"thermometer" news and stories

If anyone has tried to make chocolate at home, you know that it can be a little tricky, especially if you're not familiar with it. The secret to getting the chocolate to work out is to get the temperatures right. First melting it to 115F, then cooling it to it's working temperature (which depends on the type of chocolate used). Using a regular thermometer, or even a candy thermometer, can be hairy.

Well now you can try a thermometer specifically for chocolate. Courtesy of Sur La Table, this one is a combination spatula and thermometer with handy chocolate reference material right on the handle. This will make getting temperatures right that much easier, since now you can stir to get the reading.

I know, it seems like a uni-tasker (for all you Alton Brown fans out there). But I can see this having other uses. You could use it for cooking custards, for instance. If you give me a minute, I might be able to come up with some more. Any way you look at it, this device can help you out. It definitely takes a lot of the guess work out of chocolate, and that makes it all worth it.

[Via Baking Bites]

The one thing I hate about making candy is having to bend down to try to get a good reading from my candy thermometer. It's not the bending that bothers me, but the fact that I sometimes have to get my face rather close to an extremely hot, bubbling mass of sugar. It's hard enough to get a good reading on a traditional thermometer, trying to angle it in just such a way that you can approximate the temperature, and when you consider the fact that there is usually steam coming out of the pan and fogging the tube, it can be impossible. Unfortunately, more than one batch of fudge has been ruined by inaccurate temperature reading.

The Baker's Catalogue now stocks a digital candy thermometer that takes a precise reading in seconds. You don't have to get close to the sugar and you don't have to squint through fog, either. You can even program it to "beep" when the mixture reaches the desired temperature, or you can have the alarm sound at seven pre-programmed candy stages! It sounds perfect for anyone who wants to try their hand at making candy at home - especially beginners who aren't as confident about hitting their target temperature.

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