Good gift for a friend: infrared thermometer?

[gravenewworld]

I was thinking about getting my friend one for his bday. Does anyone play around with these? I was thinking he could use it to perfectly cook meats on the grill or test the temperature of a pan to make pancakes, etc. Are they really useful or just overkill that people never end up using if they don't do work like HVAC?

 

[russ_watters]

I started using them for HVAC work several years ago and bought myself one for home use a year ago. It's great if you're a nerd like me, but you know the person's personality, not me...

 

[leroyjenkens]

Any gift is a good gift for a friend. My friends don't get me squat on my birthday; of course, they have no money, either.

 

[turbo]

You can get a corded digital thermometer for a little over $10. That's a good gift for someone who likes to grill steaks and (especially) poultry. An IR thermometer isn't much good around a grill because to test for doneness you have to probe the interior of the meat, away from any embedded bone. My wife picked one up at WalMart. the probe is removable and completely washable, and the insulation on the cord is tough enough to stand temperatures under the grill hood, so I can leave the hood down and monitor the temperature of a piece of meat while it is cooking.

 

[lisab]

I was thinking about getting my friend one for his bday. Does anyone play around with these? I was thinking he could use it to perfectly cook meats on the grill or test the temperature of a pan to make pancakes, etc. Are they really useful or just overkill that people never end up using if they don't do work like HVAC?

It would be great if your buddy is one of those kinds of people who is always thinking to himself, "I wonder what the surface temperature of that thing is."

Turbo is right, the surface temp of grilled meat doesn't tell you how cooked the inside is.

 

[Andre]

My thermometer for a pan for frying meat is a tiny piece of onion, and for pancakes, a drop of batter, if it starts to sizzle, the temperature is right.

 

[Redbelly98]

I started using them for HVAC work several years ago and bought myself one for home use a year ago. It's great if you're a nerd like me, but you know the person's personality, not me...

Does it measure room temperature objects, or is it strictly for elevated (oven or heating duct) temperatures? I'm wondering if it could identify cold areas / heat leaks in walls or floors around the home.

 

[russ_watters]

Does it measure room temperature objects, or is it strictly for elevated (oven or heating duct) temperatures? I'm wondering if it could identify cold areas / heat leaks in walls or floors around the home.

I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O80B5M/?tag=pfamazon01-20

$55 and it does -30 to 500C

 

[Redbelly98]

I like that the sensor range is 7-18 microns, so you can get a reading from a pane of glass (opaque above 3 or so microns). Of course, this means getting an oven temp requires opening the door first.

This might be my next birthday present. Thanks Russ.

More detailed specs:
http://support.fluke.com/raytek-sales/download/asset/mt_bro_1-1101_revf.pdf