UGH... crappy thermometer. Recommend a goodone?

So I'm using that thermometer that came with my turkey fryer today... waiting for my water to get up to 170 while steeping my grains in the extract IPA I was brewing. It was taking forever... then I noticed a few bubbles like it was getting ready to boil while it was reading about 155. I took my buddy's thermometer from his batch and put in mine and noticed it was nearly 200. So I way oversteeped my grains at too high of a temp before I pulled them out. Probably gonna be a dark Amber IPA. I'm bummed the color will be off, but as long as it tastes good...

So can anyone recommend a quality, accurate thermometer? Should I get a digital instant-read thermometer? Suggestions.

Taylor 9842 has never let me down.

One thermometer to rule them all

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZVJM4M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Thermoworks makes excellent products, their Thermapen is widely used, I personally have a ChefAlarm and couple of different probes from them. It's The thermometer in my brewery, really happy with performance and accuracy.

Buy one of these and never look back. I wouldnt trade mine for another thermometer.

aprichman said:

One thermometer to rule them all

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZVJM4M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Click to expand...

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul :rockin: Ok, I just gave myself away here, I'm a Tolkien fan.

For a thermometer at 1/10 the price of a thermopen, a fast read NOT DIGITAL Taylor is great. Taylor digitals are pieces of ****. It is also 10$ or less.

I've got a CDN, and while I like it I think you may be further ahead spending a bit more than $20 if you can. I'm on a budget and for a cheap near-instant digital that you can calibrate it is great, I would like to have one that is a bit less variable for the mash. May break out some cash for an rPi and a thermal sensor so I can measure/record temps and rate of temp loss ( I like to measure things )

This one from Thermoworks is accurate and fast. About $25 shipped.

Yeh, thermoworks, pick your model all are quality.

For the money the Cooper Atkins Cool Rite is hard to beat.
Look around on the web & you can find a good price.
Quick response & accurate.

Another nod for Thermoworks. The Thermapen was easily one the best investments in my brewing that I've made. Fast is good, but accurate is even better. Many cheap thermometers have a multi-degree accuracy variance. This can mean that a thermometer can be perfectly accurate at freezing, perfectly accurate at boiling, and yet be off in mash/strike water range, which is where being off by 1 or 2 degrees can have a significant impact. I'd say it's less critical for steeping grains, but even then you need something at least reasonably accurate.

I would suggest forking out the change (it's not cheap) for a Thermapen. Because you can use it for more than just brewing.

Another vote for the ThermaPen. I burned through $70+ worth of crappy thermometers before I finally bought one. Look for open box sales. They knock about $20 off the price.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CDQ28IG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This is the only corded thermometer that I've found that is actually waterproof, even in boiling hot water. It's accurate (reads at 32-33 when water starts to freeze, and right at 212 when it boils), it reads the temperature fast, the batteries last a long time (about 1.5 years, and left it on many times overnight), and the damn thing just won't quit working! I've gone through a lot of thermometers, and I finally found one that works! When (if) this thing quits working, I'll definitely buy another one to replace it. And it's only $25 shipped with Amazon Prime.

+1 to the Thermopop for an affordable, quick read and durable thermometer. Granted it's accuracy is +/- 1.0F where pricier units may hit +/- 0.5F but it is durable, easy to clean, fits in your shirt pocket easily and takes nearly instant readings of the temps of strike water, mash, etc. from all angles, dim light or bright.

I probably would spend the bucks on the Thermapen if I wasn't so satisfied with its less expensive sibling. There are a lot of good units on the market and my guess is that all of the recommendations above are good ones. But you are definitely on the right track by looking for an accurate and reliable thermometer. There are no processes in brewing where +/- 5F is acceptable.

Cheers!

Make it easy on yourself, go to Thermoworks, then take your pick.

Another Thermoworks guy.

Another vote for ThermoWorks ThermoPop here. It seems like a good balance between a fast accurate read at a reasonable price.

Just bought this one haven't had a chance to use it yet. But looks great for mash and boils.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VXZVNG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Themapen. Love it

They are having a sale right now on the purple ones.

$79

Took the thermopop advice and ordered one today. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Enjoy your super accurate temperatures!

dkennedy said:

Thermoworks makes excellent products, their Thermapen is widely used, I personally have a ChefAlarm and couple of different probes from them. It's The thermometer in my brewery, really happy with performance and accuracy.

Click to expand...

Same here. I have a ChefAlarm and a Thermapen. I use the Thermapen for checking mash and wort temp when cooling. the chef alarm is great for strike water. I bought one of the water proof probes, so I just set it and forget it. If you do any other cooking at all, they come in really handy for that as well.

http://amzn.com/B0064O96P6

I use a standard floating candy thermometer. I think I paid $5.99 for it and it's never let me down.

I see you already ordered a thermometer but just wanted to add this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006303T90/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I've had it for almost 3 years and it's still working great.

Also, in your original post you talked about the color being off from steeping too hot. The color isn't really affected by the steeping time or temperature so you don't need to worry about that. The only thing you might need to worry about is tannin extraction from the steeping grains which will happen if they get over about 170F or so and the pH is too high. You probably won't notice anything though.

It's not as cool as a thermapen, but this one from the same company has done great for me.
RT600C Super-fast Water-resistant Digital Pocket Thermometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GE2XF8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Cooper-Atkins 2238-06-3 Stainless Steel Bi-Metal Stem Test Thermometer with Clip Glass Lens, NSF, 0 to 220 degrees F Temperature Range

search this on Amazon. it is a dial thermo, with a clip to hold it to the side of the brew pot. and only $11.25