DeltaTrakessentials 11063 FlashCheck Jumbo Display Auto-Cal Needle Probe Thermometer

My old eyes are no longer able to see the numbers on the small dial thermometers I've used for food preparation for years. As a result, I've been having some trouble with yogurt-making, as the temperatures have to be pretty precise. My spouse works for a company that sells hot foods, and this is the brand (and almost the exact model) they use to test their wares to be sure they are safe for sale. I decided, if a company that passes health department inspections regularly likes this thermometer, I will, too. The first batch of yogurt with a thermometer that reads accurately and quickly (and has numbers I can actually see) came out perfectly. I'm glad I made this purchase and will be using the thermometer a lot in the future. Read more

An accurate thermometer is mandatory for anybody hoping to get that perfectly cooked steak - or even to make sure that chicken is actually cooked through. I've used a number of analog thermometers over the years, and finally gave up after my last one fogged up. They're generally slow to read (at least 15 seconds), and have a large measurement zone, which makes it hard to tell if that flank steak is actually overcooked, or you're just reading near the surface. This thermometer gets to a stable reading after about 5 seconds, which means you don't have to burn your skin off over the grill to check that steak. The large numbers are easy to read, although I wish it had an accelerometer in it to flip the temp over when you're reading "upside down". The tip is super thin, which means you don't leave big holes in your meat to leak out all those crucial juices. And the measurement zone seems to be only a couple mm long, which makes it easy to get readings at various depths in your meat. one hint: It comes calibrated from the factory. It's worth checking against a pot of boiling filtered water (should read 212F/100C on the dot at sea level) to doublecheck. If you do have to calibrate it, the ice water calibration works well - just make sure to use crushed ice and stir. been using it nearly daily for a month, and it's been solid - great for the price! Read more

The only way to get consistent cooking is by using the temperature method. I tried using thickness charts for years when BBQing with mixed results. And if you're not a professional cook, poking meat to determine its exact doneness is futile. But with the DeltaTRAK 11063 (about $20 from Amazon) you can hit it on the nose-every time. You'll never have to cut into the meat to see what point you're at and thereby lose juices. It will always be done perfectly the way you like it. I chose the DeltaTRAK over another brand that costs five times as much but only offers a one-second faster reading. My DeltaTRAK will read in about 2 seconds and that's fast enough. Its probe is needle-thin so you're not punching big holes into the food. It can also easily be calibrated if the need arises by placing it in ice and hitting the calibrate button (but this is not going to be required often, if at all). Can be set to read in either F or C and shuts off in 10-minutes to conserve battery power. It also has a button to hold the temperature reading which is handy if you have to reach to the back or corner of the grill or into an oven and can't see the display easily. The reading blinks to show you're on hold until you hit the hold button again. What's particularly nice is that it is a simple instrument with a large, easy-to-read display. There are no superfluous buttons or features as on some other thermometers that are difficult to set, confusing and unnecessary. I don't usually gush over a product, but this one has earned it. Read more

This is new to my tool box; but so far, it has been a breeze to use. Easy to calibrate, seems to hold calibration well, and seems accurate (I'm using an older analog thermometer along side to verify). It is pretty quick on the temperature reading, too; so that's a plus. Read more

I have mixed feelings about the DeltaTrak 11063. They work great. Very accurate. Fast. Easy to use. Easy to calibrate. Highly recommended... ...When they work. I have several of these in my USDA/State inspected butcher shop. I have had three go bad. Two of them went massively out of calibration and when I tried to calibrate they gave Err1. I know how to calibrate - that isn't the issue. A replacement worked briefly and then read nnn when turned on. So I set two of the bad ones aside in my office for a month. When I came back to them, they both worked. After much experimenting and discussion with the tech support it appears that the issue is that while thes are supposed to be water resistant they are not. Water vapor and cold conditions - both what you find in a butcher shop - can affect them negatively. Storing them outside the wet room in a dry location helps. That said, I thought that perhaps the first thermometer went bad because of employees not being careful enough. So only I used the next two that went bad. I _KNOW_ for certain they never got dunked or sprayed with water. So it is more likely the water vapor, humidity, and the cold which is getting to them. The company is VERY good about sending out a replacement. But it is kind of a bummer that the seal does not seem to be fully vapor/water tight. If they can get this resolved I would easily give this product five stars. In the mean time, keep them dry and store them in the office, not in the meat cutting room. Read more