non-contact thermometer?

[tonkota]

Anyone use a non-contact thermometer to watch the temp of the wort? I'm going to try it out, just to see how I like it.

I don't have a thermometer mounted in my pot so this is why I'm thinking about it.

 

[BioBeing]

You mean an Infra Red one? I tried one, and found that it was too unreliable. The bubbles on top of the wort give a different reading to the wort itself, making reading the wort hard if it is covered in bubbles. The shiny pot was hard to get a reading on too.

 

[tonkota]

Good points.

 

[Munsoned]

I have one that measures both with a probe as well as an IR sensor. The sensor is typically much less reliable than the probe. 2-3 degrees off in many cases. Good for general info, bad for precise measurement.

I'd use it to see if my wort is in 10* band ranges (i.e., 150-160 range, about to boil, etc.), but not for mash temps, chilling to certain pitch temps, or any other process that needs more specificity...