How do you know when you polder goes bad?

RRP

Last night I fixed my first prime rib/bone in and was shooting for 140 internal at 500 dome to be medium rare. After an hour the internal only had gotten to 134 so I took it off thinking I'd nuke it if necessay. Well, it was well done...8^( Has my unit gone bad?
Tonight I've already got Mr Toad's wonderful pork loin all fixed and wrapped in smoked bacon strips...what a BEAUTIFUL thing...and I don't want to risk losing another meal. As a rule of thumb if I've got a 300 dome how long should a small 2 pounder pork loin take? Thanks in advance. RRP

Gfw

RRP, if you had the probe in a 500 degree grill my guess is that it is GONE - anytime the dome is over 350-375 degrees, you should have a replacement probe available. [p]You can check the probe using the same method that you use to calibrate the dome thermometer. Check the FAQ on my web site.

Tim M

<p />RRP,[p]You fried it as soon as you went past 350-375. I always wrap my cable in tin foil to add a few deg protection - I went to 450 once and it lived to tell the story. Call Polder and buy 2-3 at $6 ea. Polder Thermometers DENISE at ext 245
800-431-2133[p]This shows my wrapped cable.

RRP

Gfw and Tim M, thanks for the advice. I have always wrapped the wire cable and the 500 the other night was the extreme level I'd gone to before with polder in place. I checked the calib and while it would only register 210 while stuck in boiling water that was essentially the basis of my question of how do they react? Just not register? give looney read outs? Read high? Read low? I'm not convinced it's broken yet, but will be ordering back ups tomorrow for sure as I am hooked on the internal way of reaching consistent results. BTW a salute to Mr Toad and his marvelous pork loin recipe...try it you'll love it! RRP

Gfw

RRP, they read about any way that they want - they just don't read right.

Tim M

Gfw,[p]In the last 2 years I have fried 2 probes and two sets of batteries. They seem to need good fresh batteries or you get stupid readings that can't be right or it says LOW or HOT as I recall. If the probes go bad you might see one that read weird or a melted cable can give sporadic readings. My last one did that and it would read perfectly then go crazy in the middle of a cook. With low batteries you have 100% problems until you replace them. When a probe goes you could have sporadic problems or it might never read again. My other probe did that and just read LOW. I think I did touch 500 deg once and I figured I lost that one but didn't - it does read a little low now though.[p]Tim