Thermometers!!!

I've never had a problem pulping produce with the old style poker thermometers.

Does this new one you speak of actually read the core temp of say a head of lettuce? I'm thinking not. Probably just gives you the temp of the outside of the product.

 

Howdy, and back atcha Luke

First question - I'm not sure of your background of hauling produce...but, whatever the outer temp of say lettuce may read, does not necessarily mean that the core of that product is the same. Example - The packing house/farm picks it from the field and immediately packs/boxes it and puts it in their cooler. Then you show up and back in and they load you right away (grinning here LOL)....anyway, they now run a skid or 2 in and you laser temp it and it reads out a perfect 35 degrees, when in fact the product is about 70 degrees in the core (middle).......but you think it's okay, shut the doors and hit the road only to find your reefer running high speed in defrost, which is not maintaining the desired temp at this point. Had you gotten a true pulp temp, you'd have made note of this temp on the bills so to CYA. Again, let me say here that I do not know if that digital laser temp reader thing you are asking about can actually get a core temp, but I doubt it.

Second question - Mine is a "NSP Good cook"....at least that is what it says on it. The round guage face is maybe 1 inch in diameter max, and the "poker" part is about 3-4 inches long. I have no doubt whatsoever that is accurate to within a couple degrees. I bought this thing a few years ago at a local grocery store and paid something like $10 of so. The one I had before this, I bought about 15 years ago, same brand (I think, but cant remember - looks the same) at the same store, for probaly about the same price (again, can't remember as it's been a long time, but you get the idea)

Third question - I have doubts there's anything out there not made in China or somewhere else that typicaly turns out a low quality product. But I agree with ya on seeking something worth the money that is made here in North America.

Lastly, I must say again that I'm not all that privy with these laser type thermometers, but I have seen recievers that I deliver to use them on cheese that I KNOW is about 35 degrees, only to see the readout say 40-50 degrees, which I believe is the true temp of the outside of the box which was 35 degrees, before I opened my doors in the 90 degree Florida heat and backed in to their somewhat refridgerated dock. When I see their readout from their laser temp gizmos state "45-50" degrees on a product I have had on my trailer for days at 35, it tells me that these laser readers cant possibly be reading the true core temp, and I think these recievers who accept the goods that showed "45-50" know the same thing. In other words, if they see the outside of the box is 45, then deep down inside, they know the product is 35 or thereabouts.

Hey good luck. Hope this helps

 

yep the laser ones only check surface temp

Fluke is a good brand (top of the line)

They also make Multi-Meters that with the right probes will read temps.

But for what you guys are after that would be over kill unless you do alot of Voltage and resistance checks to.

 

Back in another career - I used to be an electrical engineer.

Used John Fluke products all the time - an excellent brand name. They make a temperature probe product that can be used with a multimeter. Extremely accurate and produces repeatable readings. Agree with Winchester Magnum... you really want a probe that you can get into a case of produce. A surface temperature on a packing case really doesn't tell you anything.

To calibrate any device, you really need two known points on the devices' response to do it properly, but as they say, "good 'nuff fer gubbermint work" - one will do. Easiest temperature point to recreate is the freezing point of water. Ice in water will do just fine... as long as there is ice floating in it, it will be at 32 degrees. Best to use a styrofoam cup... less thermal gradient than glass or plastic.

 

We've got one of those here in the lab at work. I played around with it once, just to see what it would do. I personally don't think they're as accurate as they claim to be, however, I've never tested it against another thermometer to back this assertation up.
Have you considered calibrating the one you got? In the concrete industry we recalibrate them once a year.
This reminds me..... I need to get another one for one of the plants. It fell out of my pocket and someone ran over it.

 

Hi guys,

I know this is a really old thread, but it's relevant to my questions.

My brother is a trucker and transports mostly refrigerated produce. He's been using the "oldschool" poker type thermometer, and as far as I know he's never had a problem with it. However, he's been to a few warehouses and has witnessed workers measuring the produce prior to loading with an infrared thermometer and has been fixated on the notion of using one day to day vs. his old poker. Since then we've had issues agreeing on what kind of thermometer he should use and I've come here to try and find a definitive answer to this question.
I've gone through two rather standard models each valued at around $150 CDN. Both have been extremely inaccurate likely due to the changes in environmental temperature, or due to emissivity variances. This has led me to conclude that this type of instrument is not useful for his purposes. However, my brother would still like to upgrade to something more high tech, so I've come to the experts.

Are there any models that are reliable, accurate, and don't require much fuss or calibration. Or should he stick to his poker? I've also seen many digital poker type thermometers but those seem overly complex for his purposes as well.

I am really trying to help my brother out, and really don't have the information required to make an educated decision since I am not a trucker. So, I would really appreciate any advice you guys can give me. I realize that there is already some very good info on this page (thank you Winchester Magnum), but this thread is a year old and I'm wondering if there's been a change of opinion or technology.

Thanks for your time,
-Alex