Pellet Fan

All Things Considered => General Discussion--Non food Related => Topic started by: Ralphie on July 10, 2020, 09:27:52 AM

Title: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Ralphie on July 10, 2020, 09:27:52 AM
I’d like to buy a thermometer to measure the temperature of my griddle surface.

Any recommendations?

I like thermoworks products in general but I’m open to ideas.

There will be a lot teppenyaki and cheesesteaks in my future. Here’s my new toy. It’s 24”x 24”.

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Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: yorkdude on July 10, 2020, 09:47:45 AM
That is slick, where did you get your hands on that?
I have somewhere puck style thermometers, not sure where I got them but they seem to work pretty good. You can probably google them if you are wanting something simple.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: BigDave83 on July 10, 2020, 09:55:08 AM
You could use something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSG-100-Surface-Thermometer/dp/B06XSJRSCZ/ref=sr_1_10?crid=25065ZTHVMIOC&dchild=1&keywords=surface+temperature+thermometer&qid=1594388712&sprefix=surface+temp%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-10

Or one of these. This looks like what I have but not the same brand.

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/ref=sr_1_9?crid=25065ZTHVMIOC&dchild=1&keywords=surface+temperature+thermometer&qid=1594388808&sprefix=surface+temp%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-9

Thermoworks no doubt has things similar, I just used Amazon for basic ideas.



Will you be using it on your stove as pictured? If so hope you have a great fan, that is my biggest complaint about a griddle  in the house is just the amount of grease and particles in the steam coming off of it. I have an electric I used a lot mostly winter months and hated doing bacon or sausages on it, Pancakes and even eggs were no so bad.

Can't wait to see some of the things you make. I use the outdoor gas griddle most of the time anymore if I want to griddle cook. Chop up some bacon and cook it off then remove and add a bag of coleslaw mix with some salt and pepper on to the griddle and cook it in the bacon juice then ad the bacon back in at the end.  Corn or fresh green beans are also good done the same way.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Bar-B-Lew on July 10, 2020, 09:56:14 AM
This is probably what would be best but is a bit expensive depending on how often you use it. 

https://www.thermoworks.com/IRK-2

My guess is once you figure out what you have your stove top set at and the temp on all parts of the griddle you will only need the griddle temp once or twice to confirm how hot you want to cook.  I wouldn't think you would need it every time you cook unless you keep messing with the stove top burner dials.  If you only need to use it a few times, you may want to look on Amazon for a less expensive model with decent ratings.  I bought one on there for < $25 about a year ago (Etekcity) when I got the hack griddle.  It looks to be about $35 right now.  Unfortunately, I have not used the hack griddle or the thermometer yet.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: BigDave83 on July 10, 2020, 10:07:05 AM
Got an email from thermoworks so I went there. I think if i was looking for a new thermometer this would be the one, it would do most of what we want in 1 tool.

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-IR
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: pmillen on July 10, 2020, 10:15:05 AM
I have the ThermoWorks IR "gun".  It could work for you, but I on't often use it 'cause I don't alway know the emissivity of the surface I'm measuring.  So I bought their surface temperature device.  It looks like a Thermapen, but it has a flat tip on the probe rather than a penetrating point.  It works like a charm.  (What else would you expect from ThermoWorks?)
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Bar-B-Lew on July 10, 2020, 10:18:41 AM
I have the ThermoWorks IR "gun".  It could work for you, but I on't often use it 'cause I don't alway know the emissivity of the surface I'm measuring.  So I bought their surface temperature device.  It looks like a Thermapen, but it has a flat tip on the probe rather than a penetrating point.  It works like a charm.  (What else would you expect from ThermoWorks?)

Yes, that seems like a great device for this application
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Bentley on July 10, 2020, 11:59:40 AM
The only reason I was going to suggest the IR-GUN-S is because of the adjustable emissivity.  It is not only material, but color of material that can make for an accurate reading, and that griddle is going to change color real quickly over the next couple of months.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Brushpopper on July 10, 2020, 12:29:18 PM
I have a cheap Harbor Freight laser thermometer my neighbor gave me that I use on my Blackstone.  Yours looks stainless and the laser won't work on the stainless lid of my Pitts & Spitts.  It has all kinds of crazy numbers when I try but works great on the painted surface of the pit and the Blackstone.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: bregent on July 10, 2020, 03:59:43 PM
I use something similar to this on my stainless griddle.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSG-100-Surface-Thermometer/dp/B06XSJRSCZ

IR Guns do NOT work well on stainless or light colored steel. Even if you adjust for emissivity, it can change drastically as Bentley mentioned due to staining.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Ralphie on July 11, 2020, 11:02:14 AM
Thank you for the guidance!  And sorry for starting this thread and leaving. Work and then family pulled me in a different direction at that moment.

