Just realized my bread thermometer was off by 40 degrees for months

I was wondering why my sourdough kept coming out gummy even though I followed the recipe exactly. So last week I tested my probe thermometer against boiling water (212 degrees) and it read 172. That thing was off by 40 entire degrees. I bought it off Amazon for like 12 bucks two years ago and never once checked it. Has anyone else had a thermometer drift like that and ruin a bunch of bakes before you caught it?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewperry2mo ago

River's friend might've had the oven dial off too. That's another thing people don't check often enough. A cheap oven thermometer hanging on the rack can show you the real temp inside no matter what the knob says. My old oven ran 25 degrees hot once and I was burning cookies for months before I figured it out. Put an oven thermometer in there and it told me right away. Worth the five bucks just to not keep guessing.

river_hart182mo agoTop Commenter

Oh man, my friend had the same thing happen with her oven temp.

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lisa_murray2d ago

I actually just read a blog post from King Arthur Flour about this exact thing. They said even cheap thermometers can drift over time because the metal inside expands and contracts differently with repeated heating and cooling cycles. The author recommended checking your probe thermometer every few months by sticking it in ice water for 32 degrees and boiling water for 212. I have definitely been guilty of just tossing a thermometer in a drawer and trusting it forever. My sister had a similar issue where her candy thermometer was off by like 15 degrees and she kept getting soft caramel that wouldn't set. It is wild how much trust we put in these little gadgets without ever testing them. After your story I am definitely going to check mine tonight before I start my weekly bake.

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