Posted: January 14th, 2009 - 4:52am by Doug Powell

A reader asked, “Any recommendations on how to calibrate a digital tip thermometer for home use?”

So I turned to thermometer guru Pete Snyder of the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pete says:

The best way is to make a crushed/slush ice mixture of ice in a Wearing blender and put the tip of the thermometer in the middle of the ice and see what the thermometer reads.  If it reads between 30 to 34 F, it is calibrated and ready for use.  If it reads outside these limits, throw it away and buy a new one. 

Note, to get 32F, it has to be crushed ice.  If it is just packed ice cubes, it will probably not be any colder than 34F.  Don't use the boiling point of water. It is never 212 because of altitude and barometric pressure.