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You should never assume that your food thermometer is always correct. Many times, people think that the problem is with their cooker when the temperature readings don’t make sense. Although the cooker might be at fault sometimes, it is not always the case.
For example, if you notice that the food temperature doesn’t go past 190°F, you can adjust the gas pressure. If the problem still persists, there’s a problem with your food thermometer accuracy. Fortunately, this article explains two ways to calibrate food thermometers to determine their precision and gives recommendations on potential replacements.
How to Calibrate Food Thermometer: Ice Bath Caliberaron
This is probably the simplest method you can use to test the correctness of your food thermometer. If it is your first-time hearing about this technique, you need the following items to create the perfect ice bath:
- a tall clear glass,
- pre-cooled water,
- ice cubes,
- a spatula or a spoon to stir the mixture.
After you have all the items, fill the tall clear glass with the ice cubes, then add the pre-cooled water until it covers the cubes, and stir for about 15 seconds with the spatula or spoon. Then take your food thermometer probe and dip it, at least 2 inches, in the center of the ice bath. Gently stir for another 15 seconds and check the reading: if it is 32°F, your thermometer is in perfect condition.
Read more: Ice Bath Calibration Guide for Food Thermometer
Remember that if you want to get an accurate reading, you ought to keep the stem dipped in the middle of the ice bath and constant motion. Avoid resting the stem on top of an ice cube because it may read a very low temperature. Alternatively, don’t allow the probe to rest on the glass since it may read a high temperature. Finally, don’t keep the probe too deep into the ice bath as you may end up getting an inaccurate reading.
How to Calibrate Food Thermometer: Boiling Water Calibration
This is perhaps the more complex method on how to calibrate a digital food thermometer since you need to know the altitude and atmospheric pressure at the time of the test. If your thermometer doesn’t have any faults, it will read 212°F when placed in boiling water at sea level under normal atmospheric conditions.
You will need a wide pot, water, and a cooker. Before you pour the water into the wide pot and start to boil, you need to calculate the boiling point of your area, given the altitude and atmospheric pressure. To do this effectively, you can use an online boiling point calculator.
Step 1: Fill the wide pot with the water up to a level of 4 inches and place it on a cooker to begin the boiling process. Remember that your food thermometer doesn’t have to read 212°F because the reading depends on your geographical location.
Step 2: Insert the thermometer stem 2 inches in the center of the boiling pot and stir gently for 10 seconds.
Step 3: Take the readings and check whether they coincide with your location’s boiling point. Depending on the accuracy of your instrument, a proper reading falls between +/-0.7°F and +/-2°F.
Other factors to consider when calibrated thermometer for food is the type of water used – hard water takes longer to boil – and the type of pot – a tall narrow pot leads to a higher boiling point than a short wide one.
After you discover that your food thermometer is faulty, you need to find a replacement that will last longer than the previous one and guarantee maximum accuracy. I highly recommend using ThermoPro food thermometers because they have a reputation for being very exact and affordable.
If you suspect that your food thermometer might be faulty, you can use the two ways I mentioned to verify your suspicion. Just remember to do both tests correctly to get the best results.
How Often Should A Food Thermometer Be Calibrated?
Calibrating a food thermometer is essential to make sure the accuracy of food temperature readings, because it is crucial for food safety. So how often should we calibrate food thermometers?
The frequency of calibration depends on several factors, including the type of thermometer, use frequency, and the usage and store conditions. Generally speaking, it’s recommended to calibrate a food thermometer at least once a month for regular use. However, if the thermometer is used frequently, particularly in a commercial kitchen setting where accurate temperature control is critical, weekly calibration might be necessary.
Additionally, food thermometer calibration should also be performed whenever the thermometer is dropped or exposed to extreme temperature changes, as these events can affect its accuracy. For example, if you use a food thermometer to measure the turkey with very high temperature and then measure very cold food, the rapid temperature shifts could potentially cause the thermometer to lose calibration. It’s also necessary to calibrate food thermometer after it has been cleaned or exposed to water, as moisture may affect its internal components.
Regular food thermometer calibration not only helps maintain temperature accuracy but also extends its lifespan so that you can use it quite a long time. Therefore, you can keep a regular calibration for according to your actual use.
Watch the video to learn how to calibrate food thermometer!
