9 replies to this topic

[BrooksNYC]

Is there such thing as an oven thermometer that lets the cook monitor the oven temperature from outside the oven, i.e. without opening the oven door?

My Manhattan rental has a tiny 1940s Royal Rose oven, "tiny" being another word for "Barbie scale". The thermostat, last I checked, is off by about 80 degrees, and the oven itself is so small that its interior walls don't retain heat well — there's just not enough surface area. The temperature plummets the instant you open the oven door, and then it's another 10 minutes for the temperature to build again.



The compartment in the upper left-hand corner, barely wider than a ferret's hips, is the oven. Beneath it, a lilliputian broiler. The rest of the stove is storage for pots and pans.

I have an ordinary oven thermometer inside the oven, but checking the thermometer means opening and closing the oven door and losing heat.

I've seen meat probes that connect to a temperature display via a long wire, so that the temperature display sits on top of the stove while the meat is cooking. Would this work as an oven thermometer if I just draped the meat probe over an oven rack? I welcome any and all suggestions.

Thanks. . .

Edited by BrooksNYC, 14 January 2012 - 11:36 PM.

[ChefCrash]

Yes, I've used probe thermometers that way, except probes don't quit "drape" very well. So, use wire to affix the probe on a rack.

[gfweb]

You might want to put some bricks or a pizza stone in there to retain heat.

[nickrey]

I've also used a probe thermometer for this purpose. Found out my oven thermostat under reads.

[BarbaraY]

These are available at Chef's catalog.
http://www.chefscata...meter-ot-3.aspx

I PLAN TO GET ONE OF THESE SOON AS MY OVEN IS GETTING A BIT IFFY.

Edited by BarbaraY, 15 January 2012 - 07:24 AM.

[BrooksNYC]

Thanks for your input, everyone. All great ideas.

Sounds like either a baking or a meat-probe thermometer will do the trick. And I've wanted a baking stone for years! Appreciate the nudge.

Again, many thanks for your help.

[gfweb]

If the oven is tiny and crappy you might consider a Breville Smart Oven. About $250 and pretty darn sweet. There are cheaper models too.

[Paul Bacino]

I use a meat probe.. I am doing a bit of low temp cooking ( 140 F ) that I don't want to open the door either. I couldn't keep my oven very stable with the Bake setting-- Convection was my best option.

[BrooksNYC]

The reviews on that Breville oven are really excellent. Bookmarked for future reference, and thanks, gfweb.

Counter space here in Pixie Kitchen is at a premium. I could plunk the Breville on top of the Royal Rose, but will probably wait for my loyal toaster oven (30 years old and still firing) to give up the ghost.

Paul, what's cookin' at 140°? Oven roux? Dried fruit? Didn't know that convection ovens were more stable. Thanks for the tip.

Am pretty sure that even with a new oven thermometer, I'll have to hover near the stove to monitor the temperature. Erratic behavior seems to be in the cards for a 65-year-old stove.

Not that I'm pointing the finger. I'm kinda flighty myself.

[TheFrisley]

I have a similar problem in that my oven's thermometer is incredibly inaccurate. The oven itself is a 1967 Frigidaire. I've been using it for two years and I love it, but ever since I had the lower heating element replaced, it gets much hotter than the dial would indicate. I've been through two Taylor High Heat Oven Thermometers and both have stopped working relatively quickly. I need to find an in-oven thermometer that is not only accurate, but quick (quick enough to keep up with oven, which, when set to 350 will heat up to 450 or higher in 10 minutes or less, if not 550+).

I'm not necessarily looking for an outside-of-the-oven thermometer, just something quick, accurate, and very durable. Any suggestions?