The thermapen is an instant read, meaning it can read temperatures quickly (something like 60degrees per second) as where the polder is very slow, its great for sticking in a roast, stick the roast in the oven and have it beep when its done, but it you took the roast out of the oven and stuck the polder in to figure out what temp it was, it would take several minutes to take a reading, such a situation would call for an instant read thermometer( like the thermapen though there are plenty of alternatives)

Yes, instant read & oven thermometers are distinct & you need both. I think above are the best candidates.

The probe cable looks the same as every other cheap digital thermometer, and is always the first part to break. I buy a cheap digital thermometer like this probably once a year, and I don't think the cable has ever outlasted the battery.

Can anyone suggest an alternate model with a really durable cable?

I've owned several (6?) Polder Thermometers, and use them mostly for my smoker (running 2-3 at a time to check meat and overall temperature). They are extremely accurate, but as someone noted above the cable doesn't last long. I believe you can purchase replacement cables though through Amazon, so if buying one I would recommend picking up an extra cable. Also, don't leave these out in the rain, as they aren't waterproof and water will get into the electronics and ruin the thing.

But overall, it's an awesome thermometer that is very accurate. It also comes with a clip to attach to the side of deep saucepans.

This is a great tool and very accurate for a $20 thermometer. It isn't a themapen, however. The thermapen is more accurate and durable. IMO there is ample reason to own both.

This is a great tool -- I've had mine for over 10 years.

The one quibble I have with thermometers of this kind, though, is with the 'desired-temp' notification. If you want it to let you know when it gets from room temperature *up* to 158 F, you're in good shape. But if you've boiled your tea water and want the thing to let you know when it gets *down* to 158 F, you're out of luck. It will start peeping immediately, because 200 F is way higher than 158 F.

If the newer units have addressed this, I'd be happy to know!

I originally bought the Taylor TruTemp brand of these for a child's science experiment on cooling and insulation. But I quickly came to LOVE it for roasting. The Taylor also has magnets on the back so you can stick it to your oven or other metallic surface. I keep it on the fridge (sans probe) when I'm not roasting and use the unit as a timer.

I have used several of these types of thermometers made by different manufacturers. I like the remote digital cooking thermometer by Redi Chek, http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12123876 . I like it because it has a transmitter that transmits the temp to a receiver that I can keep close to me. This is especially useful on holidays when we have family over. I can monitor the temp of what I am cooking and still be with family.

The probes for the ones I have bought have always been interchangeable. I have checked them with ice water and boiling water, 32F & 212F. I too have had the problem with the probe cables getting burned. A couple of years ago I started to wrap the cable in aluminum foil. The foil protects the insulation of the wire inside the mesh from hot gasses. Since I have started doing this I have not needed to replace any probes. I have done this successfully in my oven, on my grill, and even roasting a turkey over a campfire.

After burning out the probe two of the above Polder oven thermometers in ovens above 450 degrees by trying to follow Alton Brown's excellent beef roast method (low and slow followed by _really_ hot to create the crust), I found the Oven/Meat Thermo-timer probe thermometer also made by Polder. Available via Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Polder-Dual-Sensor-Thermometer-Timer/dp/B00006NWAD

This unit's probe is able to withstand much higher temperatures and I have even been able to use it to transfer the oven method above to my outdoor propane grill with excellent results. The same unit has now lasted me over three years.

- B

Matt (#1) - I just purchased one of these last week and while it may not be as fast as a Thermapen, it does NOT take "several minutes" - not even close! I just did my own little test in boiling water and it took 11 SECONDS to go from 69 degrees Fahrenheit to 200 degrees.

Oryctolagus habilis (#2) - this is as fast as my instant read - see above.

Casey Barton (#3) - the cable is replaceable on this one, but it is my understanding that only the metal probe should be allowed to get wet - therefore I clean mine with alcohol swabs.

thorn (#6) - you can use the Stop/Start button (different from the Temp Alert On/Off button) to silence the alarm and it will not beep again until passing one of the temp set points you have entered.

Janet in Toronto (#7) - This also has magnets on the back AND the tilt of the display is adjustable. So if you put this on your fridge and use it as a timer the display can lay flat and will be perpendicular to the floor, but if you set it on a counter, you can tilt the display up and it can still be perpendicular to the floor OR anywhere in between.

I really love this thermometer and it turned out to be so much better than I expected. It is accurate, versatile, easy to use and makes cooking a lot easier - even though I never found it hard before. I deep fry about once every 5 years and *owed* my hubby some yummy homemade Vietnamese spring rolls. Being able to monitor the oil as it heated by sound and then being able to reset the temp highs and lows so that I could spend the time rolling the rolls without having to watch that the oil did not get too cold or catch fire, was a godsend!

Converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit for cooking is easy.

Just divide Fahrenheit by 2 or multiply Celsius by 2. It's not exactly accurate, but it's close enough.

Examples:
350F divided by two is 175C. In reality it's 176.666C
500F divided by two is 250C. In reality it's 260C.

Close enough for a good rule of thumb.

Z.

Will this hold-up OK for grilling?

In the last six months, I've bought two different digital probe/cable thermometer for roasting on my Weber charcoal grill, only to have them both fail after 6-10 uses. In each case, the failure mode it to read high by 30-75 degrees.

The first one read high with no probe attached. The second one reads high only with the probe attached.

As a backup, I still have my 25 year-old alcohol-filled analog thermometer, though the ink-filled scale is getting hard to read after 100's of uses.

None of the temperature-probe-on-a-wire products out there that i've seen are built to withstand any sort of grill usage. If they contact a flame or hot grill surface on either the probe or wire, they're toast--the temperature tolerance is around 400F only! Also, if they get water in them, they are toast. Taylor will send you replacement probes for around $5 if you write to them, though i'm not sure if they're the same ones used with this Polder.

Ed: I have not tried wrapping the wire with foil; I'll have to try that sometime!

#10 kim
boiling water is not a good test, I have both and side by side temping a steak the thermapen takes 2 seconds the polder takes 2 mins plus by which time my steak was overcooked. (unless they have changed something significant since I bought the one I have). Thats how i justified the purchase to the XYL.

Matt (#14) - I think something has changed or yours is faulty, because while I used boiling water as a test to give very specific numbers, I have used the Polder on meat (whole chicken and steak) and in oil and the results were similar to the water with all 3. If it hadn't read quickly on the meat, I would have used my instant read, but I estimate the times for a temperature read to be similar to my test. This temperature sensor is not that complicated and doesn't have the ability to detect anything but the temperature, which is what it is - regardless of the medium. It should not see or read water any different than protein, room air, sugar or fat. Since you purchase the XYL and are happy with it, then I wouldn't worry, but if you still have the Polder and would like it to work properly, I recommend contacting Polder and telling them of your problems. I'll bet they send you a new one.

I'm on my second polder -- but only because that was the easiest way to get a new probe. I burnt my first one out on the oven heating element -- don't let it touch flame or elements!!! My second proble died and I thought I was done -- but then I put all but the plug end into my warm oven -- that dried it out and got it working again.

So, I agree: A cool tool. Just don't burn the wire on a flame or element AND don''t get the wire wet!

A great tool. Greatly increases accuracy and consistency when cooking. I use it for chicken, steak, pork, meatloaf, etc. This is one of two tools that definitely improved my cooking even after I had all the basic tools and skills. The other item was a digital scale

I have owned literally dozens of kitchen thermometers over the years.
The Polder and the Thermapen are currently champs in their respective fields of application. I currently own both (1 Thermapen and 2 Polder) and would not part with any of them.