Everyone,

I was at a friend's house and was helping in the kitchen. We were
making a roast for dinner, but they didn't have a meat thermometer,
only a candy thermometer. Can a candy thermometer be used in a roast/
other meat cuts?

I'm guessing they work in the same way, so they should be
interchangeable, but I don't know. It seems that if they can be
interchanged, they would be sold that way. So does anybody out there
know instead of my guess?

TIA,

Ken

Ken wrote:
> Everyone,
>
> I was at a friend's house and was helping in the kitchen. We were
> making a roast for dinner, but they didn't have a meat thermometer,
> only a candy thermometer. Can a candy thermometer be used in a roast/
> other meat cuts?
>
> I'm guessing they work in the same way, so they should be
> interchangeable, but I don't know. It seems that if they can be
> interchanged, they would be sold that way. So does anybody out there
> know instead of my guess?
>
> TIA,
>
> Ken

I've never seen a candy thermometer that wasn't made of glass. Granted,
it's been a long time since I made candy but mine is a candy/deep fry
thermometer; it certainly wouldn't work for meat. Why not just run out and
buy one of those metal skewer type meat thermometers; even a drug store
(like Walgreen's) has a small kitchen section? They only cost a couple of
bucks.

Jill

On Aug 3, 3:18 pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> Ken wrote:
Can a candy thermometer be used in a roast/
> > other meat cuts?
>
> > I'm guessing they work in the same way, so they should >>be interchangeable, but I don't know. It seems that if >>they can be interchanged, they would be sold that >>way. So does anybody out there
> > know instead of my guess?
>
> > TIA,
>
> > Ken
>
> I've never seen a candy thermometer that wasn't made of glass. Granted, it's been a long time since I made candy >but mine is a candy/deep fry thermometer; it certainly >wouldn't work for meat. Why not just run out and
> buy one of those metal skewer type meat thermometers; >even a drug store (like Walgreen's) has a small kitchen section? They only cost a couple of
> bucks.
>
> Jill- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Jill,

This thermometer looks just like a regular meat thermometer with a
pointed metal tube that goes into the pot. It has a sharp point like
it should be used to go into meat, but it's a candy thermometer.

You're right, a meat thermometer costs all of $4 or $5 American. This
is more a curiosity question.

Thanks,

Ken

On Aug 3, 4:22 pm, Steve Wertz > wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:28:22 -0700, Ken wrote:
> > This thermometer looks just like a regular meat thermometer with a
> > pointed metal tube that goes into the pot. It has a sharp point like
> > it should be used to go into meat, but it's a candy thermometer.
>
> > You're right, a meat thermometer costs all of $4 or $5 American. This
> > is more a curiosity question.
>
> Sounds just like a meat thermometer. It should work the same.
> Or better yet, just use a meat thermometer for your candy - which
> is what I do. I use the electronic Polder/Taylor probe
> thermometers.
>
> Do you recall what brand it was?
>
> -sw

I phoned over there and it's a Pyrex. It looks like a meat
thermometer, but it says candy thermometer right on the face. It
doesn't list any of the usual candy temps, it's just degrees.

Ken

Ken Pinhead wrote:
>
> I phoned over there and it's a Pyrex. It looks like a meat
> thermometer, but it says candy thermometer right on the face. It
> doesn't list any of the usual candy temps,

Well of course, candy temps are substantially higher than meat
temps... often a candy/deep fry thermometer are combined... but meat
thermometers are typically stand alone, however some are combined with
a yeast thermometer.

> it's just degrees.

Probably a rectal thermometer.

Sheldon Celsius

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Ken wrote:
>> Everyone,
>>
>> I was at a friend's house and was helping in the kitchen. We were
>> making a roast for dinner, but they didn't have a meat thermometer,
>> only a candy thermometer. Can a candy thermometer be used in a roast/
>> other meat cuts?
>>
>> I'm guessing they work in the same way, so they should be
>> interchangeable, but I don't know. It seems that if they can be
>> interchanged, they would be sold that way. So does anybody out there
>> know instead of my guess?
>>
>> TIA,
>>
>> Ken
>
> I've never seen a candy thermometer that wasn't made of glass. Granted,
> it's been a long time since I made candy but mine is a candy/deep fry
> thermometer; it certainly wouldn't work for meat. Why not just run out
> and
> buy one of those metal skewer type meat thermometers; even a drug store
> (like Walgreen's) has a small kitchen section? They only cost a couple of
> bucks.
>
> Jill
>
>

You lead a very sheltered life. You should get out more.

