BLUF: I use ice water to check the calibration of thermometers.

In my last post I shared with you a trick my Dad taught me where he briskly rolls a warm drink can in ice water to chill the drink in a couple of minutes.

My Dad taught me another trick. I use an ice water mixture to test the accuracy of immersible thermometers that I use to test meat for doneness. Getting a precise temperature measurement is important to me particularly when I smoke a pork tenderloin. I like to take it off the smoker right at 142 degrees F. and let it carryover cook to about 147. The result is a tender piece of meat that is just past the pink stage but still juicy. If a tenderloin is cooked to 150 or above it starts to dry out. If the temperature is below 137 then they say that is not safe. So a precise temperature measurement is important to me.

The test method I use is to fill a glass about half way to the top with ice. I add tap water to cover the ice plus a bit more. I stir well so that the ice and water mixture reaches temperature equilibrium. The thermometer should read 32 degrees F. If it reads higher than 32 degree I stir the mixture a bit more just to make sure that I have reached temperature equilibrium. If it still measures higher than 32 degrees the thermometer is inaccurate. If the thermometer reads below 32 then the thermometer is inaccurate because water freezes at 32 degrees. If it was colder it would not be water, it would be ice.

ExpertVillage posted this video showing the process.

I am sure there are a lot of other uses for an ice bath in the boating world so please post a comment if you have one. If you liked the post please follow the blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and clicking the Follow button.

Boating Lessons Learned: Check the calibration of a thermometer using ice water.