Sterilizing - Questions!

[Mary Ruth]

Hi.  This is gonna sound like a dumb question I think....how do you guys sterilize your thermometers?

Do you do the bleach method?   Any advice is always appreciated.

Thanks!

[wharris]

I would first clean any visible food particles from the thermometer,  then I would get some Star San.

This is a foaming sanitizer that I think we all agree works very well  In order for this to work, the thermometer must be in contact with the sanitizer for about 3 min.

What I do, is before and after each batch, i take a 5 gallon bucket and create a about 5 gallons of this and soak all of my tools in it.  Including my thermometers.

[chilipepper]

I very much agree with Wayne.  Since I am using the same thermometer for measuring water bath temp and milk temp, I keep a small container of the sanitizer on the counter.  Each time I use it for one of those tasks I rinse it off then soak it again for at least 3 minutes in the sanitizer.  In the future I hope to be set up so that I can have one thermometer for each and that would eliminate that back and forth sanitization routine.  With bleach you'd have to be a little careful as you will need to make sure all the bleach is rinsed off well before using it in the milk.  Hope that helps.

[Cheese Head]

Sadly I follow poor hygene .

I wash everything at the end of each batch, either in the dishwasher or by hand. During I just rinse my digital thermometer under the tap.

[Mary Ruth]

Star San,  OK!  See, I would have never heard of that.  Thanks guys and thanks for the link Wayne, gonna order some today.

Mary Ruth