Thermometer Question.

Markok765 · Jul 10, 2008

I have 2 thermometers for the darkroom.

I don't use them really [feel temp with hand] so I was thinking of repurposing one as a cooking thermometer.

They are those prodding thermometers, going up to 300F.

If I clean them, can I use them safely in the kitchen?

BrianShaw · Jul 10, 2008

If they've been in chemistry then it isn't the best of ideas. You can get a decent cooking htermometer for $10- to 20, so why risk it?

RobC · Jul 10, 2008

The turkey will never know

Markok765 · Jul 10, 2008

rob champagne said:
The turkey will never know

What about the chicken?!

BrianShaw · Jul 10, 2008

Poke either one of your fowl friends in the thigh with the tip of a paring knife. If they bleed red, they aren't done; if they bleed clear, they are edible. All one really needs in a kitchen is fire and sharp knives; who needs a thermometer???

Markok765 · Jul 10, 2008

I guess, but I would like to have a minimum safe temperature.

epatsellis · Jul 10, 2008

not twitching, warmer than that and go to the knife test?

Toffle · Jul 10, 2008

All I know about thermometers is that ever since we had kids, the one in my medicine cabinet tastes funny.

BrianShaw · Jul 10, 2008

Markok765 said:
I guess, but I would like to have a minimum safe temperature.

I think we are getting a little off topic, but since I fancy myself a rather accomplished chef...

Minimum safe temperatures have changed dramatically over the years. Yes, you want to be safe from salmonella, etc. but there are lots of ways (the one I mentioned above being only one) for assuring that food is cooked properly for safe consumption. Notice that most, if not all, professional chefs keep an instant-read thermometer in their sleeve or pocket. They are cheap and readily available. If you fear food poison please get one ASAP. If you fear chemical contamination, get a new thermometer ASAP rather then repurposing.

Colin Corneau · Jul 10, 2008

Just use your fingers for the cooking and don't take chances with your film.

RobC · Jul 10, 2008

BrianShaw said:
I think we are getting a little off topic, but since I fancy myself a rather accomplished chef...

Did we ever get on topic?

cmo · Jul 11, 2008

Colin Corneau said:
Just use your fingers for the cooking and don't take chances with your film.

EXACTLY.

But if you are a neighbour of the Simpson family and use the thermometer for the cooking, it does not make a differnce anyhow because you are close to a nuclear power plant... and Homer works there.

jim appleyard · Jul 11, 2008

Become a vegan.

maart · Jul 12, 2008

BrianShaw said:
Poke either one of your fowl friends in the thigh with the tip of a paring knife. If they bleed red, they aren't done; if they bleed clear, they are edible. All one really needs in a kitchen is fire and sharp knives; who needs a thermometer???

I agree very much with that, and I'm the cook.
Maarten Zeilmaker, Rotterdam

Curt · Jul 12, 2008

Get a rectal thermometer and use it for both.

http://www.ehow.com/how_13566_rectal-thermometer.html

Just substitute chicken for child in the text, it works for both the same way.

Dennis S · Jul 12, 2008

Any good photo thermometer only goes up to 180 degrees anyway if that helps your puzzling problem. !!

dancqu · Jul 12, 2008

Markok765 said:
If I clean them, can I use them safely in the kitchen?

Stainless steel? No problem. Dan

CBG · Jul 13, 2008

Markok765 said:
I have 2 thermometers for the darkroom.
I don't use them really [feel temp with hand] so I was thinking of repurposing one as a cooking thermometer.
They are those prodding thermometers, going up to 300F.
If I clean them, can I use them safely in the kitchen?

First off, was your hand calibrated? Is it partial or full immersion?

Seriously, any thermometer that reads to 300 is not a good choice for the darkroom. Barring some special gift of accurate manual temperature perception, you will do better with a thermometer suited for the darkroom. Keep the cooking thermometers in the kitchen. But regarding your question of re-use in the kitchen, if they have been in anything really nasty, like mercury compounds etc, I wouldn't use them at all. Some of the more common BW chemicals are rather tame in micro-doses, but you should know absolutely, utterly, exactly what you are doing before you return anything to the kitchen. Thermometers are not very expensive, so the risk just isn't worth experimenting with the health of you and others.

C

jim appleyard · Jul 13, 2008

Curt said:
Get a rectal thermometer and use it for both.

http://www.ehow.com/how_13566_rectal-thermometer.html

Just substitute chicken for child in the text, it works for both the same way.

I like the part where it tells the user to clean it off so that one can get an accurate reading. Really?

domaz · Jul 14, 2008

I tried to use one of those thermometers in the darkroom. Utterly useless because they apparently are calibrated to read lower than actual temperature. Kind of like the speedometer in cars that read a little high, so even if you think your speeding you aren't really.

rwyoung · Jul 14, 2008

rob champagne said:
The turkey will never know

Which turkey, the one you cooked or the one you convinced to eat the Dektol gravy...

Ralph Javins · Jul 14, 2008

Good morning;

Interesting topic and tangential diversion.

Brian Shaw made a comment about professional chefs having an intstant reading thermometer with them at all times. There was also something mentioned about salmonella, et cetera.

I think the main reason why the chefs carry a thermometer is to be able to have a ready defense when the Health Department Inspectors show up. Many of those guys do not really know that much about cooking and food preparation, so they "go by the numbers" and "I'm just doin' my job, man." They are told that the food must be brought up to "yea, that much" in temperature, so they watch the numbers. That is easier than trying to train the inspectors in recognizing what different foods look like when they are done.

On the subject of the original question, I agree that it is easier to just get another thermometer that is clean and designed for cooking.

My favorite developing thermometer was a yellow scale glass/mercury laboratory type specially provided for photographic purposes that read from about 18 degrees C to 32 degrees C and was calibrated in 1/10 of a degree C increments. That was back in the 1960's. Probably illegal by now.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

RobC · Jul 14, 2008

rwyoung said:
Which turkey, the one you cooked or the one you convinced to eat the Dektol gravy...

Hey you only have to experiment once. If the gravy looks a bit grainy then you know to give it a better clean next time.

Thermometer Question.

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency