MWForrest wrote:The probe can indeed be submerged in water

You can submerge anything in water. Whether or not it works afterward is a different matter.

This probe looks like the probe that came with my Maverick thermometer and those should not be submerged. I tested it using boiling water and as it cooled, it drew water into the probe resulting in wacky temperature readings.

showcaller wrote:Probably the most absurd thing Woot has ever offered, Real men don't need a gadget like this to bar b que. If you don't know the properties of your bar b que then stick whatever it is you are trying to make in the oven.

Since this is about internal meat temperature, I'm not sure what the properties of your BBQ have to do with that, or how using an oven would help. (This would also be quite handy in the oven, BTW). Sure, it would help determine the difference between rare/med/well done, but it's more about making sure your chicken or pork doesn't make your guests sick.

Unlike you, this is a tool I would be willing to cook with.

And far from the most absurd thing Woot! has ever offered.

How accurate is this thing? I know that may seem like a foolish, simple question, but I've owned plenty of electric thermometers that were waaaaaaaay off in their readings.

suckblat wrote:I was thinking about picking up something like this for my beer making to measure the temp of the wort, would this be okay for such usage?

I just bought one to use for my wort when I make beer. I read all the reviews and nothing says directly that it will be fine (or not) for something like measuring the Temp of your wort. I figured if I can't submerge the wire (in the brew) then I'll rig something to the side of the bucket to hold it. The other thing that I couldn't find out was can you set it where the alarm goes off when it hits a low temp. So when I'm brewing on the stove and then I put the pot in ice, I want it to alarm me when it gets down to a certain temp. If it doesn't, I'll just watch the digital reading until it reaches the desired temp (but kills the convenience of the remote).

Does this already have the meat temperatures programmed? Or do I have to know what temperature I want and set the thermometer to that? For example, if I am cooking chicken, can I set it to "chicken" and it already knows the proper temperature?

wootchawant wrote:all true--however, i would be hesitant to use this kind of probe as a candy thermometer because the rolling boil required in most recipes could easily hold the probe against the sides of your pot or float it on top of the mixture, both of which would provide less-than-accurate readings. in addition, even though the cord is fairly long, i think it would really be in the way, and i'd hate to tip over a scalding candy lava flow onto my stovetop, floor, and self!

Hmmm, maybe you could get this thermometer and 'gang' it next to a standard candy thermometer with clip. The old-fashioned clip thermometer would hold them in place, this one would set off an alarm when the concoction reached the proper temperature. Hmmmm.....

Found on weatherconnection.com for $22.95.

http://www.weatherconnection.com/product.asp?itmky=68524&model=03168&phrase=03168&expand=&sortby=&mfg=all&page=

Does this work good for just cooking meat like chicken on the grill?

scifiguy wrote:Since this is about internal meat temperature, I'm not sure what the properties of your BBQ have to do with that, or how using an oven would help. (This would also be quite handy in the oven, BTW). Sure, it would help determine the difference between rare/med/well done, but it's more about making sure your chicken or pork doesn't make your guests sick.

Unlike you, this is a tool I would be willing to cook with.

And far from the most absurd thing Woot! has ever offered.

no thank you. I will trust my gut as far as when things are done and no one has ever left one of my bar b ques and gotten ill. You might get 50 cents for this Mickey Mouse thingamigigee at your next garage sale.

lampe3 wrote:My oven is old doesn't hold temperature. I have a thermometer inside the oven, but I have to open it periodically to check to make sure the oven isn't too hot or too cold which is a pain when baking.

Does anyone know if this would work alright if it was in the oven (like, all the time) but not in meat? If so, this would be PERFECT.

I'm a little worried the wire (coated in plastic?) attaching the probe to the thermometer would melt in a hot oven...

I use one to keep track of the temperature in my smoker. I took a champagne cork, drilled a hole in it, inserted the probe through and wedged the cork into the rack of my smoker. It works great.

As for the wire, mine is not plastic coated. It is just a woven wire which I think covers the actual sensor wire.

If I buy the item at Woot and also the item at Kids.Woot on the same day, do I have to pay two separate shipping charges?

cinoclav wrote:First rule of Woot Club - Read the description: ■ Wireless Range: 100 Feet

I thought the First Rule of Woot Club was that you always talk about Woot, to the point of driving co-workers and significant others to the point where they want to strangle you with the cord from your Sansa?

cinoclav wrote:Completely not true. This would simply need either a stainless hook (they're called pan clips) to hang it on the edge of the pot, or it could simply be hung from above by it's wire. Candy thermometers are basically no different than a meat thermometer except they withstand and read to higher temperatures.