I’ll ty to answer a few questions/comments from above.

The griddle is a “Vigor 23” x 23” Portable Steel Griddle” And I bought it online at webstaurantstore.  It is 7 gauge polished steel.  Certain to darken when used.

For exhaust, I’m all set with a 1,100 CFM (various settings in between) exhaust hood above the stove that vents to outside of the house. The baffle filters are dishwasher safe too.

The griddle fits nicely over 4 gas burners. I hope to learn how to regulate hot and warm spots.  I’ll read up on those thermometer guns and pucks.  Emissivity is something I hadn’t thought of.

 I’m going to attempt hibachi Japanese food this weekend.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: pmillen on July 11, 2020, 11:31:05 AM
You should be able to reproduce the many Teppanyaki recipes posted on the Internet.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Bentley on July 11, 2020, 11:49:47 AM
If you do the Teppenyaki cooking, please video tape the onion volcano.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Ralphie on July 11, 2020, 12:14:05 PM
Yes, the volcano!  What kind of fuel should I use for that?
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Bentley on July 11, 2020, 02:00:49 PM
I tried the vegetable oil like they said and it did not work well, although, I tried it outside, during the day, so it was hard to see.  I say oil & vodka!

Volcano Fail (https://youtu.be/1_ZaxGYTCn4)
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Osborn Cox on July 11, 2020, 06:42:50 PM
I have the Thermoworks infrared that Big Dave mentioned in his post, I bought it when my neighbor bought the pizza oven attachment for his Green Mountain so we could work on dialing in the temps.   I also used it with my black stone the first time few times I used it to get some ideas of what kind of temperatures I was getting at different settings.   Works great.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: pmillen on July 11, 2020, 11:14:12 PM
I have the Thermoworks infrared that Big Dave mentioned in his post, I bought it when my neighbor bought the pizza oven attachment for his Green Mountain so we could work on dialing in the temps.   I also used it with my black stone the first time few times I used it to get some ideas of what kind of temperatures I was getting at different settings.   Works great.

The thing is...We don't know that it works great.  We may not know the emissivity of the surface were measuring, we may not know how large the area is that's being measured (we may be including areas of different temperature and that we're not interested in) and we may not be holding the device at the proper angle to the surface.  If you want to determine the temperature of the surface of something...buy a surface temperature thermometer.

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This...

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or this.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Hank D Thoreau on July 12, 2020, 02:01:14 AM
I have been using the ThermoWorks Industrial IR. So far it works great on both my griddles and my GMG pizza over. I even use it in the kitchen now, especially to tell when the oil is hot enough to cook my corn tortillas for tacos. It may not be the cheapest but it is high quality, rugged and accurate. And keep in mind that you don't need to know griddle temperatures down to the degree.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: bregent on July 13, 2020, 08:08:59 PM
>The thing is...We don't know that it works great.  We may not know the emissivity of
> the surface were measuring, we may not know how large the area is that's being measured

Very true. I have several IR thermometers and I find that when measuring cast iron cookware, or our ScanPans, they are very accurate when compared with a surface thermometer.    When using it on the stainless griddle or anything shiny, they are useless - could be off by 50 degrees or more.
Title: Re: Griddle Thermometer Recs
Post by: Hank D Thoreau on July 14, 2020, 12:19:37 PM
The Industrial IR has an emissivity adjustment and guidelines on how to use it. So far, I have not had the need. The key is to learn your device.

If I get the temperature I want (right sizzle) and the device says 350, then I will keep using 350 for that surface.

Precision is key, more so than if 350 is really 380. If you have something that requires great accuracy then you probably need a different device, or you need to calibrate your emissivity.

When I am making pizzas I know that low 700's on the front of the stone gives me the right temperature.

You may want to check it if you are doing something sensitive like tempering chocolate.