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Temperature Probes for Use in Sous Vide Cooking

rotuts

By rotuts
in Kitchen Consumer

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alanz

alanz

Posted
Posted

Agreed... the tiny needle probe is a pleasure to use.

I have these two items from Thermoworks.com, a very nice combination.

MTC Mini Handheld Thermocouple Meter, Type K

THS-113-181 Miniature Needle Probe 39 type K"

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted

Would the probe that comes with the $129.99 kit work or is it too thick? What probe would I then use?

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/handheld/TW8060.html

Thanks! Bought it yesterday and cannot wait for it to arrive!

Edit: Oh, I think I found that mini probe. Is that probe necessary for sous vide? Or just a convenience?

I'd say convenience, mostly. I 'm not sure that I have a need for intra-SV temps.

alanz

alanz

Posted
Posted

I would think that the needle probe is easier to deal with than the thicker probe. I have use the thicker ones for years when making BBQ. I have not tried to use the thicker probes through the foam tape, but it will likely work ok. The needle probe is ideal.

alanz

alanz

Posted
Posted

And I agree that with the time/temperature charts or apps, that measuring the temps is a convenience. I do like using the thermometer when SVing fish... It lets me cook at slightly higher temps and still take it out at optimal temperature. It simply takes the guesswork out of the process. Fortunately, high quality thermometers aren't that pricey.

  • Like 1
Robenco15

Robenco15

Posted
Posted

Thank your for the help with that thicker probe vs. needle probe. I like the needle probe for its length and thinness, but I wanted the thicker one for using in an oven as well as on a stove top (deep frying). I wish it wasn't 8 inches though, that seems like a lot of extra probe hanging out of a piece of meat. Will probably eventually get the needle probe though.

horseflesh

horseflesh

Posted
Posted

What I'd like is a Teflon-coated RFID temperature reading pill that you can embed in the SV food. OK, you might not want to hack up a nice steak to push a little RFID pill in, but I can imagine a lot of cases where it would be useful.

Such things do exist for industry and I have started looking to see if there is any such gear that might be affordable and sized right for the home cook. It's not inherently expensive equipment to manufacture, so perhaps it will come to be in time.

  • Like 1
haresfur

haresfur

Posted
Posted

I only have a needle probe and it is probably the most versatile. Mine is only about 4 cm long but the wire is thin. However there are times a little thermal mass is a good thing. It would probably be better to have a thicker one to measure oven temperature and even for the deep fry oil. The needle tends to bounce around a fair bit. The thin teflon coated wire is good for most things but a metal sheath would be useful where it has a chance to contact open flame. Since I only SV in ziploc bags, If I want to use it in the bag I put the whole probe in the bag and seal as best I can around the wire, then rig it so that part of the seal stays above the bath. I wouldn't do that for any long cook but you really wouldn't need to.

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

haresfur

haresfur

Posted
Posted (edited)

I did it for a thick hunk-o-steak. Rather than measuring thickness and relying on the tables, I just stuck a probe in and made sure it was up to temperature. Then I seared it and sliced thin into a more or less asian noodle salad.

ETA: for pasturisation I start timing from reaching the target temperature, adding a little time for safety.

Edited by haresfur (log)

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

pbear

pbear

Posted
Posted

What sort of SVs need temp monitoring? Is this for experimentation mostly?

Just so. From time to time, I find myself cooking something for which I can't find an appropriate table from Nathan or Douglas. In those cases, I use a thermometer.

slkinsey

slkinsey

Posted
Posted

What sort of SVs need temp monitoring? Is this for experimentation mostly?

The tables are approximations that can be affected by variations in density, measurement errors, etc. Usually this is okay because we can just build in some extra time. Cooking a chicken breast an extra 20 minutes won't make much difference. But sometimes with things like fish, you want to know exactly when it reaches the target temperature because even a few minutes will make a difference.

  • Like 1

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

"" But sometimes with things like fish, you want to know exactly when it reaches the target temperature because even a few minutes will make a difference. ""

this makes a lot of sense to me.

  • 6 months later...
dr_kiuchi

dr_kiuchi

Posted
Posted

Question for those who use the SV needle probe: when taking your temps, if your food has not reached temp yet, what do you do about the hole in your bag? Just tape it? I assume that it would be a bit of work to go through the process of resealing all over again, not to mention that it changes temp / time.

 

Alternatively do you seal the probe in?

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

there is 'foam' that you place just before the probe on the bag

 

it has to be a 'needle' probe.

 

I have not done this, but its been said

 

no water leaks into the bag.

 

if this is the case, leave the foam on and eat that one first.

 

as ive said  I have not done this.

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Probe is sealed in place....bag...tape...probe through the tape

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted

Question for those who use the SV needle probe: when taking your temps, if your food has not reached temp yet, what do you do about the hole in your bag? Just tape it? I assume that it would be a bit of work to go through the process of resealing all over again, not to mention that it changes temp / time.

 

Alternatively do you seal the probe in?

There are foam tapes available that are self-sealing if you insert the probe through the tape.  They look like the insulating weather-stripping that you can buy at the hardware store and may well be just that, but re-labelled

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Adhesive Tape For Sous Vide

http://www.jbprince.com/utensils/adhesive-tape-for-sous-vide.asp

  • Like 1

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

daveb

daveb

Posted
Posted

I've seen the thermoworks needle probes "perfect for sous vide" but could not figure how it could be done and not leave a hole in the bag.  The foam tape makes sense. 

 

I'm getting another toy for the toy box!

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