If you still have the packaging coming with your thermometer, you might find the “oven-safe” label. If so, you won’t have to look elsewhere to check whether or not it is oven-safe. That is because most manufacturers usually like to brag about their oven-safe products.
However, you might not be that lucky while find out. In that case, follow a general rule of thumb, which is medical and instant-read thermometers are not oven safe. Hence, beware of putting such thermometers in the oven.
How Do I Know If a Thermometer is Oven Safe
Those thermometers that are oven safe have a label saying that they are oven-proof. Oven-safe thermometers can be dialed or digital. The dial ones work by coil action and come with a metal coil inside the skewer bit. When it comes in contact with heat, the coil expands and makes the dial move.
In contrast, the digital ones come with a probe attached to a transmitter. When you use a digital thermometer, you can get the temperature by inserting the probe into the food. However, you will have to keep the transmitter away from the heat source.
What Kind of Thermometer is Oven-safe
You will find several thermometers in the market, such as medical, baking, and meat thermometers. But all of them are not oven safe. Only a small handful of baking, cooking, and meat thermometers are oven safe. Generally, they are made of a stainless-steel mesh to make the thermometer oven safe.
You can use baking thermometers for baking bread, cake and pies. On top of that, baking thermometers can measure almost every dish you make.
Unfortunately, you cannot use your baking thermometer while you grill and stake meat. If you want to do so, you need a meat thermometer that is generally oven safe.
Can I Put a Thermometer in the Oven
Whether or not you can put a thermometer in the oven depends on which kind of thermometer you are using. You may find several thermometers in the market. But not all of them are heat resistant. So, you have to choose thermometers that can withstand high temperatures and are suitable for intense heat environments found while cooking grill, steak, and turkey.
These heat-resistant thermometers have an oven probe attached with a small transmitter. You can measure food temperature by inserting the probes into your dishes. And the transmitter lets you know the current temperature of that food by communicating with the probe.
But before starting cooking, make sure that your transmitter is away from the heat source. Only probe and probe wire are supposed to be inside the oven. As the cable and probe have a stainless-steel mesh build, it allows the thermometer to be safe inside the oven.
Can I Use a Meat Thermometer as an Oven Thermometer
Whether or not you can use a meat thermometer as an oven thermometer is a tricky question to answer.
You can use a meat thermometer as an oven thermometer while cooking a dish at a low temperature. Generally, a meat thermometer withstands 146 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you are cooking at less than that temperature, a meat thermometer can operate perfectly as an oven thermometer.
On the contrary, you cannot use a meat thermometer as an oven thermometer while baking. Because whereas meat requires 146 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit to cook, baking needs higher temperatures like 350 degrees Fahrenheit. As baking would raise the internal temperature of the cake a lot higher, a meat thermometer is not a practical choice for baking.
Frequently Asked Question
Can I use a medical thermometer for cooking?
Generally, a medical thermometer gets used for measuring human body temperature. Besides, it is not manufactured to read extremely high temperatures and is not suitable for staying in the oven while cooking. As most medical thermometers cannot withstand above 106 degrees Fahrenheit, it is better not to use them for cooking purposes.
Are instant-read thermometers oven-safe?
Most instant thermometers provide you with a reading within a few seconds, five to ten at max. Yet, none of them are oven safe. If you are willing to measure temperature with an instant-read thermometer, you need to pause your cooking and remove it briefly to take the reading.
Conclusion
Most of the thermometers mention whether it is ovenproof or not by saying what they intend to do. So, it won’t be wise to consider a medical thermometer as an oven thermometer. Similarly, instant-read thermometers are not suitable for ovens either. And although a meat thermometer is more capable, make sure you put the probe in the thickest part of the meat.
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