Etekcity Infrared Thermometer

grea
I can’t check how accurate this is since I don’t have another thermometer however it is consistent and made me realise I had my fridge set way too ‘warm’ (never sure if the setting is low or high since a low number makes the fridge work harder). Great when you can’t stick a probe thermometer in or you don’t want to have to keep cleaning your probe and the probe thermometers are slower than this is. I keep it in the draw under where I make my latte so I know I got the milk the right temperature for frothing. I also use it to make sure I got the pan the right heat when I make my pancakes and crumpets. I haven’t used it for jam yet.

Good standard for low cost, its how you use it .. Be a cheapskate it will pay off
A little miffed my boss wouldn’t allow me to put the brand name probes on expenses, he recommended this one instead!
Actually surprised how easy to use this is, the display is clear, the laser pointer works (the cat loves it). Temperature readings aren’t dead accurate, they never are on these things, even calibrated models.
Try to be around a meter away from the object and hold in position for 5 or more seconds for best results. I use this for reference / comparison only, so don’t be worried if you’re taking a car temperature for example and a reads a little out, however it is within a few degrees at temperatures below 100c a good way out above that on heating elements etc, but as long as you know, you can work with it and compares well with brands more than 10 x the cost.

Preferable to and more accurate than any typical oven thermometer and more useful
Purchased to replace the last of a series of dial-type oven thermometers used until very recently (both from the same brand but purchased at different times) which invariably need frequent replacement as either the glass or the dial beneath darken with repeated, extensive exposure to heat. The problem is that every oven takes a certain time to reach the set temperature and when there is doubt, the thermometer may need to stay in place during the warm-up and cooking periods as it is then too hot to handle. The “Etekcity Lasergrip 1080 Non-contact Digital Laser IR Infrared Thermometer, -50C ~ 550C ( -58F~1022F ), Instant Read Temperature Gun, Rubber Paint Technology, Yellow/Black” never needs physically to be in the oven but is used externally via the open oven door, and from a short distance from the food or utensil within it, to check the temperature.

It clearly cannot check internal temperature of a joint of meat or poultry and a probe thermometer may be additionally required to verify that both appropriate levels are reached; while appearing cooked on the outside, it is possible for it to be almost raw inside especially if improperly thawed from frozen. The desired temperature levels for different meats, fish etc can usually be found on-line but are often printed in cookery books and sometimes in food-related articles in newspapers and magazines.

It has an extensive temperature range from -50 to 550C which will cover everything from the fridge and freezer, which should be among the coldest, and almost anything beyond including temperatures of different sections of a running vehicle engine, domestic radiators or almost anything else. It takes a standard 9v flat battery (included but not actually connected) which is held within the grip and which are readily available and not overly expensive to replace when required, although that provided is expected to provide a year or more’s service when often used. The battery is protected by a thick plastic film that needs be removed before first use and then connected. The fit within its compartment is tight!

It is claimed to offer an accuracy of +/- 2-deg, far better that the +/- 5-deg suggested by the best of the analogue rotary ones which in practice may be much greater. Their reading accuracy may be imprecise, adding further problems. Sometimes two such thermometers were used side-by-side (normally on different oven shelves) and they can easily differ from each other by 30-deg or more. It was impossible to know which of them, if any, was the more accurate. It is now known that one read slightly high and the other consistently very low! Under- or over-cooking within the normally used time for a dish, or as suggested by a recipe, can therefore be effectively avoided. This provided readings closely similar – a couple of degrees C lower – to one, that long thought to be the more accurate.

As the thermometer includes both laser and IR-sensing technology, although the laser is low-power and relatively safe when not misused, proper safety precautions should be taken and use by young children should never be permitted. Equally, it should never be used to check body temperatures or pointed towards vehicles on the road or flying aircraft.

Informative fun for the kitchen geek
Very pleased with this. I’d wanted one since I saw Heston Blumenthal use one in his ‘In Search of Perfection’ TV series in 2006, but prices were much higher then – something to do with patents, I imagine. I don’t operate on his plane but I do like to know as much as possible about the environment I’m cooking in, and temperature is a critical parameter. I now know that my gas oven really can – as its maker claims – achieve 300’C, and that my fridge could do with being a little colder. It really does help with managing cooking temperatures – far more than the crude controls on the appliance itself can do – and I’m looking forward to using it outside once barbecue season returns.

What it isn’t, of course, is a replacement for a clinical thermometer – not least because it contains a laser pointer and pointing that at a person (even though it can be switched off) is a no-no.

It doesn’t come with a case, but mine fits neatly into an old airline toiletry kit purse. As a bonus, the plastic surface is nicely tactile – difficult to describe but almost velvety while still being hard; very pleasant to hold. And the packaging comes with a space for the 9V battery that is alarmingly empty. Fear not; the battery is already in the handle, but it’s a snug fit, so connecting it and closing the compartment took a bit of fiddling.

Small criticisms, though, of a useful and sensibly priced little instrument.