I want candy (thermometers)
January 9, 2010 5:21 PM Subscribe
I have decided i need a candy thermometer. However, im rather overwhelmed by choices, and remember using thermometers in chemistry that were infuriatingly inconsistent, which makes me wary of just buying the cheapest i can find.
Basically, i have no idea where to start. Im in the UK. Any brands or suggestions? Id rather not spend too much (student budget) but dont have a specific price range in mind.
Basically, i have no idea where to start. Im in the UK. Any brands or suggestions? Id rather not spend too much (student budget) but dont have a specific price range in mind.
Any general instant read kitchen thermometer will do. Anyway, I still do the soft ball, hard ball etc. thing as I feel it is more accurate.
posted by caddis at 5:44 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by caddis at 5:44 PM on January 9, 2010
The Thermapen is expensive, but because of its temperature range and precision, you won't need a separate thermometer for meats. It's also less fragile than any glass thermometer. Worthwhile purchase as your kitchen's sole cooking thermometer.
posted by mnemonic at 6:18 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by mnemonic at 6:18 PM on January 9, 2010
I have one that looks identical to the one melissasaurus linked to (except it's branded as Taylor and I got it at Target), and when I cross-referenced it with my Thermapen I discovered that it was off by more than 10 degrees (showing a temperature that was too low), which I think is a pretty big deal for candymaking.
The Thermapen is fantastic but perhaps out of your price range, and it's also a pain to hold it suspended in your boiling sugar with one hand while you try to stir with the other. So here's my suggestion: get the much cheaper cooking thermometer made by the same company (or some other long-cabled cooking thermometer that has good reviews), and use Alton Brown's binder-clip trick (you can see a photo of it here) to keep it suspended in your boiling sugar. You don't need an instant-read thermometer for candy-making anyway, and if you get a regular cooking thermometer you can also use it for roasts and such.
posted by pluckemin at 6:19 PM on January 9, 2010
The Thermapen is fantastic but perhaps out of your price range, and it's also a pain to hold it suspended in your boiling sugar with one hand while you try to stir with the other. So here's my suggestion: get the much cheaper cooking thermometer made by the same company (or some other long-cabled cooking thermometer that has good reviews), and use Alton Brown's binder-clip trick (you can see a photo of it here) to keep it suspended in your boiling sugar. You don't need an instant-read thermometer for candy-making anyway, and if you get a regular cooking thermometer you can also use it for roasts and such.
posted by pluckemin at 6:19 PM on January 9, 2010
I took a candy making workshop in the spring and the teacher emphasized the unreliability of thermometers and the that the soft ball/hard ball thing is better. The problem is that it takes experience to get the cold water test to work so I think you should pay up a bit for a thermometer and also do the water tests. Even two degrees can make a difference.
posted by shothotbot at 7:24 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by shothotbot at 7:24 PM on January 9, 2010
I make quite a bit of candy, and I've used a thermometer precisely once. It got so gunked up with the sugar mix that it took me weeks to clean. It also was so far off that my batch wasn't close to setting.
Use water tests, and colour tests (if you're not making anything too dark). I find that much more repeatable, and it keeps myusers clients happy.
[Also, as someone who's used a bunch of temperature sensors in his day job, using a traceable calibration Type-K thermocouple like the Thermapen is so much awesome at this price I can hardly believe it.]
posted by scruss at 8:20 PM on January 9, 2010
Use water tests, and colour tests (if you're not making anything too dark). I find that much more repeatable, and it keeps my
[Also, as someone who's used a bunch of temperature sensors in his day job, using a traceable calibration Type-K thermocouple like the Thermapen is so much awesome at this price I can hardly believe it.]
posted by scruss at 8:20 PM on January 9, 2010
I used the same style of thermometer as melissasaurus and pluckemin to make several batches of very successful salted caramels over Christmas. The trick is to calibrate your candy thermometer in a pot of boiling water first and see how accurate it really is, then adjust your final cooking temperature accordingly. (I did water tests as well, but since my thermometer is pretty accurate I mainly relied on that.)
posted by Vervain at 11:26 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by Vervain at 11:26 PM on January 9, 2010
If it's not too late to interject, a Poulder programmable can do double duty as a candy/deep fry thermometer, as well as it's intended purpose; preset roasting temp with alarm. A binder clip on the side of your pan/pot holds the probe in place.
posted by JABof72 at 11:16 AM on January 10, 2010
posted by JABof72 at 11:16 AM on January 10, 2010
Everything I read before getting a candy thermometer said that even pricier thermometers are often inaccurate, and the best thing do to is to boil water with the thermometer in, figure out how many degrees to high/too low the thermometer is, and then adjust for that while making candy. This always seemed a little off to me because the degree of offness must vary between higher and lower temperatures. That said, I have a $5 candy thermometer and just use that methos.
posted by R a c h e l at 7:07 PM on January 10, 2010
posted by R a c h e l at 7:07 PM on January 10, 2010
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posted by melissasaurus at 5:42 PM on January 9, 2010