# I need a alarmed, count down thermometer.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 5, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967 "2010-04-05T01:45:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/1 "2010-04-05T01:45:18Z")
I know this may be weird, but I make yogurt and have to watch until the milk drops to a specific temperature, around 115 deg. I find myself getting more easily distracted lately and often I forget till too late. That’s my sad story. ☹
So, does anyone know where I can purchase a digital thermometer that will sound when the temp drops to a preset level?
Believe me, I’ve looked.
Thanks
mangeorge
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/2 "2010-04-05T01:53:04Z")
How much is it worth to you?
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/3 "2010-04-05T02:14:09Z")
you can inoculate the milk anytime after the temperature drops below 115F. it doesn’t matter if it goes lower, the culture will grow below that temperature just not as fast. inoculate at any temperature below 115F and then keep the temperature somewhere in the vicinity below 115F for a few hours. set any kind of timer for 30 minutes after heating is done and recheck at 15 minute intervals will be a fine procedure
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/4 "2010-04-05T02:39:49Z")
> [@johnpost](#):
>
> you can inoculate the milk anytime after the temperature drops below 115F. it doesn’t matter if it goes lower, the culture will grow below that temperature just not as fast. inoculate at any temperature below 115F and then keep the temperature somewhere in the vicinity below 115F for a few hours. set any kind of timer for 30 minutes after heating is done and recheck at 15 minute intervals will be a fine procedure
I use a Donvier because I can’t always watch it. I set it for 8 hours and stop it when I get up in the morning. If the milk gets cold it takes a long time for it to heat back up.
Thanks
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/5 "2010-04-05T02:41:39Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> How much is it worth to you?
Give ya a nickle.
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### Author:  [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/6 "2010-04-05T02:43:25Z")
I have a probe thermometer with a temp alarm you can set for any temp 32 on up to 300-something. It’s not this model but it’s the same brand.
[http://www.amazon.com/Tru-Temp-Digital-Thermometer-3518/dp/B000VK98UM](http://www.amazon.com/Tru-Temp-Digital-Thermometer-3518/dp/B000VK98UM)
Technically it’s for meat but it reads from liquids perfectly well (to test it I put the probe in boiling water).
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/7 "2010-04-05T02:51:17Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#):
>
> I have a probe thermometer with a temp alarm you can set for any temp 32 on up to 300-something. It’s not this model but it’s the same brand.
> [Amazon.com: Taylor TruTemp Digital Cooking Thermometer with Alarm : Home & Kitchen](http://www.amazon.com/Tru-Temp-Digital-Thermometer-3518/dp/B000VK98UM)
>
> Technically it’s for meat but it reads from liquids perfectly well (to test it I put the probe in boiling water).
I saw that one. It has a min/max button, but I couldn’t tell if it would alarm as the temp decreases to a setpoint.
I’ll check the user manual.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/8 "2010-04-05T03:08:10Z")
> [@mangeorge](#):
>
> Give ya a nickle.
That’s very generous, but the custom-handcrafted microcontroller-based digital sensor programmable thermometer I was going to make for you would be more like $250…
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/9 "2010-04-05T03:09:39Z")
[This one](http://www.chefsresource.com/cdn-combo-probe-thermometer-timer-clock.html) says it has upper and lower limits.
Good luck.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/10 "2010-04-05T03:14:56Z")
I had an alarmed thermometer once. I gave it some Xanax and it calmed right down.
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### Author:  [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/11 "2010-04-05T05:35:55Z")
> [@mangeorge](#):
>
> I know this may be weird, but I make yogurt and have to watch until the milk drops to a specific temperature, around 115 deg. I find myself getting more easily distracted lately and often I forget till too late. That’s my sad story. ☹
> So, does anyone know where I can purchase a digital thermometer that will sound when the temp drops to a preset level?
> Believe me, I’ve looked.
> Thanks
> mangeorge
Graingers
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### Author:  [@sharding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharding)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/12 "2010-04-05T05:38:52Z")
I have an old Polder probe thermometer that will do it. It doesn’t look like they make that exact model anymore, but I imagine the new ones will do the same thing.
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### Author:  [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/13 "2010-04-05T18:10:47Z")
Depending on how much you want to spend and the precision you need, you might find something suitable from a laboratory supply company, such as [VWR.com](http://VWR.com) or Fischer Scientific. Thermometers with alarms are used all the time in lab settings, and there are many different models available (mostly NIST traceable too, for that extra geeky accuracy in yogourt making!). A quick look at VWR gives me prices in the 40-70$ CDN range, but I didn’t really look at all the results.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/14 "2010-04-05T18:13:53Z")
> [@Rick](#):
>
> [This one](http://www.chefsresource.com/cdn-combo-probe-thermometer-timer-clock.html) says it has upper and lower limits.
> Good luck.
I use this one both for making yogurt (count down) and wort for beer (alarm for too cool or too hot), so it should be fine for the OP’s needs.
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### Author:  [@bink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bink)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/15 "2010-04-05T18:41:17Z")
I use [this Polder probe thermometer](http://www.amazon.com/Polder-Cooking-Thermometer-Timer-Clock/dp/B00004S4U0) for yogurt all the time. Set the high alarm to 180, when that goes off switch to the low alarm which is set at 115. E-Z. Works great for meat, too.
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/16 "2010-04-05T19:48:19Z")
Looks like either of those two will work. I’ll get whichever I find first.
Thanks
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### Author:  [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-alarmed-count-down-thermometer/534967/17 "2010-04-06T02:43:34Z")
Couldn’t find either one around here, then I remembered the [Sur la Table](http://www.surlatable.com/) store. They had one that looks like the one **Rick** linked to. It works great.
Good place for stuff you can’t easily find.
Thanks