How to Measure Food Temperatures?
We all know that you need thermometers to ensure the quality of your food products during storage, transportation, or cooking. An inaccurate temperature measurement of your food products will increase the possibility of food bacteria growth and even affect the ability of your business to sell the product. These problems can be avoided by reducing common errors associated with the use of thermometers. This includes using the inappropriate thermometer for the wrong situation or even as simple as forgetting to calibrate your thermometers regularly.
In today’s article, we’ll be comparing two types of commonly used thermometers and provide tips on where you can apply them. The two kinds of thermometers that will be compared in this article will be Infra-Red Thermometers and Probe Thermometers.
Infra-Red Thermometer
Infrared Thermometers such as the Thermotrace Waterproof are thermometers that rely on Infrared radiation to generate digital temperature readings. The way they work is simple. The thermometers will require a lens to focus infra-red light from one object into a detector known as a thermopile. As the thermopile absorbs infrared radiation, it gains heat, which will be converted into electricity. The electricity will then be scaled into a digital temperature reading. Because of how they work, Infrared Thermometers require no contact between the thermometer and the object to be measured. This makes it useful for hard-to-reach and sensitive purposes. Also, they reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Therefore, such thermometers can be applied for measuring the temperature of plated foods, serving areas, or even in cold cargos. However, one point to note about the Infrared Thermometer is that it can only be used to obtain surface-level temperatures.
Probe Thermometer
The Probe Thermometer, such as the Waterproof Lollipop Min/Max Probe, is used to measure internal temperatures. The Probe Thermometer works on the scientific principle that different metals expand and contract at different temperatures. The rod of the thermometer contains two different metals, with one that will experience a quicker rate of expansion at a lower temperature than the other. The metal comes in contact with the object, and the heat causes the metal to twist according to the temperature. This will cause the dial to produce a readout on display. Thus, the Probe Thermometers are useful for measuring the internal temperature of thin mass food with fast and accurate results.
To Conclude
We have concluded that Infrared Thermometers are useful for measuring the temperatures of surfaces. They are suitable for storage and transport operations where there is a lot of hard-to-reach areas. On the contrary, Probe Thermometers are more applicable for measuring cooked food’s internal temperatures containing varying temperatures depending on the depth of measure.