That $12 starter thermometer was way off for two months

I got a cheap oven thermometer from the grocery store in Portland last spring and just assumed it was close enough. Turns out my oven was actually running 40 degrees cooler than it showed, which explains why my sandwich loaves kept coming out dense and pale. A friend at the farmers market let me borrow her Thermapen to check and I was floored. Has anyone else found a reliable brand for under $25?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa8391mo ago

The Taylor brand at the restaurant supply store near me is the one I finally trusted after wasting money on two of those cheap ones. I used to think all thermometers were basically the same because heat is heat, right? But after pulling out a chicken that was still raw inside when the old thermometer said 165, I had to admit I was wrong. Now I test my oven temp with a cheap probe thermometer against the Taylor and it's been spot on for six months. What do you use to double check your oven temp?

hernandez.ben1mo ago

I mean, I get where you're coming from about cheap thermometers being a gamble, but idk if I'd put that much faith in a $25 Taylor either. I've had two different Taylor oven thermometers drift after a few months of use, and when I checked them against boiling water they were both off by 15 degrees or so. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like people overthink this whole oven temp thing. As long as your bread's not burning or staying raw, the exact number on the dial doesn't matter that much. I just use the same cheap probe thermometer to check my loaves internally and adjust from there, never bothered to double check the oven itself.