I wanted to comment on a number of posts here I saw that talk about using the probe for liquids. I think there are some misconceptions.
When using the probe the CF will energize the pan (heat) to raise the liquid temp to the target temp at the probe. This means that the pan itself will exceed that temperature for some time before the liquid does. When cooking sauces like hollandaise which can lead to undesirable results. You can end up overcooking the bottom portion of the food unintentionally.
When cooking egg based sauces I never use the probe, I always use pan temp with slow ramp up. This means that the pan itself will never exceed the target temperature and you will never overcook the sauce. I regularly walk away from my heated yolks for hollandaise without fear of curdling.
When cooking liquids such as stocks I tend to use the pan temp as well as the water temperature equalizes well and even though it may take longer to reach temp (because the CF will focus temp control at the pan not the liquid) the heat transfer within the water itself will assure that the overall temp reaches the target. I also use a lid on these which also helps. I've cooked tons of soups/stocks this way with no issues. Note that if speed is the issue then the probe helps as the CF will heat the pan faster as the liquid temp will read lower and the CF will apply more energy to the pan than when using pan temp. Again, I don't use the probe however.
For deep frying I use the probe as maintaining a consistent temperature within the oil itself while cooking is key to a good fry. The probe does this. Do an experiment by cooking fried chicken in a pan without the probe and with and you'll see a better color and cook level on the chicken cooked in the pot with the probe.
For chocolates I use pan temp not probe. Again, this helps prevent overshoot which is not just a function of ramp up speed but also a function of where the measurement is taking place. If the measurement is the pan then the CF will halt the energizing process when the pan reaches temp vs the probe which would halt as the food does. If you have a lot of chocolate in the pan you could end up with a higher heat than desired at the pan.
Lastly always be aware of the heat rate setting to control the heat ramp up rate. If your recipe calls for precise temperatures that should never exceed a certain amount it's generally a good idea to use "SLOW" as the ramp speed.
