I can’t say I ask all that much of a kitchen timer. All I want is something that if I set it for, say, eight minutes, that after that period of time has elapsed, it was alert me that the period of time I set it for has elapsed. And for the life of me, I can’t figure out how to set the timer on my new oven.
I have a personal, some might say – slightly unnatural – relationship with each and every timer I’ve ever used. When I was baking professionally, a Minute Minder was there all the time – it’s slightly elongated ring was the constant muzak of my life. But it wasn’t annoying because the gentle *ding* didn’t jolt you out of baking reality, but was just part of the music accompanying the meditative process of baking a batch of cookies.
I can’t wrap my head around those new-fangled electronic timers, which require a degree in computer programming to set for ten minutes. With a Minute Minder, you didn’t need to take an aptitude test before using it – you just turned the knob, then it did was it was supposed to do. And that was that.
So I was deeply distressed to learn the my favorite timer had undergone a transformation, and not for the better. Although I normally believe everything I read online, even though the reviews for it have become not enthusiastic, I refused to believe that anyone could talk trash about my timer. And last time I was in the states, I picked one up.
And the other day, I finally took it out of the package to take it for a spin with a tray of chocolate chip cookies. I mixed up a nice batch, ate the required 10-25% of the dough before I scooped them out, then put them in the oven and went about doing other things, relying on the trusty timer to alert me when they’d be done. Normally I watch anything in the oven like a hawk, timer or no timer, but darn it, I put my faith in my brand-new Minute Minder. And if you can’t trust a Minute Minder, well, what can you trust?
Needless to say, I got burned. There was no ding, none of that familiar ticking – nothing. I gave it a few more spins, turning the knob past the 15 minute mark, as usual, and letting her go. Then – once again – nothing.
I know a number of people like to use the timer on their smartphones, but I guess I’m getting crotchety in my old age because I’m having a hard time accepting change. Please come back MM, because I refuse to believe our time has come, and gone.
I’ve been using the Oxo timer forever. Works perfectly each time!
I like my Pampered Chef timer, but then again, I have an old one, so the newer model may have changed. Thank goodness for ebay :)
Don’t give up! Maybe something happened to it in your luggage. I recently bought a new one. I had remodeled my kitchen and didn’t want to put the old, dirty, yellowing (but not broken) one on my new counter. Its perfect. When I want to time something for less than 30 minutes, I do turn the knob past 30 minutes first (just saying…). Anyway, there’s nothing like it. I’m sure it will end up in the Museum of Modern Art.
I purposely choose an annoying timer like the microwave oven timer because it will beep at the designated time and continue beeping until I tell it to shut up. THis is handy because during baking times, I end up doing other things around the house such as laundry etc….and I forget about my kitchen project. then it beeps and i say “oh sh!t – my casserole” or whatever… :)
with the other timer, it buzzes but then what if i didn’t hear the buzz? :)
clearly you don’t have this issue because you are a success!!!!!
For some reason “Previous Comments” have disappeared. ???
Never mind, David. Apparently my posting unlocked “Previous Comments” for me.
The internet can be such fun….
Thanks for your great blog….
The best timer that has never failed me,Typhoon :-)
I hate it when manufacturers decide to “improve” or “update” things that work perfectly well and don’t need a new look or new bells and whistles.
I like my small, slim, inexpensive, electronic Polder timer. It has a numeric key pad that goes up to 99 hrs and 99 min (imagine needing that), a beeper that is loud enough beep to hear in another room, and it is small enough be worn comfortably on a supplied lanyard if you need to go out range.
I once asked for a good kitchen timer for Christmas and I got… an Alessi Alphonse. The thing looks weird, but the sound is OK. The cool thing is the dial on this digital timer, works like a charm. The faster you turn it, the faster the numbers on the timer change to the desired setting. Love it!
I feel you David: I was crushed when my Junghans Alarm clock broke beyond repair. It was the only thing that would wake me up in the morning. Now I rely on my mobile phone and most of the time do not hear it and get waked up by my boyfriend, who is up at the first ring!
For baking I just eye my normal kitchen watch and the oven ;)
My timer clips on to my jeans so there is no chance I won’t hear it. There are quite a few on the net..Why not have a look. I’d never use my cell for this job.
Thanks, David for this post! I have been suffering from my timer’s incompetence for a few years with no success finding a successful replacement. Sometimes it rings and sometimes it does not, and it is an expensive one too from a reputable kitchen supply store. Usually it is my poached eggs that get overcooked :( Please let us know when you find a replacement you like.
Did you check the batteries?
I actually regularly buy hairdressers timers, very cheap but work for as long as any of the others I have spent money on.
I second the 3 in 1 Timer, Clock & Stopwatch by Polder,
It is annoying loud, comes with a lanyard so you can hang it around your neck or what I like to do is hang it off my oven door handle with a high temp silicon rubber band.
I like the clock, the count up/down feature and I have several for timing different dishes in the oven or on the stove.
I am a scientist and use the timer we use at the lab, there is actually an app for it called labtimer. I personally use the Fischer brand, but there are more out there.You can order them online. They are very precise and allow you to time up to 4 different things (good for thanksgiving!) at the same time. After all we do science with them and results have to be very accurate. Hope this helps.
ebay, dude.
I hate those digital timers with only a minimum number of buttons. My digital timer has all the digits 0-9, and separate stop/cancel and start buttons, so it’s a no brainer to use.
I have been a dealer of baking and restaurant equipment and supplies for over thirty years. The longer I am in the business, the more complicated timers have become. Why? We must go back to basics!