How to Calibrate Dial Probe Thermometers [Video]

Cooking and food thermometers are some of the most widely used and important tools in the kitchen. Almost every chef carries at least one, of some kind or another, and when used properly, they can ensure that food is cooked perfectly every time. However, it is important to check the accuracy of your thermometer, and re-calibrate it when necessary. In this video, learn how to calibrate a common dial probe thermometer!

Before taking action from the content or resources published here, we request that you visit and review our terms of use.

Transcript:

Here’s how you calibrate your probe thermometer. First things first, you’re going to want to get a cup or glass of ice water. Key point to this glass of ice water is you don’t want the ice floating. You just want to fill the glass with ice and let water fill up to fill in the cracks. From there, we’re going to remove our thermometer from its sheath. It has a nice little holding hole. From there, we can go ahead and drop our thermometer in. Try to get it so that way it sits in the center, doesn’t come in any contact with glass. Go down to the bottom and come up just a little bit. Nice thing about these thermometers is you can hang it on the end right there.

Right now we see 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but we also know that ice water is 32 degrees. So basically, what we need to do is decrease and calibrate this thermometer down 8 degrees. What we’re going to do is take this out. If you notice the bottom of your thermometer has a little nut. You also notice the top of the case is just like the wrench for that nut. So, go ahead and drop this back down into your casing. From there, you can take your reading. You see it’s at 70 degrees right now. We need to go down approximately 8 degrees. Give it a little twist.

See how we got that needle there? By twisting, it should be pretty tight. Take it out, and let’s check it again. It should be stopping about one tick above that 30 triangle.

I’m Chris Tavano for Tundra Restaurant Supply, and that’s how to calibrate your thermometers.