Sounds simple enough.

Temperature reading NOT on the pager??? FAIL.

Yes you can use it in the oven. Place it in the thick part of meat, shut door, it lets you know when its cooked.

shrdlu wrote:No. No, no, no. Candy thermometers have nice little hooks that keep you from having hot sugar splashed on your hands.

Yes, it will function perfectly well as a candy thermometer, just not as nicely as an actual candy thermometer with a little splash guard and hooks to hold onto the pot. I use a probe thermometer very similar to this one, and I often just use a large binder clip to hold the probe against the side of the pot, but not touching the sides or bottom. You can even put a wooden spoon between the probe and pot with the binder clip if you want to be extra careful. Other times I'll just hold it in the pot with my hand as I wait for the pot's contents to get to the right temperature.

If you're really worried about getting a burn at that point, you could always wear non powerded latex gloves or cooking mitts of some sort.

What happens to the wire during one of my many flare-ups?

Ok, so I have the Maverick Redi Set or whatever it's called. I was looking at it last night actually. The only downside I see to this is that the remote is just notifications, and the actual temperature is only on the base.

On my Maverick, the base doesn't have the temp at all, it just transmits it to your remote, so you can see and control all of your notifications wherever you are.

I still ordered 3.

This doesn't seem to have a magnet on the back or base, so you can't stick it on the outside of your oven door/BBQ.

These are great for cooking a turkey or roast, but without the magnet it'll have to sit on top of the stove, which isn't good if you're cooking a bunch of other stuff. Oh well.

kerneltrap wrote:Anyone know if the probe can be submerged in water?

The metal probe itself can. But where the probe and the wire connect cannot.

tsrsic01 wrote:True, but when cooking you could always place the probe through a potato so that the sensor sticks out. Then you would be reading the correct "air" temperature. I do this all the time when I am using my smoker. I don't trust the thermometer on the smoker. I use 2, 1 for each side... That being said... I'm in for 3...

Get the oven fixed or replaced. You have a fire or explosion waiting to happen. You probably have a bad thermostat. Pull the old thermostat and take it to a hareware store, like ACE or True Value. The can often order the part if they don't stock it.

spitfire8898 wrote:Thinking of getting one to use when I brew a batch of beer in my turkey fryer...can anyone think of why this would not work? It's stainless, so it could be washed afterwards right?

I have used one for boiling my wort before. I had it set to alarm right before boil so I could do other chores, but was ready when it was close to boil. Don't want it to have an over boil accident! That is a mess.

lampe3 wrote:
Does anyone know if this would work alright if it was in the oven (like, all the time) but not in meat? If so, this would be PERFECT.

If you go find reviews on Amazon of similar devices, you'll find that the probes wear out/break much faster than you would expect. If you leave it in there all the time, you're going to be buying $3 probes every few weeks, depending on how often you use your oven.

spitfire8898 wrote:Thinking of getting one to use when I brew a batch of beer in my turkey fryer...can anyone think of why this would not work? It's stainless, so it could be washed afterwards right?

We have something similar and multi-task it for brewing.

Thinking of getting another as a back-up at this price, and they make great gifts to other foodies.

lampe3 wrote:I'm a little worried the wire (coated in plastic?) attaching the probe to the thermometer would melt in a hot oven...

My experience with these cheap probe thermometers is this is exactly what happens if you leave it in the oven/grill too long. The cable is metal braid, but inside is a pair of plastic coated wires, once the plastic gets too hot the plastic melts and the leads fuse together, forever shorting the probe.

Despite what features like a "beep when the temperature hits X" feature might make you think, these are only good for quick spot measurements.

nvm.. in for 2

Would this work as just as an oven thermometer? Not in food.

shrdlu wrote:No. No, no, no. Candy thermometers have nice little hooks that keep you from having hot sugar splashed on your hands. There's also a large difference between meat (which is quite dense) and boiling sugar.

Note the length of the probe. To test the candy, you'd have to put your hand very near the boiling sugar. That would be one of the worst burns you've EVER had.

Or you could clip it to the pot. Creativity wins again.

