Not 100% sure of mash temp

[idigg]

I Have two dial Thermos reporting 150*f and a new digital reporting 153-163 in some spots.... which do I trust???

 

[Stevo2569]

Calibrate all of them with a crushed ice water cup.

 

[JuanMoore]

And in a pot of boiling water.

 

[Denny]

Unless you mash at freezing or boiling temps, you need to calibrate them at mash temps...around 150F. They can be on at hge extremes, but way off at the temps you use them. I have an NIST certified, calibrated lab thermometer I use to calibrate my brewing thermometers at 150.

 

[mcaple1]

get a thermapen

 

[Stevo2569]

I calibrated my thermopen in ice water.

 

[PaulTheGhost]

I have this same problem. My first two all grain batches I monitered mash temps with my cheapo floating thermometer. They must have mashed at 145 because they fermented out to 1.003. :/ I compared the floating thermometer to my nice stainless steel in 155 water and the floating red it at eight degrees lower. My suggestion is to splurge and get a really nice digital one.

 

[mcaple1]

get a thermapen

 

[InLimbo]

I have a digital thermometer. It tends to read negative (high) when the probe is against a solid surface (say, near a bone when in meat, or more applicably if it's touching the bottom of the mashtun). Make sure your probe is not touching anything that it isn't supposed to be. We have a dairy thermometer, dial thermometer, and digital meat thermometer. They're all within a couple degrees of the digital.