A kitchen clock

[shallots]

I'm doing things that need only a minute or two so timers aren't accurate enough. And most kitchen clocks are plastic (and my kitchen is a wall of windows that add to the ambient heat, so plastic becomes brittle really quickly).
What I want is a clock that's glass and metal or wood, that is A.C. powered and that has a blatently visible seconds hand.

[jfood]

Please don't take this the wrong way but why don;t you go to a CVS and buy a $10 timex digital runner's wrist watch?

[shallots]

We are somewhat laid back and don't wear watches. Sort of a badge of a well planned retirement.
"(Which would of course have the wrong time after an outage of any duration."
Yep, but IN the kitchen, it doesn't really matter. Thirty minutes is thirty minutes, even if it doesn't agree with the time on the computers.
And there are times I wish I could tell if the electricity had been off for three hours or three minutes (and when to start worrying about food in the freezers.)

[Chuckles the Clone]

The digital clock on my microwave seems to have a battery backup. When the
power comes on, the clock starts off where it was when the power went away, but
it flashes. So in some ways it's even better: I know how long the power was off,
plus there's a clear indication that it was off.

But anyway, the desire to keep a kitchen from looking like a flashing
christmas display is a noble one. You should search ebay for "school
clock". There are a lot of old ones out there and generally at decent
prices. One thing to be aware of: some school clocks were designed to
be set from a central control -- the principal pushes a button and every
clock in the school springs forward or falls back. So in addition to the two power
wires (which are just bare wires you need to attach a plug to) there's a third wire
which is used to move the hands forward. It's not complicated and anyone
moderately handy can set things up for you if you're not, but it's definitely
something to ask the seller about.

My family's had an old general electric school clock for 20 years and it's great.
It's got the set-it-from-central-control problem and rather than messing around
with the third wire most of the time we just leave it unplugged until the right
time of day comes around and then plug it in.

[Jennalynn]

Are you looking for a clock or a timer?

In any case, Alton Brown uses a photographers darkrom timer on his show. I used to develop my own photos, and they will give you all the accuracy you need and they are AC.

Like this: http://www.amazon.com/Gralab-300-Dark...
I would try eBay.

But it is NOT a clock.

[jzerocsk]

Not cheap by any reckoning but you could potentially get a swimming pace clock (https://secure.thelifeguardstore.com/...). They come in a variety of sizes. I never really could figure out why we needed a specialized clock for swimming practice, but that's neither here nor there. It would be kinda cool to have one of these in the kitchen...if only I had a place to hang it :-

)

I echo the sentiment that wanting analog + AC power doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The reason digital clocks flash after a power outage is to let you know that they are probably no longer set to the correct time. An AC-powered analog clock will happily resume operation and you may not immediately realize that it's now off by 82 minutes.

[Chuckles the Clone]

> I never really could figure out why we needed a specialized clock

Because they've got that great horn sound built into them. That would be pretty awesome in the kitchen: >>HONNNNNK!<< Meatloaf's ready!

Too bad they're over a thousand bucks.

[jzerocsk]

The ones I looked at were inthe $100-$300 range, although none had any horns built into them. Maybe horn technology is pricey :-)

[inuksuk]

Most of the newer kitchen timers are digital and time things down to the second. If that's not accurate enough for you please explain. For $10 to $20 dollars you should be able to get something that looks like this:

[shallots]

I'm wondering where to look for a clock, with three hands and a cord going to an electric outlet. One that isn't plastic.
Big enough to be seen from the different work areas in the kitchen...the baking center, the cook top, the double oven, the drink center.
We've bought the modern plastic ones, that have design flaws and built in death wishes.
Now, I'm looking for one that's well made and might last ten years.

I'm more comfortable with a classic clock where I can time things in the ovens, on the cook top and for assorted other uses.

We've tried to be non-digital. We're out in the country and digital means banks of flashing lights after interruptions in electric service (it can be ten to fifteen times a year.)

[MobyRichard]

In that case I think OC Ellen's suggestion is best; try eBay. Run an Advanced search requiring the words wall clock glass and wood and disallowing the word plastic. Wouldn't a battery-operated wall clock be better than electric, though?

[Sherri]

May I also pass on something I just learned -- there are 9v lithium batteries that last a very long time. We've just replaced a smoke alarm batt in a very high ceiling location and are thrilled to know this won't need to happen again for quite a while. The dealer said maybe as long as nine or ten years! Every 9v in the house will be replaced as we go along -- hurrah for technology!

[shallots]

Brilliant, Sherri,
Li batteries used to be the long term batteries of choice in cameras built in light meters, until our cameras changed to electronics.
And the ebay search terms should work.

[Mother of four]

Thanks, do we ever need that information. Sick of the beeps going off in the middle of the night every few years!!!

[CrazyOne]

Funny to remark about worrying about flashing lights and still be looking for an electric clock! (Which would of course have the wrong time after an outage of any duration.) Maybe the battery remark already made has turned you around on that one. Digital timers run on batteries as well, and they last for a few years at least. i would think it's worth weighing against having to keep an eye on the clock. The timer would let you set and forget, and you could do something else while it's going. I remember the old days of watching a clock. Can't imagine doing that now, there's no way I'd remember!

[NewSushiFiend]

I second the digital timer. I wouldn't use anything else (and I can time two things at once).

[shallots]

Can y'all use a digital timer for a whole ham (four to six hours depending)?
Or for a big turkey?
The oven timer doesn't go to enough hours. (Thanks Jenn-Aire)

[NewSushiFiend]

mine can

[OCEllen]

Maybe a school or hospital clock would work? You might try looking on Ebay.

[MobyRichard]

I'm not sure I'm getting the point. Are you asking for recommendations on finding such a clock?

[renov8r]

I have no idea why you would not get a nice analog clock powered by batteries -- I have a few from Howard Miller or Lacrosse that are well made and radio synced to the Naval Observatory Atomic TIme signal. http://www.clockstyle.com/atomic-clocks/wall/1359+1435+4294869010.cfm

If you must have something to plug in they are hard to find:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/item...