Fyi, I used a probe thermometer (Polder) last year to check the oven
temperature and it damaged the probe, causing readings to be off when I used
it to check food temperature. When I called Polder they confirmed that these
thermometers are not intended to check ambient temperature and that the
probe's reading would be off. I had to replace the probe.

"TOM KAN PA" > wrote in message
...
> My sister in law put six defrosted chicken thighs into one of those
throwaway
> aluminum pans, poured a can of Cream of Celery soup over them. Covered
them
> with foil and put them into a 350º oven. After 45 minutes, she uncovered
them.
> It took another hour and 15 minutes, a total of two hours before they were
> done. She also said that the pork roast she did on New Year's day took a
long
> longer than it should have by using the weight/temperature guideline. And
in
> the past, other items put into the oven seemed to sometimes not be done
when
> they should have been.
> I had given her one of those probe thermometers, the one where the probe
goes
> into the meat and the thermometer sits on the counter. She told me that
she
> forgot to use it on the pork, but her husband used it to check the oven
> temperature. I didn't think this type thermometer would give an accurate
> reading of the air temperature, I still think the thermostat is wrong.
But, she
> said that she baked a cake, and it baked perfectly in the time and
temperature
> that was on the box.
> Any ideas of what the problem could be?
>
>