always done the trick for me, whether it's testing the water in baking bread or quickly finding out whether a roast is done. Its slender needle goes into hunks of meat quickly, and the whole thing is light enough that, if you are concerned that your burgers on the grill are properly cooked, you can easily put this in your pocket as you head to the back yard. Small note of caution for other dummies like me: the dial is under a plastic window, and so the whole thing should not go -in- the oven. For that, you want a meat thermoeter with a glass face.

Everyone talks about how convenient, versatile and simple this little thing is. It's great.

Information you might wonder about, and my coffee method:

- Size: It's about the length of a ball-point pen, and comes with a holder that looks like one. The head is about the size of a quarter.

- Speed: The needle moves a lot faster than the liquid in a candy thermometer. Instant-read it's not, unless you mean that you can instantly read the temperature after the needle stops moving. But it's still pretty fast, and as you see the needle slow down, you get a pretty good idea of where it's going to stop. Kind of like knowing where you'll stop when you hit the brakes. So, it gets more useful as you get used to it.

- Accuracy: I tried it with boiling water, and with an ice-water mix that had been shaken around. It's pretty accurate - accurate enough for most uses.

- Coffee: I use it mostly for making French pressed coffee. If you put boiling water in coffee grinds, you will likely get a bitter brew. I pick the pot right before it reaches a boil and use this little device to read 205 degrees F. Drop the water into a french press containing coarse grounds, and four minutes later you have excellent coffee. Thanks to this little guy I discovered that eyeballing the water in the kettle is not a good way to figure out the right temperature.

You can keep your bulky & fragile digital readout probes, I'll take a good ol' thearmalcouple any day. I've tried various digitals & EVERY SINGLE ONE stopped working over time(no, not a dead battery). I've had dozens of similar probes as this Taylor model over the years & always lose them before they stop working. The only thing I don't care for is the soft plastic, somewhat bulky sheath. However it does have a notch for recalibrating so needle nose pliers aren't neccisarry.

I am a cook for the US Army, and I have been using Taylor Instant-Read Dial Thermometer's for over 5 years now. It is quick reading, easy to use, and reliable. I would use this thermometer over any of the newer digital ones. Most thermometers as with most things need to be recalibrated. Taylor has supplied a calibration device on the carry case!

On top of all of the great features that the Taylor Analog Thermometer has, its also a bragain. At just $6.99 each you can not beat it!

I would recommend this product to anyone who does any type of cooking. This is ecspecially helpful when cooking Chicken, as you can test all of your piece quickly to make sure that all are done.

I had the opportunity to use this thermometer once after losing my previous meat thermometer of 15 years.

The second time I went to use this thermometer, the internal face spun around freely inside the enclosure. Obviously this makes it impossible to tell the temperature and rendered the thermometer useless.

I always try to remember that you get what you pay for. For this product it's sadly too true.

This is the best thermometer I have owned, and I have owned a few. (One did not give a fast reading and had a prong that broke off. Another was digital and a bother to turn on and remember to turn off, in addition to taking too long to give a reading and being relatively expensive.) This thermometer is compact and simply designed, ridiculously easy to use, and gives a fast and accurate reading. For example, from room temperature to 160 degrees F, it takes just about five seconds. The relatively fine point at the end makes it easy to insert into meats, unlike some bulky-pronged thermometers I have had. This plastic case with a pocket clip is great, too. Forget about the fancier, more expensive gadgets. -- this little gadget performs like a dream, and the price is right.

I have been cooking in resturants for many years and I never went a night without this thermometer.
Its quick, accurate, and cheap. If it does go out of whack, just put it in a glass of ice set it for 32d.

Get it you'll love it!!

Just don't put it in the oven....

I've owned one of these for about a year, and always handled it gently. But the thing is constantly putting itself way out of calibration. One day water boils at 202F (I live in Colorado), the next day it boils at 178F. I keep a wrench in my kitchen so I can always boil a batch of water, calibrate it, and then actually measure what I need to. But that is a huge pain and a waste of energy. Right now it's sitting in a bucket of ice water. This is very special water indeed--it's 12F!

Other than its ability to measure temperature, yeah, it's great.

I have to use this to gauge water temperture otherwise my yeast won't bloom and then my bread dough will be useless. I like the strong plastic protector for the sharp pin. At the time that I bought this, it was cheaper than the candy thermometer which has the added advantage of hooking onto the side of the pot. However, this one can be stabbed into meat and the candy thermometer cannot be.



I use this all the time so it is not gathering dust.

Is this frugal? yes I need it to make bread
Would I have purchased this used at a cheaper price off of craigslist? no
Did I shop around for the best total price including the manufacturer's website? yes and so should you

I've had this thermometer for a while and I test it every so often for ice water (0 degrees) and boiling water (212) and it never wavers by more than 3 degrees. Its very simple and tough. The only limitation is perhaps that it takes a bit of time to read the temp, maybe 15 seconds. Skip the batteries, the infrared, and fork shaped thermometers. Stick to Taylor or their subsidiary Trutemp.