Thursday, November 29, 2007
Review: Oregon Scientific Wireless BBQ/Oven Thermometer
A probe thermometer - where the probe goes into the food and a wire leads out of the oven and connects to a display, showing the internal temperature - is a fabulous kitchen tool. It's the best way to make a roast. You don't need to guess at what time will provide the degree of cooking you want based on weight, some arbitrary temperature chart, and the amount of time the food has been out of the refrigerator. Oregon Scientific has taken the basic concept and done even better. The company sent one of its units for me to test, and I'm impressed.
The wireless version will let you monitor the food's internal temperature, in theory, up to 300 feet away. I only tried the wireless display maybe 100 or 125 feet away, but it was great. Instead of depending on hearing a beeper when the dish is done, you have the display unit with you. At first the display would not register the internal temperature, but on asking, I was told to remove the batteries from both the base transmitter and remote monitor units, and then to replace them, pressing the reset buttons, on the transmitter and receivers in order. That worked.
You choose the type of food, which brings up suggested times for your chosen degree of doneness, like rare or medium. If you like somewhat different temperatures for them, you can adjust things manually. There is a speaker that uses a voice generator that tells you what you're choosing. If you have vision problems, I could see how that would be useful, although I found it annoying. A belt clip lets you easily carry the receiver/monitor with you - good when you are entertaining company during the holidays. Also, bravo to the company for using a shielded cable from the probe, which would seem safer for dealing with the heat of an oven than the plastic-sheathed types you typically see on probe thermometers. On the balance, I can heartily recommend the unit, even if the voice does annoy.
The wireless version will let you monitor the food's internal temperature, in theory, up to 300 feet away. I only tried the wireless display maybe 100 or 125 feet away, but it was great. Instead of depending on hearing a beeper when the dish is done, you have the display unit with you. At first the display would not register the internal temperature, but on asking, I was told to remove the batteries from both the base transmitter and remote monitor units, and then to replace them, pressing the reset buttons, on the transmitter and receivers in order. That worked.
You choose the type of food, which brings up suggested times for your chosen degree of doneness, like rare or medium. If you like somewhat different temperatures for them, you can adjust things manually. There is a speaker that uses a voice generator that tells you what you're choosing. If you have vision problems, I could see how that would be useful, although I found it annoying. A belt clip lets you easily carry the receiver/monitor with you - good when you are entertaining company during the holidays. Also, bravo to the company for using a shielded cable from the probe, which would seem safer for dealing with the heat of an oven than the plastic-sheathed types you typically see on probe thermometers. On the balance, I can heartily recommend the unit, even if the voice does annoy.
