Leave-in thermometer

Cooking Discussions Cookware
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Perhaps not the sexiest of cookware, but hopefully something a lot of people can weigh in on.

I want to oven-roast some meat for my daughters birthday, but my thermapen is in a different country. Rather than double up on thermapens, I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to get a new leave-in thermometer.

My starting point was to stick to Thermoworks and just get something simple like a ChefAlarm or a DOT - however the blueDOT with smartphone connectivity has me enticed.

Do you have a leave-in / oven thermometer?
Does it get any use or do you just tend to use instant read?
What would you recommend I get? Why?

Thanks in advance,
Alex

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My simple leave-in is great. Not wireless or Bluetooth etc. Just a simple cable to the read-out unit. I’m generally near the action, so an audible alarm is fine for me. Calibrates easily too.

My previous wireless kept dropping connection/closing down.

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I thought I bought a leave-in oven thermometer, but then on Amazon, many reviews argue that it may not. I think at the end of the day, it also depends if one cares if the thermometer looks dirty.

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I use this one and love it: https://thermapen.co.uk/digital-oven-thermometers/76-dot-digital-bbq-oven-thermometer.html

It has the features I prioritize most: a simple but durable design, highly accurate, and a loud but not super annoying alarm.

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I use ThermoWorks leave-in thermometers. I like them. ChefAlarm, Dot, and I just got a square dot. But no Blue Dot. I do not need a connected home, nor am I comfortable with the security vulnerabilities. Besides, I live in a small enough space that I can hear the alarm go off. …and I turn off all the reporting of data feature when I must use a connected device.

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Yeah. The use case for the BlueDOT was pure laziness of not needing to go into the kitchen to check the temp if slow roasting over many hours. Arguably not the most important feature.

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Thanks. Do you have an opinion on the ChefAlarm vs the (square)DOT? Which one gets most use at Casa Meekah?

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The Amazon reviews don’t think it’s leave-in? Did I get that right?

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I have this.

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You can tell it even sells with brackets to hold it in the top or bottom rack. So this indicates it is a in-oven thermometer. However, I remember people complaining that the glass can get cloudy over time and then difficult to read… if you leave it in the oven.

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Got it. So one that measures the ambient temperature of the oven rather than the temperature of the food :+1:

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Oh I am sorry. I must have read it wrong. You mean a thermometer for the foods. Sorry.

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The Dot is much simpler. It’s just a thermometer that you can set an alarm to go off at a certain temperature. If you don’t need all the features on a ChefAlarm, why spend the money? I think I got my ChefAlarm before they came out with the Dot. The Dot would work just fine for me - I use it for meat in the oven.

I also put the probe in my freezer and snaked the cable to the outside where the display adhered magnetically to mr fridge door. I could then walk by and see the temp without opening the door. The freezer was dying. Got a new fridge before it was too late.

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ThermoWorks now makes something called a Square Dot that measures both the oven temp and the meat temp. I just ordered one to give somebody who is having issues with their oven temp.

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Makes sense. Simpler is often better.

Here in Australia they pricing isn’t too different between the two (and very expensive) so that is why I started looking at the less basic options.

What do you use the second probe for on the SquareDOT? Is it for ambient oven temperature, or do you use it if you have a second roast?

Edit: you answered the question while I was typing

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gmta :grinning:

I do think the make something for multiple roasts …

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I have a couple of 25+ years old Maverick probe thermometers that are still doing me good for cooking brisket or roasts on the grill.

These are leave-in probes. They’re supposed to communicate temp to a remote reader. But after 25 years, they’re not doing that well so I have to read directly instead.

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I used to use Taylor’s

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Just doing some reading and it turns out the SquareDOT actually can be used for two roasts if you just replace the oven probe with a meat one. Just in case you ever find yourself in that situation.

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I use a Thermoworks Square DOT too, just got it a few months ago. I keep the oven (air) probe in the oven all the time, and I stick the base unit to the side of my refrigerator which is about a foot away from my oven - the base unit has magnets on the back. I keep the meat (penetration) probe in a drawer and just attach it when needed. It works pretty well. You can set an alarm for each probe separately.

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Oven probe can clip onto a rack

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I have a discontinued Thermoworks corded leave-in I use all the time. It has a loud alarm–no bluetooth needed. It’s much like the current ChefAlarm. It lives on the stovetop. IMO, its only disadvantage is that it won’t also measure air temperature.

IMO, if you use your oven (or BBQ) much, you need some corded setup, so you don’t have to open your oven or pit to check.

I need several different thermometers in my work and cooking, but for most people a great solution is to have one Thermapen, maybe an IR, and also a multi-channel base unit that can accept different Type K or T modular probes for air, contact, different length penetration tips, etc. Thermoworks has lots of options, including models with armored cables.

I have and like the ThermaQ 2-channel unit. It has a convenient, strong magnet for mounting.

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