With the TruTemp 3518 Digital Cooking Thermometer with Alarm by Taylor, you won't have to repeatedly open your oven door to check on the internal temperature of cooking food. That's because the included stainless steel probe on a 3.3-foot silicone cord detects the temperature of your food as it cooks. The display unit, which remains outside of the oven, shows you the temperature of your food as it cooks and sounds an alarm to let you know when the food is cooked to your exact preset temperature. You can select °F or °C by means of a switch on the back of the display unit, and you'll find the temperature digits in the display to be bold and quite large at 3/4 inch tall.

The 3518 has a temperature memory to let you know the maximum and minimum temperatures that the probe has reached during the current cooking session. To view these temperatures, you press the UP & MAX TEMP button or the DOWN & MIN TEMP button while the food is cooking. Pressing the button a second time returns the display to the current cooking temperature. (These two buttons are also used to set the alarm temperature, as explained in the instruction manual.) Pressing the SET ALARM button while the food is cooking displays the current alarm temperature setting. Pressing the SET ALARM button again returns to the temperature of the cooking food.

To clear the maximum or minimum temperatures in memory, select the maximum or minimum temperature. Then, while it is displayed, press the CLEAR/ALARM OFF button. When the alarm is sounding during cooking, pressing the CLEAR/ALARM OFF button turns off the alarm. If you do not do this, the alarm will sound for 1 minute and then turn off automatically.

While the metal probe can sense temperatures from -40° to +500°F (40°C to +260°C), the silicone cord must not be used in oven temperatures hotter than +392°F (+200°C). Also, this thermometer absolutely cannot be used for microwave ovens.

Conveniently included in the 3518's instruction manual is a list of minimum internal cooking temperatures as recommended by the USDA for a wide variety of meats and other foods.

The 3518 is powered by one AAA (1.5V) battery, which is included. The instructions recommend an alkaline battery, but the one that comes with the 3518 is actually a super heavy duty cell. When it needs replacement, use an alkaline battery. Normal battery life is about 1 year.

Both the mounting bracket and display unit of this cooking thermometer are white plastic. The display unit has light gray trim and sea-blue control pushbuttons. The 3518 comes with a 1-year factory warranty.

Specifications:

• Temperature measuring range of metal probe sensor:
  -40° to +500°F (40°C to +260°C)
• Maximum oven temperature for probe's silicone cord:
  +392°F (+200°C)
• Temperature resolution in display: 0.1°F/C
• Temperature alarm duration: 1 minute with auto-off unless manually turned off while sounding
• Power requirements: one AAA (1.5V) alkaline battery, with expected life of 1 year
• Main unit dimensions when vertically oriented for wall mounting:
  3-5/8 inches (92 mm) wide
  2-7/8 inches (73 mm) high
  7/8 inches (22 mm) deep
• Main unit height when bracket is placed on flat surface and display unit is pivoted up for viewing:
  about 2 inches (51 mm), depending on angle of display unit
• Probe cord length (not including probe itself):
  about 39 inches (1 meter)