Scott Rao stopped by yesterday and suggested we punch a hole in our milk jugs to thread a thermometer through.

Interesting idea: this keeps the thermometer in place and out of the way without needing a clip.

Rao is suggesting I bend the milk jug, where the hole is, so that the thermometer sits more upright.

I'm wondering if anyone else on HB has similarly modded their milk jugs. I'd love to see photos & learn how well it worked.







The hole I punched is 4mm x 6mm.

Interesting idea, can't say I've really thought of going that far before. I steam by feel, haven't used a thermometer in ages, but if you value the consistency and confirmed accuracy it's not a bad way to trick out a pitcher. You just need to make sure that your thermometer has a quick enough read time otherwise it's pointless.

That's a great idea and would work well for some folks, but I don't think I would do that to mine. I sometimes move the clip around depending on lighting or the type of foam I'm after (so I'm adjusting the angle), sometimes if I'm getting really frothy for 2 drinks then it's getting close to the top...I just keep two nice jugs around not 3-5 of varying sizes.

I always use my thermometer, but not quite as intended. Rather than press the clip over the rim of the jug, I put only the probe in the jug and have the entire clip outside, near the jug handle. I hold onto the thermometer clip with a finger. It's a small thing, but it makes cleaning up a little easier, as I simply have to wipe down the probe, not the clip. So, I don't need to drill any holes.

I twisted the metal forward where the hole is, as I think Rao suggests in his book (any refs folks), and this (for me) caused an upright thermometer.

It seems to me that if I could bend the metal forward and then back, so as to have two holes to thread through, that would be best, because then the thermometer probe would be solidly held in place.

My assessment of this:
- Pro: the probe is now out of the way.
- Con: the face is a bit more in the way, but not terribly so.

A friend pointed me at this Rattleware milk jug, that has this nifty metal tab for holding the thermometer. I like how they've put a silicone sleeve on it to (presumably) keep the probe from rotating.



I was also intrigued by the fact that they offset the "tab" a bit from the handle, I suppose so that the thermometer wouldn't be in the way of your thumb.

So I thought I'd try a similar idea, and started drilling holes away from the handle, until I found a spot I liked.

Making oval holes is pretty hard to do, so I tried various sizes, and at 6mm found that the thermometer probe landed nicely at the bottom corner, but it also gripped slightly on the edges of the hole, so it didn't move much.

If you've got a milk pitcher that you can stand to mangle, this is a pretty nice mod.

Will there be a left handed version?

T

Trimethylpurine wrote:Will there be a left handed version?

<grin> Reality is always so complicated!

Maybe, it depends if anybody likes this hole-in-a-jug idea, or if people hate it.

If there was some different holes to select from, that offered multiple positions, I think it would appeal many different people. Its a great idea, if the ergonomics are correct. Some sort of rubber bushing in each hole would be ideal as well.

ShelbiRyan wrote:Some sort of rubber bushing in each hole would be ideal as well.

Interestingly, my Barista friend strongly advised against rubber bushing, because he wants to be able to slide the thermometer out after every drink so that the jug can be washed out upside down, and the rubber slows the sliding in and out.