The oldest cooking thermometers

If you’re looking to find antique cooking thermometers to start a collection, don’t start with digital ones. Best search for thermometers that use liquid for measuring temperature. These cooking thermometers resemble the older types of thermometers and barometers used to take body temperature or atmospheric temperature. They’re usually made of glass and use a liquid to fill the narrow chamber inside. This is why they are sometimes called liquid-filled or spirit-filled thermometers.

The liquid inside the glass could be a colored solution or it could be mercury, still commonly used for some analog thermometers today.

In old models of cooking thermometers, the glass unit is attached to a metal shield. The shield functions as a propping device, allowing the thermometer to be dipped into a pan and be supported so it can remain in a vertical position. This design is still prevalent today, apparently.

Disadvantages of antique cooking thermometer

Technology and the advancement of time have done a lot for improving the use of many devices, cooking thermometers included. For one, the materials used have become better and more reliable, making it possible for us to measure heat used for cooking at temperatures over 400 or even 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Older versions of cooking thermometers were just not equipped for that type of heat.

Furthermore, the glass that is used with antique cooking thermometers was not designed to withstand the heat. This is why if you attempt to use an antique cooking thermometer these days at temperatures over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, you might have a problem. Older glass used for antique cooking thermometers could shatter. This could present a problem of contamination in case the thermometer contained mercury, a toxic heavy metal.

Another disadvantage of antique cooking thermometers is that although they may be used to take internal temperature of food, they usually cannot go further than an inch or two. That means if you have a thick piece of ham or an especially large bird, you cannot rely on an old model cooking thermometer to gauge the temperature. Ironically, these types of thermometers also cannot work efficiently with thinly cut food.

Still another disadvantage of antique cooking thermometers is that the metal shield attached to the gauge in some models can absorb heat. This can increase the ambient temperature that the thermometer is designed to take, giving off a false reading. You could be reading a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit when the actual reading is really just 95 degrees.

Lastly, antique cooking thermometers cannot be re-calibrated. If it has lost its accuracy, then it cannot be relied upon to give the correct readings. If you have several old cooking thermometers around, best keep them as souvenirs or as part of a collection.

Can you still use an antique cooking thermometer?

If you’re lucky enough to come across a well-cared for unit that has managed to maintain its accuracy over the years, then there’s probably no reason why you can’t use it. Just do so with the utmost care as you could be losing a priceless heirloom.