Home of the BrewNosers

OK, fess up... what type of thermometer do you use and how accurate do you think yours is?

I used quite a number of different thermometers over the years and the last one was off so much it spoiled a batch I feel.

Anyway, I bit the bullet and went and bought a Thermapen. Just got it today and am using it to check the ribs I have on the grill.
From all the hype it gets, I'm sure I will love it... I do so far.
When I do my next brew sometime later this summer, I'll get a feel for how well it does with a mash.

Right now I'm using a cheapo Taylor digital from Walmart for brewing. It seems relatively accurate, but is so flimsy, I've nearly smashed it multiple times. It's not long for this world methinks.

I have had a couple that were so so, but were so long to take a reading... this one is 3 seconds or close enough for me not to worry about it.
I used a cheapo meat thermo from Super Store.. the digital one with the probe until it went south and I ended going back to old reliable
floating thermo.

Tony L wrote:I have had a couple that were so so, but were so long to take a reading... this one is 3 seconds or close enough for me not to worry about it.
I used a cheapo meat thermo from Super Store.. the digital one with the probe until it went south and I ended going back to old reliable
floating thermo.

yeah i've got a cheapo from somewhere. the readings seem to be accurate enough... if i can wait the 20 seconds for them to stabilize. i just wait for five then take a guess where it would land. that''s why i am getting one of the 12$ thermapen gauges from the group buy.

I use about nine different thermos. Maybe more.

mr x wrote:I use about nine different thermos. Maybe more.

All at once? That seems like overkill!

Not at once. Just different stuff lying around the house.

I use a fairly cheap meat thermometer. My friend broke my not-quite-bargain-bin one and the replacement isn't very good for brewing. I use the "it looks close" approach, someday I will upgrade.

The meat thermometer I was using broke after using it actual meat. Now I'm using a borrowed candy thermometer until I buy a new brewing thermometer.

I have several glass and 2 digital ones (one pen one cabled).

at 20c the are all +/-1c at 100c they are all +/-2.5c.

Sandy

Lets see.....

One dual probe thermocouple, 3 pid with rtd/thermocouple, ir, a box of glass dial type, mercury, thermapen, mavericks, new thermoworks on the way, AQ controller, johnson controller....

I use the lab-grade glass thermometer from NG. I had to ditch my digi thermo cause it was way off, only learned it when I noticed my efficiency had dropped to 50%

My favorite is my floating glass one. It sits in the mashtun & I take it out at the end of the mash. I also use it when heating strike water and chilling the wort. For everything else I use a cheap digital probe/pen type.

walmart jobbie for me.

I use a digital meat thermometer I got at Superstore $14.99. How much did you pay for your thermapen Tony with shpping & taxes etc.

$112 delivered I think.. it was $108 US.

I still remember the lab thermo I got from Paddock Wood 7 years ago.... put it in the mash and didn't realize that it didn't float until
it hit the bottom of the mash... I stuck my hand in and grabbed it. It was a tad warm down there