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Thermometer use and calibration

There are several inexpensive types of thermometers available on the market today, including bi-metal probe and digital thermometers. Both types are capable of accurately recording internal temperatures of food products during the cooking process, however, one of the most important things is to insure that your thermometer is properly calibrated.

There are two ways to calibrate a thermometer: the freezing point method and the boiling point method. The freezing point method is conducted by immersing the thermometer in an ice slurry. The reading on the thermometer is checked against the known constant of 32F of the ice slurry. The boiling point method is conducted by placing the thermometer in boiling water.

The reading on the thermometer is checked against the known constant of 212F of the boiling water. With a bi-metal thermometer, it is easy to calibrate using the calibration nut to adjust the thermometer dial. However, digital thermometers usually cannot be calibrated at home and will require replacement.

Most importantly, use a thermometer to determine that foods are cooked to the safe internal temperature.