Is there an oven that actually monitors food temperature?

[Rw1207]

I did a google search and found patents for microwave ovens but so far nothing on a oven. With all the technology wouldn't this be a desirable design?
The oven could shut off and alert you when the food was cooked to the proper temerature...

Thanks for any input.

Roy

[texanfrench]

Yes, this does exist, sort of... When we bought a new gas stove several years ago, we wanted this feature. We found one (from a large national chain hardware store, nothing particularly fancy) that has a detachable probe. One end plugs into a socket in the oven, the other goes in the food. When the probe is in use, it controls the display on the back of the stove that usually shows the oven temperature. You still have to turn off the oven manually, though. (Probe lives in my knife block when not in use--fits in the slot for the sharpening steel, which I don't use, as I have another system.)

If you are searching on line, use "electronic probe" as a search term for features wanted.

[Rw1207]

Thanks to everyone who replied with well thought out answers. I learned something.
Thanks Again

[wekick]

There are lots of ovens with temperature probes. I have had experience with Wolf, Electrolux and Dacor. Some beep and some turn off when food comes to temp. I use it. I used an separate temp probe before I had it on the oven.

[Rw1207]

Here is a description of a mw patent..... from a google patent search response....... A microwave oven determines an appropriate time to stop heating even if multiple food items are placed in the heating chamber. After any position on the bottom surface of the microwave oven reaches 75 deg C., a search is made for any other position having a temperature of at least 70 deg C. If such a position is detected, heating is concentrated on that position until it reaches 75 deg C. When all food-containing positions in the microwave oven have reached a temperature of at least 75 deg C., the heating operation performed by the magnetron is stopped.

[ferret]

Microwave ovens are different because they don't introduce heat into the cooking chamber to heat the food, so detecting temperature (or humidity, which is what the "Popcorn" setting does) changes is an effective way to determine doneness.

In an oven, there's no way to gauge the temperature of the food absent the introduction of a probe of some sort, with the risk being that an improperly placed probe may measure ambient temperature instead of food temperature. Putting it another way, you may heat the oven to 325 in order to achieve an internal temperature of 165. There's no way to measure that internal temperature with some sort of internal probe (otherwise you're measuring the temperature f the air inside the oven which is hotter than the food you want to cook or the temperature you want to achieve).

[Chemicalkinetics]

I agree with ferret. The microwave oven functions in a different manner. What you described can work for a microwave oven, but not a regular oven. To put it this way, when using microwave, the foods will get hotter than the oven. Next time when you use a microwave to heat your foods, try touching the microwave oven -- it is largely cool. When using a regular oven, the oven will always be hotter than the food -- this makes what you described impossible.

[drongo]

The Fisher & Paykel ad... er, I mean sponsor's message... on America's Test Kitchen shows an oven with cooking probe.

[ferret]

There are any number of ovens with probes (and probe cooking functions), not just microwaves. I have a GE Profile with a probe but I haven't used it in the decade since I purchased the oven.

[Philly Ray]

There might be an oven that has a built-in probe thermometer, but you can always purchase a separate one and use that.

[wyogal]

Exactly. They make them with built-in probes, and then one can set auto features that will alert you when it's the desired temp. Like, for instance, a tenderloin. 120F internal temp (or whatever you set it for) and the buzzer goes off.