Lost 3 days of prep because I trusted the walk-in thermometer instead of my own hands

Dakota Wells · 2026-10-20T17:35:04.477656+00:00

Last Tuesday we had a 60-cover private dinner and my sous kept saying the walk-in felt off, so I finally stuck a second thermometer in there at 6am and it read 47 degrees. The built-in gauge on the door had been showing 38 for who knows how long, so we had to pitch two full sheet pans of portioned proteins and all the dairy. We lost about $400 in product and pushed service back 90 minutes while I ran to Restaurant Depot in the rain. Now I keep a cheap dial thermometer hanging inside the box and check it against the door readout before every service. If you have never tested your walk-in gauge with an independent probe, do it this week. What's your setup for double checking cooler temps?

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Lost 3 days of prep because I trusted the walk-in thermometer instead of my own hands | Chefs - HW Forums