Infrared Thermometer
About two years ago I bought a Raytek MT6 non-contact infrared thermometer to check oil temperature for sautéing and deep frying. It also came in handy checking room temperature versus the thermostat setting.
At first I was hesitant spending over $50 for this thermometer thinking it would spend 99 percent of its time in a kitchen drawer since I seldom fry foods. At the time, I debated buying a high quality instant read thermometer recommending by a popular PBS cooking show. For roasting meats, I have a digital meat thermometer and an oven probe. And their top rated instant read thermometer was over $100. Shortly after buying this thermometer it quickly became my most used kitchen small appliance. I use it almost every day to measure the temperature of:
- Griddle surface
- Oil for sautéing
- Oil for deep fat frying
- Foods reheated in a microwave oven
- Omelet egg temperature before filling
That’s just a few uses. No more guessing if a frying pan or griddle is at 350°F (176°C). No need sprinkle water on the surface to see if it dances and even then it could mean the surface is too hot. Perfect for pan fried fish, French Toast, and pancakes. No need to fry a cube of bread in hot oil when deep frying which also doesn’t tell you if the oil too hot. And the beauty of it is it takes less than a second to measure or check the temperature. It is a handy tool for frying foods. When deep frying, you can measures oil temperature after adding food and check how much the oil temperature has dropped. The lower the temperature and the longer it takes to recover the greasier the food.
Why Infrared?
The typical kitchen thermometer must be inserted into the food, liquid or oil you are measuring. Depending on the type of thermometer it can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to measure the temperature.
Infrared Thermometers are Not a Toy!
An infrared thermometer using a beam of infrared laser light to measure the temperature without contact the food or appliance and results is instantaneous. Aim, press the trigger and you have the temperature. Since it doesn’t contact food, there is no cleaning unless your hands are dirty or there is splatter.
Infrared thermometers are not a toy, While some people buy them to amuse their cat chasing the red point of light, the infrared laser beam should never be pointed at a person, pet, or aircraft. Severe eye damage, blindness, injury or death can occur.
Infrared Thermometer Warning
The Raytek MT6 also comes with a case you can clip onto a belt either vertically or horizontally. Mine is conveniently located in a kitchen drawer
Infrared Thermometer Case
You can also use an infrared thermometer to check room temperature, the output air temperature from an air conditioning or heating duct, outdoor grill temperature, refrigerator or freezer temperature. No waiting. Instant results.
Infrared thermometer prices range from $25 to over $100 USD. The Raytek MT6 is reasonably priced and has served me well for over two years. It operates on one 9 volt battery which I have yet to change.
For more information or to purchase a Raytek MT6 click on the Amazon link on the right.
Happy cooking and baking.