Review of OvenChek Cooking Surface Thermometer

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I have owned this 'cooking surface' thermometer for a couple of years. I use it to figure out whether the grill is hot enough to put the food on but I don't usually leave it on the grill for extended periods. I take it off when I put the food on. I also use it to calibrate my electric skillet and the surface of pans on my electric stove. If you leave this on your grill forever, all the time, even while the food is cooking, it probably won't last as long as mine has lasted.

Gee now that I'm doing this review, I remember how much I really like this thermometer. I'll be ordering another as a gift for a new cook who could use one.

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When I received my new KitchenAid Grill this year, I realized that it did not have a thermometer built into the cover. This grill surface thermometer helps to overcome this limitation. The grill cranks out 67,000 BTUs and this thermometer can "almost" handle it. It reports up to 700 degrees, and I easily exceed its reporting range. It still works, even after these extreme temperatures. However, the red dye that is on its face is now a brown color, perhaps it was can designed for this type of heat.

I leave it on the grill all the time. Its face is splashed with the juices from the steaks, and it is still working. It also has condensation inside the face after a cold day, but it still is working.

I need to point out that I used it less than a dozen times over the last 1 month. This is a short-term review.

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June 2006 Update -

The thermometer has lost its color from the heat of the grill. It is filled with condensation. The face is so discolored that it can not be read. I am disappointed that it only lasted about 5 months, and now it goes in the trash.

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I use it in my charbroil electric smoker. I keep it right on the cooking grate, while my food is smoking. I have to wipe it down after each use, to keep the smoke from building up on the unit, but that's to be expected.

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The overall build quality seems great, but just after a couple of uses the glass and the numbers started to become unreadable. It seems that it cannot survive the high heat that my grill is generating (~600 degrees).

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Great idea. I was excited to get this thermometer. I put it in an empty frying pan with the gas on high. After four minutes, the Teflon started gassing, indicating it was over 550F, but the thermometer only said 160F. Tested it in boiling water by putting the bottom only in the water, reading was accurate. then put it on the sink. After five minutes, the reading had dropped from 208F (our elevation is 3200 feet) to 150F. The problem is that this thing takes forever to change its reading. It is the slowest thermometer that I have ever seen. If I had waited for this thing to register 400F, my $40 pan would likely have melted. Great idea, useless product. Save your money.