ProAccurate Thermometer
by Component Design
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Our Price: $19.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of ProAccurate Thermometer
Customer Review: A Must-Have for Every Kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
Every kitchen should have a digital thermometer and every cook should use one. Not only is it a must for determining if poultry and meat is done, it is handy for telling if those leftovers in the microwave are hot. It is also a must-have if you make your own yogurt. Too many other uses to list here.
Cooks Illustrated got it right! If you don't have the money for a Thermapen then this is the one to get. I've had this model for at least 5 years after trying several other digital models. My biggest gripes about those were slow response time and narrow temp range.
The CDN DTQ450 has a wide temperature range, responds quickly, has a "temp hold" feature (lacking on the Thermapen), and has large easy to read numbers. The sleeve can be used as a handle...handy when taking the temperature of boiling liquid. It also shuts itself off after a couple of minutes to save the battery. I saw a complaints about the small buttons, but I have big "ham hands" and don't have a problem with the size if the buttons.
No, you can't put it in a turkey or roast and put it in the oven, but they make Probe Thermometers for that. And no, you can't put it in the dishwasher, but why would you want to? It just wipes clean.
This will be the best 18 bucks you can spend on the kitchen. I highly recommend this thermometer.
Customer Review: Nice meat thermometer
Summary: 5 Stars
Update:
My Proaccurate (DTQ450) thermometer started to give me problems. I would stick it in the meat and it would intermittently just show ---- dashes. This was very frustrating. I called CDN and spoke to Judy and they said that this sometimes happens if you chip the red paint on the end. I was not aware that this was that easily damaged. After speaking with Judy, I asked if they would exchange it for a more durable model. No problem, they recommended the q2-450x as more durable but it has a different shape and would not read quite as fast, maybe a few seconds slower. Note the "x" at the end of the pn, that is the one without the delicate paint. Got the new one, and I like the different shape OK but indeed it is a few seconds slower. Not a problem for me, it works just fine. While I am not happy that I had problems with the original thermometer, I was very impressed with how quickly CDN fixed it. It was a little rough without the thermometer for a week, but now we are back to perfectly cooked meat!
Original comment:
I wasn't the type to use a thermometer when grilling.....always just guessed by time and by how it looked on the outside. I was pretty good at it but is was still hit and miss. With this little device, you get the meat just how you like it. Great to ensure chops are not overcooked and tough. Gives the temp within seconds, I love it, wouldn't grill without it.
Customer Review: Fast, accurate and affordable
Summary: 5 Stars
I was in the market for a digital thermometer to replace my old cheap analog, and did some comparison browsing. It seems like there won't be a huge difference between models, so it mainly boils down to price and recommendations.
This "CDN Proaccurate Stainless Digital Thermometer" and the Thermapen were the names that came up the most often. Lots of people championed the cause of both models, but the CDN Proaccurate came with recommendations from both Cook's Illustrated and The America's Test Kitchen. It was also about a third of the price. So that is what I went with.
I have been pleased with my choice, and the CDN Proaccurate has performed exactly as promised. It is accurate, fast, easy to use and reliable. I have used it for temperatures ranging from frozen cocktails to getting yeast started for bread making to hot oil for deep-frying. Every time it has done the job without fail.
So you can spend a lot more and get a digital thermometer that doesn't perform any better, but does anyone really want to do that? Go with the CDN Proaccurate! You won't be disappointed.
Customer Review: Trusted Kitchen Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great product which has served me well for more than a year with no flaws. I don't treat it with an excess of care, either, but it doesn't seem to mind. It seems to be sturdily built. I've not had to replace the battery yet. I have given several as gifts.
I've found a variety of uses beyond the normal "is this chicken done?" test. For example-- my reheated lasagna is hot on the surface-- is it hot in the middle? Is the water I'm heating for my Aeropress (coffee maker) too hot? How close is the pasta water to boiling? Has my bread dough reached the recommended proofing temperature of 77-81 degrees?
This tool is so fun to use that you'll find new things to do with thermometers in your kitchen.
Update, Dec 2009: Three+ years on and this thermometer continues to work flawlessly. I have not yet needed to replace the battery! This is a great deal and one of the best gifts you can get an aspiring cook. I've also had good luck with this probe thermometer: Polder Classic Cooking Thermometer/Timer, Graphite which is excellent for telling when a roast has hit medium rare, and then when it has rested long enough to slice.
Customer Review: Fantastic product, but don't trust the chart on the probe cover
Summary: 5 Stars
Reads in about 5 seconds
very shallow read (good for reading small things) maybe 1/2"
nice 5" probe
auto-off after 10 minutes (I can't tell you how many times I've pulled my old Taylor out of the drawer and found it turned on)
easy to change batteries
can be recalibrated
waterproof
can hold temp or review max
seems extremely accurate (I've tested the boiling point on some known things and it seems within .5 degrees or so.)
All in all I'd say it's a perfect thermometer. You could get a Taylor 9840 at Walmart for half this price, but you would be sitting for 20-30 seconds waiting on it to read (and it's not waterproof, doesn't turn off, and you have to take it apart to change the battery). A Thermapen would be better (I trust, I haven't ever actually used one), but you're going to pay $90 for it.
My only complaint is that it has a chart on the probe cover of cooking temperatures of various things, which would be fantastic except that it's taken from USDA guidelines, which disagree with reality. I've never met anyone who considers a 160 degree F steak to be "medium"...