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Infrared/Laser Thermometers

chocophile

By chocophile
in Kitchen Consumer

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Marlene

Marlene

Posted
Posted

Where do you get them Kerry?

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

  • 1 year later...
Shalmanese

Shalmanese

Posted
Posted

I've decided to buy myself an IR Thermometer as a new toy and, looking through Amazon, it seems like there's a range of price points & temperature ranges. What is the maximum practical temperature that one would need an IR Thermometer for?

PS: I am a guy.

ray goud

ray goud

Posted
Posted

That depends on what you want one for. Generally, one should choose any instrument which has the target reading at about the midpoint of its range, for the greatest accuracy. Thus, if one wants to know when one's kitchen oven is about 350 degrees, they should use a meter which has a maximum range of about 700 degrees. I have an outdoor pizza oven and for that I chose a meter with a 1200 degree range, because my desired temp is about 600-700 degrees. Works for pressures and flow rates, also.

Ray

  • 4 months later...
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted (edited)

The last post to this thread was January 2008 and no doubt much has happened in the IR thermometer world since then. And many more eGulleters will have IR toys now.

I'd like to buy one, either online or in the Ann Arbor, MI, area in August.

Any new thoughts?

Kerry, are you still using your Cooper IR which you mentioned in this thread in Jan of 08? Has its accuracy changed? We used an IR thermometer at your chocolate lab last month, but I didn't note its brand...wasn't considering buying one then.

Thanks all. :smile:

ps. Went to Amazon.com and found a huge number of these things with a huge price range. Are the inexpensive ones, some at $40 or so, just what you would expect for paying such a low price????

Edited by Darienne (log)

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted

The last post to this thread was January 2008 and no doubt much has happened in the IR thermometer world since then. And many more eGulleters will have IR toys now.

I'd like to buy one, either online or in the Ann Arbor, MI, area in August.

Any new thoughts?

Kerry, are you still using your Cooper IR which you mentioned in this thread in Jan of 08? Has its accuracy changed? We used an IR thermometer at your chocolate lab last month, but I didn't note its brand...wasn't considering buying one then.

Thanks all. :smile:

ps. Went to Amazon.com and found a huge number of these things with a huge price range. Are the inexpensive ones, some at $40 or so, just what you would expect for paying such a low price????

The bigger IR's I use in the chocolate room are also Coopers.

Canadian Tire sells and IR which is fairly reliable and often goes on sale for a reasonable price.

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

John DePaula

John DePaula

Posted
Posted

Darienne, I like this one a lot: Raytek MT6.

My only quibble is that it's not easy to switch back and forth from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Darienne, I like this one a lot: Raytek MT6.

My only quibble is that it's not easy to switch back and forth from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

John, I think that's the one I found for Anna - she is very happy with it.

Thanks John and Kerry.

Kerry, did you find the one for Anna in Ontario?

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

lebowits

lebowits

Posted
Posted

Darienne, I like this one a lot: Raytek MT6.

My only quibble is that it's not easy to switch back and forth from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

I love mine. I thought I had lost it and replaced it, so now I have 2. One is set for C and the other for F. They're different colors so I can keep them straight.

Steve Lebowitz

Doer of All Things

Steven Howard Confections

Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt - Alton Brown, "Good Eats"

dougal

dougal

Posted
Posted

There is a variant of the Raytek MiniTemp (the 'FS' version) which has distinctly better than average accuracy over the food safety critical temperature range of 0 to 60C (32 to 150F).

It does go up to 400C (750F) but without the same accuracy (not that it is really needed at higher temperatures).

However, it does have the (IMHO) disadvantage of a 4:1 sensor -- wide angle, so you need to get very close.

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted

Darienne, I like this one a lot: Raytek MT6.

My only quibble is that it's not easy to switch back and forth from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

John, I think that's the one I found for Anna - she is very happy with it.

Thanks John and Kerry.

Kerry, did you find the one for Anna in Ontario?

E-bay as I recall.

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

dougal

dougal

Posted
Posted

There is a variant of the Raytek MiniTemp (the 'FS' version) which has distinctly better than average accuracy over the food safety critical temperature range of 0 to 60C (32 to 150F).

It does go up to 400C (750F) but without the same accuracy (not that it is really needed at higher temperatures).

However, it does have the (IMHO) disadvantage of a 4:1 sensor -- wide angle, so you need to get very close.

Sorry, should have added that the accuracy, at those temperatures, would appear to make this the specialist weapon of choice for chocolate work.

And indeed in the (recently discussed ) perplexing Bau "Perfect Ganache" videos, it looked like he might be using one. (Yes, its white and its smallish.)