Marie Lauder wrote:
> On Fri, 3 Aug 2007 18:18:33 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Why not just run out and
>> buy one of those metal skewer type meat thermometers; even a drug
>> store (like Walgreen's) has a small kitchen section? They only cost
>> a couple of bucks.
>
> Because most dial-type meat thermometers only go up to 200F.
> Candy needs to go up to 350F.
>
> -sw

Candy thermometers go up to 400F. That's the hard candy stage. Obviously
you've never made peanut brittle before. I'm also guessing you've never
made fudge or other soft-ball stage candies. So, bite on something chewing
like chewy peanut brittle. Or try burnt beyond reconition peanut brittle
because someone didn't have the correct candy thermometer <G>

And no, you can't use a candy thermometer for a meat thermometer.

Jill

Marie Lauder wrote:
> On Sat, 4 Aug 2007 10:03:18 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> Marie Lauder wrote:
>>> On Fri, 3 Aug 2007 18:18:33 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>> Why not just run out and
>>>> buy one of those metal skewer type meat thermometers; even a drug
>>>> store (like Walgreen's) has a small kitchen section? They only
>>>> cost a couple of bucks.
>>>
>>> Because most dial-type meat thermometers only go up to 200F.
>>> Candy needs to go up to 350F.
>>
>> Candy thermometers go up to 400F. That's the hard candy stage.
>> Obviously you've never made peanut brittle before. I'm also
>> guessing you've never made fudge or other soft-ball stage candies.
>
> You're just a wealth of misinformation, as is so often your usual
> style.
>
> http://whatscookingamerica.net/Candy/candytemp.htm
>
> As you can see, the Hard Crack stage (not "hard candy") is about
> 305F, not 400F.
>
> Now who's the one who's never made candy before?
>
>> And no, you can't use a candy thermometer for a meat thermometer.
>
> You're right, that's not what I said. I said you can use a meat
> thermometer (specifically, Polder or Taylor electronic probe
> thermometers) as a candy thermometer.
>
> Now run along and bake a three-tier white cake with pink frosting
> for us. And some Thai curry for lunch.
>
> -sw

You've never tasted my peanut brittle, which is buttery and brittle and
delicious. I dare you to email me your real address and let me make some
for you. Then you'll have to eat your words.

BTW. Christy's the one making the stupid three tier cake with pink
frosting.

In article >,
Marie Lauder > wrote:


> for us. And some Thai curry for lunch.


Do you use a candy thermometer or a meat thermometer to figure out how
hot it is? I've never seen Scoville units on either.

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:


> It sounds like a marketing thing. They want you to buy two of
> them that do the exact same thing.
>
> Some meat thermometers will only go p to 250F or so. The Polder
> and Taylor electronic probe thermometers all go up to 396F, so
> are suitable for most everything (oil, candy, meat, etc...)
>
> I haven't bought a dial-thermometer for decades - since I
> discovered the probe therms.


Back in the bad old days, you had to buy two, because the meat
thermometer wouldn't register high enough for candy, and the candy/deep
fry thermometer wouldn't register low enough for meat.

Ken > wrote:

> I was at a friend's house and was helping in the kitchen. We were
> making a roast for dinner, but they didn't have a meat thermometer,
> only a candy thermometer. Can a candy thermometer be used in a roast/
> other meat cuts?

If the "candy" thermometer has calibrated marks low enough, sure.
"Meat" themometers generally top out around 250F. "Candy" thermometers
top out in the 450F to 550F range, assuming a bulb or dial type.
The only problem might be in getting very precise readings because
the larger range means the scale is relatively compressed.
Electronic types generally have a limit around 400F but that is
mostly a limit of the probe.

I ran into this situation in the opposite direction over the weekend
when I was doing some deep frying and my wife kept finding meat
themometers which had a top temperature 100 degrees too low. The
candy thermometers worked fine.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.