CDN IR220 InstaRead General Purpose Thermometer
by CDN
Product Summary
Manufacturer: CDNBrand: Component Design
Model: IR220
Product features:
- Cooking thermometer reads temperature instantly
- Temperature range 60 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit
- Perfect for roasts, yeasts, and chocolate tempering
- Use on foods cooked in oven, grill, smoker, and microwave
- Magnifying lens on dial makes reading easy
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of CDN IR220 InstaRead General Purpose Thermometer
Customer Review: What good is this??
Summary: 1 Stars
First off, I find myself questioning the accuracy of this item. The dial is small and a little hard to read. The incremental design of the gauge makes the thermometer more difficult to read with any precision. But if you don't mind a good 1-5 degree margin of error that's ok I suppose. The problem is that this is exacerbated by the fact that the needle jumps somewhat during reading!! One minute it will sit at 140, then suddenly jump up to 150! Makes you wonder what kind of precision this unit was designed with. It claims a +/-2 Degree accuracy.
In addition I tested it using boiling water and it appears to be a few degrees too low (so it should have read 212F), though it was hard to tell. *Update: Apparently, the boiling point of water varies with altitude and air pressure (here water boils at 210, not 212). So if you use the 'boiling water test' to check the accuracey do a search to find the precise boiling point for your elevation and for the current barometric pressure. The thermometer still seems calibrated slightly low though, and all other review info holds true. But I might up it to two stars if I could*
Calling this unit "instant read" is a bit of a euphemism as well, it takes a good 15-30 seconds to get any kind of an accurate reading. On top of that, the unit is not safe to go in the oven (you could damage it)! So if you're cooking a chicken or turkey, you must take it out of the oven, insert the thermometer, wait until it gets a stable reading, squint to try and discern the temperature, then question if the thermometer is telling you the truth! If it's not done yet you must remove the thermometer, and place the meat back in the oven again (of course by now you've lost some heat! Plus the hole in the meat will cause loss of juices once it's put back in. Oh well.
The big problem here is design. It is designed like a typical oven meat thermometer, but can't go in the oven. And it's less-than-instant response time means it's not very good for taking quick readings. You can use it for chicken breasts but the temp sensor isn't in the tip! It's about an inch up the probe. Thus it must be a good 2-3 inches into the meat to get a good reading! This is means picking up a breast and inserting the probe sideways! And make sure you're aiming straight or you will come out the side and really mess up the breast! The depth of penetration needed and the design of this unit also make it more or less impossible to leave the probe inside a breast while in the pan too. So I guess I have trouble seeing what this thing is good for! On the good side, it has a sheath that lists recommended cooking temps, it's compact, and it's not very pricey.
The thing is that you really need a good thermometer to cook, too. It makes cooking much easier by eliminating guesswork and reducing the chances you will undercook food (possibly poisoning yourself) or overcook it (which makes for bad eats). But you need a thermometer with a quick response time, that is accurate enough to gain your trust, is easy to read, and is designed intelligently to be convenient and useful for many different tasks and many types of foods. This unit is none of those things! This might be good for measuring the temperature of a cup of coffee, but I'm not sure what else.
Description of CDN IR220 InstaRead General Purpose Thermometer
The INSTA-READ Cooking Thermometer is a rugged and durable precision instrument. The stainless steel stem easily penetrates meats, poultry, yeasts, and doughs. The thermometer has a temperature range of 60 to 220 degrees and gives an instant reading that is accurate to within 2 degrees. It may be recalibrated to ensure continued accuracy.Take the guesswork out of cooking times with this InstaRead thermometer by CDN. Made of premium grade stainless steel, the slender probe inserts easily into roasting meat and gives a fast temperature read-out. The finely calibrated thermometer is also handy for monitoring the temperature of yeasts, dough, and tempered chocolate. Accurate to within 2 degrees, the thermometer measures a range from 60 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit, and can even be recalibrated for continued accuracy. While not oven-proof, the polycarbonate lens creates a tight seal and also magnifies the numbers for easy reading. The thermometer may be used on meats cooked in a conventional oven, microwave, grill, rotisserie, and smoker, but should be removed from the meat as soon as the temperature is registered. The protective sheath for the thermometer, which features a pocket clip and loop to conveniently hold the probe, lists various types of meats along with the USDA recommended temperature for each. A five-year warranty covers the thermometer against defects.--Ann Bieri
Instant-Read
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