Taylor 9842 Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Taylor 9842 Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer
Customer Review: A useful purchase for me
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the other version of this in black by Taylor, not waterproof. I lost the protective sleeve somehow and decided to get another and use the black one as a backup. I liked that this was yellow so I can grab the right one at a glance. I also am into breadbaking and need to use the probe to test the water temp for the yeast, so the waterproof feature was a helpful one. When I rec'd it, the little battery 'door' was not totally flush with the body so it read 888.88. When I pulled out the battery 'drawer' to investigate and pushed it back in, it worked fine. Then, when I went to put the probe in its protective sleeve, it seemed to stop halfway, and I didn't want to force it, couldn't figure out why it wouldn't just 'slide' right in. After a few attempts it was fine, it was just stiff, and actually it has a nice, snug fit which I prefer b/c I don't want to lose the outer sheath on this one too! So with all that said, I've been nothing but 100% happy with this. This thermometer has many uses, and for all of mine, it is just perfect. The battery on the old one is still working after years and years...and the battery comes included! Quite honestly, I am amazed how quickly this registers the temps, about TWO seconds. This is a small, compact item, it's even got a shirt pocket clip to wear on your person. So why would anyone expect the digital readout to be the size of a billboard! I need reading glasses and understand that. Also, I don't understand how others are saying it's slow...is a few seconds too much time to wait? How anyone can complain about this item with all this going for it--at an investment of only $12 and change--is beyond me!Customer Review: Less than thrilled
Summary: 2 Stars
I guess I missed it, but did it mention that you can't actually leave this in the food in a hot oven for more than a minute or the display malfunctions and then melts? I guess for some this is common sense, but the description mentions max temp of 450, and thought that it would hold up to it.
My biggest beef is that it's far from an Instant Read thermometer, as it quite slowly ticks up to the actual temperature (forcing you to keep the oven door open for well over a minute to get a reading, by which time the oven temp is no bueno at least for bread baking). I wanted to use this to check the internal temp on loaves of bread to attempt experimentation to get a great crust AND a moist crumb. Hence my desire to insert the thermometer, close the door and check it a minute later.
I gave it two stars instead of one, because despite having a melted/warped plastic face, it still reads as long as the probe gets hot but not the whole thing. It started working again two days after the first malfunction.
If either of these two features were true, this would have suited my needs:
Readout measures roast temperatures instantly (blatant false advertising)
And
Temperature range of -40 to 450 degrees F (well sure the probe is okay, but the rest of the thing melts)
I'm going to order one of the remote (wired) thermometers and give that a try. I can still use this for stove top stuff, but to me it's useless for doing oven work unless I want to remove what I'm are cooking to measure it and keep the door closed, then pop it back in when done measuring two minutes later. Not ideal for me.
Customer Review: underwhelming if not annoying
Summary: 2 Stars
i had high-hopes for this digital thermometer and it seems tough going to get a decent product in the same price range for some reason or another.
in this case the 'final reading' just takes too long to stabilize and is frustrating. my guess is that a decent analog thermometer would at least take away the agony of watching the digital readout walk through a few dozens updates, from 96 to 98 ... to 110 to 112 .. to 140 to 145 ... to 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, ... 166 ........ 167... 166 ... 166 ... 165... etc.
if i had any idea it would perform like this i would not have purchased it, though will only use it seldom and cannot afford a better quality digital instrument. in particular 'instant read' cooking thermometers - why oh why is it so hard to figure out? the reliable cooking thermometer remains an enigma for me as a result. no better options were found available, yet this is on the verge of insufficient.
rating it with 3 stars would be generous as to me this equates to 'average' and i'd say this is below that in terms of its particular effectiveness at what it is made and designed to do firstly: get a temperature reading. it is all too ambiguous. and it simply must be possible to achieve a quicker stable temperature reading by using if designing a more advanced chip to make it possible. then it would be great. until then it is not. it is not even good. it is just okay. not even that. less than okay. yet it is all there is. etc. etc. etc. until it is upgraded. etc.
Customer Review: Works very well, fast response time
Summary: 5 Stars
The thing I care most about with a thermometer is the delay on a reading, because usually I'm on my knees in front of my open oven trying to check on a roast chicken or something, and the longer I have to leave the oven open, the more it interferes with the cooking.
This thermometer responds very quickly. Within about 5 seconds, it may still be changing a bit, but it's converged to where I know the temperature.
Mine was very accurate right out of the box. I tested it with ice water and boiling water and both were spot-on. And the little calibration dial looks simple enough to use if it happened to be slightly off.
My only complaint, but it's not even enough to bump my review down a star, is that the battery insertion is a bit of a pain. I opened it at first to see how it worked and then it took me 15 minutes of fumbling to get the thing back together. That's due to the waterproofing -- the drawer is this fiddly piece of rubber, so it's hard to really get the battery lined up just right, and the rubber's a bit bigger than the opening, so that it forms a tight seal. Given how infrequently I'll need to replace the battery, it's not a big concern.
I haven't tested the waterproofing too aggressively; for me the benefit is just being comfortable holding the whole thermometer under running water to clean it, or leaving it on the counter where I might splash liquid on it and not having to worry that it'll short out.
Customer Review: Cheap Alternative to Overpriced Variable Control Temperature Tea Kettles.
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this specifically to brew my green tea at the correct temperature of around 160-170 degrees. While the electronic or temperature controlled kettles would be a pour and forget kind of ordeal, this is a cheap alternative to blowing $50-$150 on a freak'n kettle. I have read reviews that these overpriced kettles die within 3 months so I figured I'll go for this relatively inexpensive thermometer and see how it goes.
Well, this isn't the most perfect solution because I have to pay attention at all times to make sure the water doesn't boil (you lose oxygen when water boils) and the green tea becomes bitter. I find myself playing with the gas heater a good amount of times from medium heat to simmer and back, but this is what I expected. For a gas based heating solution, paying attention at all times is a good thing anyways. I find myself getting distracted with traditional tea kettles so even a loud hissing of an temperature controlled kettle would be a fire hazard for me.
I'm glad I bought this. My green teas taste better and it is good knowing that I am getting the max health benefits from each cup. I can also use it for cooking meats so it's a win-win.
The only ding this got is the fact that the button is so small and I find myself having to press it numerous times just to turn it on or off. Could be because I have chubby Chief Wiggum type fingers. or maybe I have to press it longer?