I was just thinking about getting one the other day...Woot is truly omniscient

In for one

lampe3 wrote:My oven is old doesn't hold temperature. I have a thermometer inside the oven, but I have to open it periodically to check to make sure the oven isn't too hot or too cold which is a pain when baking.

Does anyone know if this would work alright if it was in the oven (like, all the time) but not in meat? If so, this would be PERFECT.

I'm a little worried the wire (coated in plastic?) attaching the probe to the thermometer would melt in a hot oven...

not sure about using it as an oven thermometer but the cable is not coated in plastic. The cable itself is stainless steel.

reservoird wrote:Looks to me like they got it backwards. Wouldn't it make sense to have just a transmitter with the thermometer, and something with a data screen on the receiver end? You know, so you can tell how the meat's doing on the grill in January without going outside? Other similar products are set up this way.

And yes, if you have one of these, you're far more likely to grill in the wintertime.

Agreed. If the temp read-out was not attached, I would be in. I'd like to know the temp of my roast from the couch.

My partner, Captain will now be able to cook our Sunday dinner roast without opening the oven. And when he's grilling he can monitor the temp from the luxury of his velvet sofa. I'm really looking forward to the culinary delights this will bring.

spitfire8898 wrote:Thinking of getting one to use when I brew a batch of beer in my turkey fryer...can anyone think of why this would not work? It's stainless, so it could be washed afterwards right?

Just be sure to not submerge the entire probe under wort or water. If the part of the probe where the wire and probe meets gets wet, the probe will be shot. I know this from experience in brewing beer with a similar thermometer.

lampe3 wrote:My oven is old doesn't hold temperature. I have a thermometer inside the oven, but I have to open it periodically to check to make sure the oven isn't too hot or too cold which is a pain when baking.

Does anyone know if this would work alright if it was in the oven (like, all the time) but not in meat? If so, this would be PERFECT.

I'm a little worried the wire (coated in plastic?) attaching the probe to the thermometer would melt in a hot oven...

Some Wooters have commented that this probe will only work if it inserted and in contact with the meat... NOT TRUE. The probe is in contact with the air when its not inserted- Right? It will work fine for measuring any temperature the probe is exposed to, as long as its within the temperature range noted by the manufacturer.

As for the probe wire- Hopefully the manufacturer has used high temperarure insulated wire inside the metal mesh cover.

I have to commment about the backasswards functional design. I have a RadioShack Digital BBQ thermometer which I use both for grill roasting and oven roasting meats. The probe looks identical to today's Woot, but it plugs into a small transmitter. The reciever has the digital display indicating the target temp and the actual temp. Some engineer (who oviously does not cook) got this design factor backwards. I love to know when the internal temp of a tenderloin is is approaching 145° - Medium-Rare, I can start the side dishes and have everything ready when the meat is done. Clean-up is easy, I simply use soapy water on a scrubbing sponge on the probe ONLY and rinse. I never submerge the cable or plug to water or the faucet stream. Had the RS unit for over 5 years now, only changed the batteries once.

vinithehat wrote:Or you could clip it to the pot. Creativity wins again.

My son tried using out meat thermometer for candy and I ended up buying a candy thermometer and a new meat thermometer. Meat is not normally cooked to 400 degrees.

By the way we have a different version of this thermometer. My husband loves it. He has used in the bbq and in the oven. We are able to close the door with the probe in the meat. And we got it from Woot!

fpm2001 wrote:Does this work good for just cooking meat like chicken on the grill?

No, to cook chicken on the grill you need a grill.

In all seriousness... really? Even if all you read was the name of the item, you still have to ask this?

This is a pretty cool item. Just that I don't cook much, rather at all.

I bought one of these from woot before, it was broken on arrival and woot would not help me, nor would the manufacturer. DO NOT BUY THIS

I have a question--the picture of the back of the unit shows some sort of slide lock. Anyone know what that's for? I didn't glean anything from the specs.

LarryK420 wrote:I have to commment about the backasswards functional design. I have a RadioShack Digital BBQ thermometer which I use both for grill roasting and oven roasting meats. The probe looks identical to today's Woot, but it plugs into a small transmitter. The reciever has the digital display indicating the target temp and the actual temp. Some engineer (who oviously does not cook) got this design factor backwards. I love to know when the internal temp of a tenderloin is is approaching 145° - Medium-Rare, I can start the side dishes and have everything ready when the meat is done.

Exactly.