However, the 4:1 distance:spot ratio (wide angle view) would seem to make it a poor choice for targets that are boiling and spitty ... you (and your instrument) don't want to have to be close to such things!

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted (edited)

However, it does have the (IMHO) disadvantage of a 4:1 sensor -- wide angle, so you need to get very close.

However, the 4:1 distance:spot ratio (wide angle view) would seem to make it a poor choice for targets that are boiling and spitty ... you (and your instrument) don't want to have to be close to such things!

Edited by Darienne (log)

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

dougal

dougal

Posted
Posted (edited)

...

4:1 means wide angle sensing so you need to be very close to your target because the area tested is too wide. Test an entire pan of food at once.

10:1 means narrow angle sensing range so you can be farther away and spot a certain small area in your target? Test a single defined spot in a pot of cooking caramel.

Is this correct?

Yes.

4:1 means that at 4 inches range, the measurement is taken from a 'spot' that is a 1 inch diameter circle.

With 10:1 you could always be 2 and a half times further away and still measure the exact same target area.

This means that you have to be more careful to point it accurately, but you can keep a safer distance from your target!

If you were at the same range, the 10:1 would be measuring from a spot that was less than half the diameter, less than a quarter of the area.

I expect that for "Food Safety" uses, one would want to know the general temperature rather than some specific spot ...

Maybe worth adding that the target (measurement) 'spot' will only be a circle if your gun is pointing straight at (perpendicular to) the surface being measured. Point it at a flat angle and you'll 'see' some sort of ellipse. Play with a torch (flashlight) and you'll see what I'm talking about.

The sensor is going to give some sort of average reading from the whole of that target spot. I'd expect different sensors to give different averages when the target is NOT at a uniform temperature. So always try and keep non-relevant things out of the target spot.

Edited by dougal (log)

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Thank you for the answer, kind sir, especially because you couched it in non-scientific terms. :smile:

I shall be careful to check the ratio when I purchase a thermometer.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

For the Canadians in the forum:

Hand-held infrared readout thermometers are on sale in Canadian Tire, in-store special for an indefinite time period, Mastercraft, for about $60 instead of $100.

In Peterborough anyway, they are not in housewares, but in tools.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Thanks to Kerry Beal's mention of forgetting her infra-red thermometer and finding them on sale in Canadian Tire, I bit the bullet and bought one.

Used it this morning dipping candied ginger, pretzels sticks and making small chocolate discs which DH particularly likes. What a joy to use. :biggrin:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

  • 1 year later...
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

Im keen on a laser IR thermometer. for no particular reason.

there is this one:

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/ir/irgun.html

Im a fan of this company

then there is this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contact-laser-thermometer-96451.html

HF is opening a store in my town and I have a 'coupon' that makes their's $20 less than the thermoworks.

Ive gotten a few items from HF for things i did not plan to use a lot: like this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/oscillating-tools/oscillating-multifunction-power-tool-68303.html

and it was inexpensive and did the jobs I needed it to do. it helped me install lights under my cabinets etc,

Im betting that the Thermo item might be more accurate, but Im not going to make life decisions on the measurements,

that being said Thermo mentions Emissivity cant say I know about that:

http://www.thermoworks.com/emissivity_table.html

does that mean its not really that accurate unless you are a student of the material involved?

Ill probrobaly go with the Thermo but dont know why.

:blink:

thanks!

ScoopKW

ScoopKW

Posted
Posted

My experience with laser IR thermometers is that if you give one to a bunch of cooks, they will point it at everyone's ass to see who's is hottest.

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

thock

thock

Posted
Posted

From looking at the downloadable instructions on Harbor Freight's website, it doesn't appear as though the emissivity is adjustable on their product. Also, the temperature range on the ThermoWorks product is a bit larger than that on the Harbor Freight model.

If it were me, I'd go with the ThermoWorks one.

Tracy

Tracy

Lenexa, KS, USA

Dakki

Dakki

Posted
Posted

I use FLUKE non-contact thermometers at work and my experience with them has been uniformly good. They have a "Food Safety" line but I have not tried these.

This is my skillet. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My skillet is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it, as I must master my life. Without me my skillet is useless. Without my skillet, I am useless. I must season my skillet well. I will. Before God I swear this creed. My skillet and myself are the makers of my meal. We are the masters of our kitchen. So be it, until there are no ingredients, but dinner. Amen.

Keith_W

Keith_W

Posted
Posted

I have the same IR thermometer in that link. I have no complaints, except that the reading does not seem to tally with my Thermapen. Still, it is close enough ... and it keeps me away from hot oil!

My experience with laser IR thermometers is that if you give one to a bunch of cooks, they will point it at everyone's ass to see who's is hottest.

Very funny! :)

There is no love more sincere than the love of food - George Bernard Shaw
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