Wiki: Thermometers

Cheap Uncalibratable Kitchen Digital Thermometer - CheeseForum.org

Kitchen Meat Thermometer - CheeseForum.org
Kitchen Meat Thermometer - CheeseForum.org
This Wiki Article discusses thermometers used in making and ripening cheese. Thermometers are used continuously during making, forming, and aging cheese, depending on cheese type. Historically artisan cheese makers of old did not have thermometers, thus even while through repetition they knew how to recognize their curds and subsequent cheeses development, their results varied significantly. Today a wide range of commercially made low cost thermometers are available, but which ones are best and why? It depends on their use, and while selection is a personal choice, the following is a guide to help your selection. This article is divided into the following sections:

Cheese Making Thermometers – Minimum Requirements

  • Will measure in common ~0-50 C/30-125 F range within 1-2 degrees accuracy.
  • Will stabilize reading quickly.
  • Can be immersed in liquid (milk, curds, whey, and brine or vat water jacket if using one) to a reasonably deep depth to obtain a representative reading and have a visible readout above the fluid.
  • Can be easily cleaned.
  • Are robust, not fragile (ie not glass).
  • Can be easily calibrated.

Back to top

Kitchen Glass & Mercury Candy & Frying Thermometer - CheeseForum.org
Kitchen Glass & Mercury Candy & Frying Thermometer - CheeseForum.org

Cheese Making Thermometers – Not Recommended

  • Most standard kitchen cooking thermometers are not recommended as they do not measure cool enough or with optimal accuracy and sadly are often only initially factory calibrated. Examples are:
    • Analog meat cooking probe type thermometers which while robust, do not read accurately enough at cooler temperatures, are slow to stabilize, and if used on meat, hard to get clean enough for cheese making.
    • Kitchen candy & frying analog glass & mercury type thermometers as they do not read accurately enough at cooler temperatures, are slow to stabilize, often fragile, and normally need to be withdrawn from the milk to read the hard to read gauge.
  • Remote infrared reading thermometers as only read the surface temperature of liquid and are often not highly accurate. You can vigorously stir the liquid to get an average temperature but often you do not want to do that such as with milk that is forming a curd or has been freshly cut.

Back to top

Cheap Uncalibratable Kitchen Digital Thermometer - CheeseForum.org
Cheap Uncalibratable Kitchen Digital Thermometer - CheeseForum.org

Cheese Making Thermometers – Recommended

  • Kitchen type instant read digital thermometer if it has calibration function.
  • Can read low required temperature range accurately.
  • Has a long probe for reading middle of the milk in vat’s temperature.
  • Stabilizes it’s temperature reading in a few seconds.
  • Easy to read, has long lasting batteries, and has beneficial features such as switch to toggle between C and F (for use with different recipes), button to memorize/hold the last reading, and auto-power off to save batteries.
  • Note, expensive thermometers with remote from readout via a cable probes(s)and have high/low audible alarms are not required.

Back to top

Cheese Aging Thermometers – Minimum Requirements

  • Will measure in common 10-15 C/50-60 F range within 1-2 degrees accuracy.
  • Are robust, not fragile.
  • Can be easily calibrated.
  • Are not prone to rust as often in high humidity environments.
  • Can be easily calibrated.

Back to top

Cheese Aging Thermometers – Not Recommended

  • Standard semi-permanent metal oven type thermometers as cannot go low enough.
  • As high humidity, non-sealed ones whose sensor is made from corrodible material.

Back to top

Cheese Aging Thermometers – Recommended

  • Analog if can be calibrated.
  • Digital if can be calibrated.

Back to top

Tricks & Traps

  • Ensure you regularly calibrate your thermometer, this cannot be stated enough, it can be devastating that after several cheese making batches and months of aging it is found that the cause of problems was an uncalibrated cheap thermometer. Calibration methods are easily found on the internet.
  • Always have a backup, calibrated, as they do break and/or batteries can go dead.
  • If buying a digital one, choose one with standard size batteries and order spares (LR44 is standard watch battery size).
  • A clip on the thermometer so that it can see hands free on the side of your vat is useful.

Back to top

Wiki: Hygrometers

HTC-1 Brand Combination Digital Hygrometer, Thermometer, Alarm Clock - CheeseForum.org

Honeywell brand model TM005X digital Hygrometer - Thermometer with wireless remote sensor, different readings due to different response speed from opening fridge door to take picture. Note poor mat material selection and surface stress cracks on 1 lb cheese after rapid surface dehydration in very low humdity kitchen fridge - CheeseForum.org
Honeywell brand model TM005X digital Hygrometer - Thermometer with wireless remote sensor, different readings due to different response speed from opening fridge door to take picture. Note poor mat material selection and surface stress cracks on 1 lb cheese after rapid surface dehydration in very low humdity kitchen fridge - CheeseForum.org
This Wiki Article discusses Hygrometers which are used to measure humidity levels in air ranging from 0% to 100% relative humidity, abbreviated RH. This article is divided into the following sections:

Uses

  • Humdity is not an issue in coagulation or cheese forming stages or for fresh unaged cheeses but is a key parameter for the aging phase, for cheeses that are aged.
  • Most aged cheeses after air drying are are initially aged with a natural rind or partially sealed rind i.e. by oiling the rind and then either continued aging in that fashion or sealed with wax or vaccuum bags for longer term aging. During the natural or partially sealed aging, if the humidity is excessive, unwanted molds can result on cheese surfaces, conversely, too low a humidity can result in unwanted dehydration of the cheese. Extreme low humidity, for young moist cheeses, will rapidly dehydrate their surfaces resulting in surface cracks or fissures from the uneven dehydration of the cheese.
  • Thus accurate humidity levels are critical, old cheese makers can sense the aging environment’s humidity level based on experience, for new cheese makers it is recommended that a Hygrometer be used.

Back to top

Nexxtech Brand Digital Hygrometer-Thermometer With Wired Thermometer Only Remote - CheeseForum.org
Nexxtech Brand Digital Hygrometer-Thermometer With Wired Thermometer Only Remote - CheeseForum.org

Preferred Requirements

  • Small if small cave, to minimize space consumption.
  • Accurate at high humidity.
  • Does not corrode at very high humidities.
  • Includes a thermometer as temperature is another important parameter in the art of affinage.
  • Can be calibrated for both humidity and temperature.
  • Remote readout if small cave such as a small refigerators as opening the door to take a meausurement can result in rapid humidity and temperature changes before the hygrometer – thermometer stabilizes resulting an incorrect readings.

Back to top

Availability

Hygrometers are available from Cheese, Wine and beer making supply stores, hardware type stores, and large supply stores like Wal-Mart, Tesco’s, Amazon, or eBay. If buying in physical store (versus from webstore) and for digital units if working, compare units to choose the one with the average reading which is probably best initialy calibrated.

HTC-1 Brand Combination Digital Hygrometer, Thermometer, Alarm Clock - CheeseForum.org
HTC-1 Brand Combination Digital Hygrometer, Thermometer, Alarm Clock - CheeseForum.org

Back to top