Candy Thermometers

I realize this is not something I needed, but I really wanted one.  You know how it can take sugar up to an hour to get to temperature.  Well, I just don't feel like looking over a kettle that long; I wanted to get a wireless thermometer so I could walk away from the kettle and do other things.  After much searching and review reading, I decided to give the Oregon Scientific AW131 a try.

This little puppy has a transmitter range of 330 feet and a temperature range in excess of 550°F.  In reading the manual, it is programmable to specific temperatures, so I can set it to 310°F for hard crack candy stage and walk away, provided the transmitter remains active through the walls.  The main complaint about this unit, as with most other wired probe units, is how quickly the probe dies.  I did find a site, though, that specifically linked the probe problems to using the unit to monitor smoked meat.  Since I will be using the unit for candy making, I hope it will not experience the same problems.  The one obvious problem with using this for candy making is the absence of a kettle clip.  Therefore, I also bought the Taylor 5911N Classic Candy/Deep Fry thermometer.

This unit also has a 6-inch stem, just like the wireless thermometer, so I am hoping to use the clip from it with the wireless probe.  The Taylor is also NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved and dishwasher safe.  That way, I have a good backup in case something on the wireless does not work as planned.  I like the fact that it is all metal instead of having glass that can break with severe temperature shifts, but nothing in the documentation says this unit can be calibrated to proper temperature.  Also, complaints about this unit seem to center around the dial not being plumb, causing the needle to stick.

So, now I have ordered up two potentially faulty pieces of equipment to help me make candy.  I have to learn how to test sugar without needing a thermometer.  This is really something they should have included in candy making class at college.