Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this after persistent frustration with my oven. I live in a rental apartment and my oven is pretty crappy. I was suspicious that it wasn't as hot as it claimed to be when I preheated it. This isn't such a big deal if you're just throwing a frozen pizza in the oven for twenty minutes, but I like to cook. I feel like my oven has been cheating on me. I needed to catch it in the act. Over the past year and a bit I've dabbled in bread making. Usually I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, and I know how to do my research. I buy all the right flour and yeast, gauge the humidity of the room when rising the dough, hide my sourdough starter in a spot under the bed where the dog and my missus can't find it, inevitably forget about the sourdough starter myself, discover it two months later when I flip the mattress, give up on the idea of sourdough and just make a regular white bread dough, and finally put the loaf in the oven to bake for the time specified in the recipe. After all that work, I end up with consistently cakey bread. It's no good for eating, but it's great for propping open the fridge door when I'm stacking it with groceries. It's like dwarf bread; I'm pretty sure there's a line in The Fellowship of the Rings where Sam complains about it. Anyway, I decided to settle the debate: am I a crummy baker, or is my oven the culprit? So, I bought this thermometer. The result: my oven really does suck! When it beeps for 350F, the thermometer reads 300F. Goodbye, delicious chicken parmigiana; hello salmonella! Goodbye, carefully scheduled 7:30pm dinner; hello, 8:15pm apologies and wine on an empty stomach! In honesty, I'm yet to try baking a loaf since buying this thermometer. But it is helping me to restore my faith in my own ability, like a private investigator who reassures you that you're not paranoid; yeah, sorry bud, your wife *is* cheating on you with her young co-worker, Steve. I can't divorce my oven, but I can keep it honest with this thermometer. Highly recommended.