# Cleaning probe.



## ak1 (Apr 12, 2010)

Hi all.

I have several Taylor digital thermo's', model 1478.

 Just wondering, what is the best way to clean the probes? Can I throw the whole probe into the dishwasher, or is it better to just wipe down the probe itself?


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## ddave (Apr 12, 2010)

*DO NOT throw them in the dishwasher.*  If you get water in the probe tube, the probe will never work again. 

Just wipe down the probe itself.  Be careful of the spot where the wire goes into the tube.  If the probes get a little discolored from being in the smoker, I use a green Scotchbrite pad to clean them up.  Before I insert them into the meat, I wipe them down with one of those sanitizing wipes.

Hope this helps.

Dave


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## ak1 (Apr 12, 2010)

Great! Thanks for the info, it's just what I needed to know.


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## jjwdiver (Apr 12, 2010)

Even soaked in the sink will kill em. Lost 2 that way!  Had to re-order some extras and now treat them much better.


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## illini (Apr 12, 2010)

Those probes may be salvageable
	

	
	
		
		



		
			





Put them in your kitchen oven at 250* with the cord extended through the door seal so the plastic end that plugs into the unit is on the outside.
heat at 250* for a couple of hours and the moisture that has migrated to the inside of the stem will be boiled out.

Worked great for me and restored them good as new.

Marvin


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## rdknb (Apr 12, 2010)

I clean by hand with soap and water


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## meateater (Apr 12, 2010)

Green scrubby and dish soap will work just fine.


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## ak1 (Apr 12, 2010)

Just on the metal end, right?


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## coffee_junkie (Apr 12, 2010)

Just on the metal end. Too much water could ruin the probe.


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## fire it up (Apr 12, 2010)

Probes come clean so easily.
I usually just use a little Simple Green on a paper towel and it does the trick.
Non-Toxic, biodegradable, you could even drink it (not recommending you pour a glass of simple green but it wouldn't hurt you).
I use it to clean everything!


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## rbranstner (Apr 12, 2010)

Yep I just wash by hand and take a paper towel to the cable to get off some of the black off of it.


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## forluvofsmoke (Apr 12, 2010)

Call me safety conscious, if you like, but I made it a habit to have a bottle or two of Isopropyl Alcohol (70%, rubbing) on hand. If I'm handling meats for curing, my knives get a wipe with it and an air dry, after a wash/rinse/drying and a treatment with a steel, just prior to trimming/slicing. Same thing goes with boards, bowls, mixer paddles and anything else which will contact my meat. Don't forget, a good hand sanitizer and/or disposable latex gloves is cheap insurance as well.

The folks who are successful with years of experience as sausage makers know that good housekeeping and hygiene is the best way to prevent meat spoilage. I'm just a beginner in the sausage aspects of meat handling, but I'm carrying the cleanliness forward with much of my cooking.

Nothing at all wrong with dish soap, a rinse, drying and a wipe with alcohol on thermometer probes either. Just keep the liquids away from the tube opening, as mentioned earlier.


Eric


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## bayouchilehead (Apr 12, 2010)

You can also put the probe in the refridgerator over night and that will dry it out also.


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