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I kept saying that, by touch, the thing was done, but he insisted that because it's digital the thermometer is more accurate than my hand. The last time I used one, at a friend's house in North Carolina, the reading was so far off that we overcooked a roast by at least 10 degrees. One Polder unit I used was easily 15-degress off the mark when compared to a trusted analog thermometer. But it's just not a very good product - no cheap digital thermometer is.
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#Best kitchen timer cooks illustrated how to#
I think the Polder is a useful item if you get a feel for your particular unit and you know how to compensate for its deficiencies. If you're the type of person who has wifi and a notebook computer that hangs around in the kitchen area anyway, you can also use your computer as a timer with any number of freeware and shareware programs. Ever since I saw a chef sporting one, I've been considering this $20 unit from Technika ( ), which has multiple timers, a clip, and an extremely loud beep. The best source for timers, in my opinion, is the lab-equipment industry. A strong magnet, a removable neck lanyard, and a removable belt clip Adjustable tones and options for alert patterns during overtime A durable case, like what they make good notebook computers out of A dual display large enough to read if it's not around your neck A numeric keypad with keys arranged as on a normal numeric keypad, with sturdy tactile buttons I don't think anybody has actually managed to build an excellent dedicated kitchen timer.
#Best kitchen timer cooks illustrated professional#
That Polder unit is the best kitchen timer I've seen, and I've looked for good kitchen timers not only online and in the catalogs but also at the professional kitchen supply places in New York. And if I ever really need to have multiple timers, I can always use my oven timer or microwave timer. In all, it's a good little timer that does the job. I'd rather prefer to press Stop, then be able to automatically enter in a new time without pressing Clear. Also, it's a little irritating that I have to press Stop, then Clear, before I can type in new numbers. It's slightly difficult to hold (so I just leave mine on the refrigerator), and the readout is a little small. After the timer beeps, it continues to count up.Īs far as ergonomics goes, it's a little awkward to use. Since all the digits are easily accessible, it's very quick to type in times. I always felt timers that made you press the same button over and over again to enter in a time was a waste of time. It's loud enough that I can leave it downstairs and still hear it shrieking from upstairs.
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I kept missing the timer on my stove or microwave because they weren't quiet enough. I have exactly the same timer! I purchased it prior to the Cook's Illustrated review because I personally liked the following features: In the meantime, what's your kitchen timer? Digital or windup? Love it or hate it? I couldn't find the Polder locally, so I ordered it from Amazon. It also costs less than the West Bend did. I was stupidly trying to decide whether this was a deal-breaker, and then realized that if I like the timer, I can just get another one. The only downside is that it only has one timer. Also, it has a numeric keypad to enter the time (like on a microwave) rather than hour, minute, and second buttons. It come with a cord to wear it around your neck, and Amazon reviews allege that the beep is loud and the magnet clings to the fridge like a monkey. So I poked around a bit and found the the current hip timer these days seems to be this one: I would have bought another of the same, but (a) they don't seem to sell that model anymore, and (b) I wasn't in the mood to break out the superglue. This made the beep sound kind of funny (must have been tugging on the speaker) but at least it didn't fall off the fridge anymore. The only problem with it was the weak magnet, so I removed it and super-glued on a big magnet from the hardware store. It was a pretty good timer-big digits, loud beeps. Our recently deceased timer was the West Bend Clock/Double Timer, which was the Cook's Illustrated editor's choice last time they reviewed timers, which was 1996. Have we ever had a thread on timers before? Ours just died, and while I already chose a replacement, I figured a thread was in order anyway.