Talking Temps

Every commercial food operation will often have multiple food temp measuring devices. This is crucial in keeping food within the safe temperature zones throughout the flow of preparing and serving. In order to know what measuring devices are needed in your food business, it's best to answer a few questions. This will ensure you invest in the correct devices for your specific application needs.

What will you be taking the temperatures of? And how often? Do you have a HACCP* compliance plan which needs to be met and recorded?

Bi-Metallic stemmed thermometers: Easy to use, and a very economical choice. Ideal to keep tabs on the internal temps of thicker foods such as casseroles, roast and potatoes. The thermometer is placed in the center of the food up to the stem's dimple, usually about 2 inches. We suggest to always follow manufacturer's instruction for a proper read.

Thermocouples and thermistors: These are often used with burgers and wings. Temps are measured at the tip of a probe and result in an accurate temp even in thinner products. These probe type tools come in a variety of style including immersion versions for soups and liquids and penetration probes for checking internal temps

Infrared thermometers: Also referred to as laser, actually do not touch the surface that is getting measured, resulting in the less likelihood of contamination. They however, cannot measure internal temperatures at all, nor can they be used through glass windows or doors.

Candy thermometers are very application specific and do require a shatterproof casing.

The answer to the how often question will determine if a single thermometer is needed for a single task or if you need a series of thermometers for checking foods in different parts of the process. In many instances multiple devices are used by different staff members, each having different needs.

For Commercial Food Thermometers, please visit our Food Safety category. Need help to research what you need or have questions, please call us and we can help.

* HACCP stands for the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. Often a great guide for continuous monitoring product, keeping it safe.