Hello! This post is written by my sweet husband and I hope you’ll enjoy it! I’m turning it over to him now…
We were recently given the opportunity to review a new item from one of our very favorite companies, ThermoWorks, best known as the makers of the Thermapen digital food thermometer. (See our Thermapen review) The latest gadget they sent to us doesn’t have anything to do with food temperatures, or temperature at all for that matter. With the brand new TimeStick, ThermoWorks has branched out into another metric altogether–time. They have, however, kept the focus in the kitchen. The TimeStick is a very kitchen/cooking friendly clock/timer.
When the reps at ThermoWorks sent us TimeSticks to review, they knew they had a hit on their hands and sent us two because they predicted we wouldn’t want to share! And they were wise to do so because the TimeSticks have become a very popular item in our kitchen.
Pros & Cons:
What do we love about them? Many things. For starters, this timer is incredibly easy to use. They advertise the TimeStick saying to glance over the directions once and then just throw them away because you don’t really need them to begin with. The keypad is minimal: numbers to enter times; a start/stop button for the timer; a clear button to, well…clear, a mode button to switch between the clock and the timer (one mode for countdown and one for count up); and a lock button to keep yourself from accidentally resetting something. That’s it. The only other thing to keep up with is the 12/24 hour clock option on the back which you’d probably just set how you want it and never have to use again. There are separate modes for count up and count down, but also in countdown mode, after the beep sounds indicating the set time has elapsed, the timer automatically begins count up mode, allowing you to not only be notified of the time being done but letting you know how much additional time has transpired. So if you are distracted by your kids while baking you can say, “I burned my cookies by X minutes and X seconds.” Seriously, though, this is a nice feature found in many timers and I’m glad they added it to this awesome timer as well.
Ease of use is a must for any timer for me (I’ve had several, won’t mention any names) but they just aren’t as intuitive going from mode to mode or the buttons are hard to press down, etc. The next thing we love about the TimeStick is the size. It is small and skinny, making it perfect for one-hand use and sized small enough to fit in a chef coat pocket. And this is meant for kitchen use so it is also splash-proof. It comes with a handy detachable lanyard so you can walk around with it and it also has a magnet on the back to attach to a metal surface. Our old kitchen timer, like many, only really worked to set it on a countertop and that was the only option. We also like the magnet because it is handy to just store it on the fridge and know right where it is (not to mention you can always use the magnet to hang up a child’s artwork!). They also come in 9 different colors so you are bound to find one that fits your style. Another unique feature I like is the bar graph that works in countdown mode. It’s a nice way to see, at a quick glance, what proportion of the set time remains. The final pro is also my only con…the sound. It is nice to have a timer that has a loud sound to hear in a busy kitchen or with a two-year-old in the room and it does have that. I concede it’s also nice having a timer that beeps when you press a button to confirm that you pressed the button correctly, but my only con (which I have with many products but likely isn’t a con for most people) is that there isn’t a way to turn the beeper off when pressing buttons. Loud beeps upset our dog and that is really the only reason we like products to have beeping optional but, dog aside, it’s not something that would bother me.
SALE!
Best news of all is that they are running a TimeStick sale and until midnight, March 6 these timers are only $19 a piece (regularly $25)! The battery, a CR2032, is included and is estimated to last 10,000 hours with typical use. So if you want one, and you do, then you’ll want to get one soon! Buy a couple and keep them on hand for gifts. I think it would make a very nice and unique wedding, birthday, or Christmas gift for a cook in your family, and you could get some cheap now and get a leg up on your shopping through the year. Go here to ThermoWorks to check it out for yourself.
My oven cooks weird. It definitely cooks fast, so if the directions say to bake something for 14-19 minutes, I usually take it out at 10 and it’s good to go.
How cool is that! My husband dropped our kitchen timer. A piece broke off, but it still works. This one looks like it would be a major upgrade!!! 😀
I so need something to keep me from burning EVERYTHING 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I need a timer like this! With 4 kids running around, I get so easily distracted and am constantly needing a timer to remind me of what I am supposed to be doing! Maybe I’d burn a few less things and actually remember to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer!
What a great idea!!! I’m always leaving clothes in the dryer and this is convenient enough to carry along with me all day.
This sounds perfect for someone like me. I am the worst in the kitchen except for baking. But somehow I find a way to burn and incinerate cupcakes too!
That does seem like a neat idea. i’ve been using my microwave’s timer which only goes up to 90 minutes
How clever. We could use one of those in our home.
Stay tuned…we may just have a giveaway on one soon!
The lanyard is an excellent idea! I sometimes need to run to another room while I have something in the oven, and this wouldn’t let you get too sidetracked that you forget to return to the kitchen.
I love that it sticks to the fridge! Can’t tell you how many timers and such that I have lost in drawers. This looks really useful!
Brilliant idea – I can barely hear my oven beeper if I leave the room. This would be perfect!
Well I am usually multitasking, going in and out of rooms so a timer that can come along with me would be awesome. My son could also use this for piano practice timing.
I cannot imagine not having a kitchen timer. I use mine all the time to make sure that I don’t nap too long.
Oh, I totally need this. Well, I really need to just give it to my husband because he’s a much better cook!
this would be great when kids are fighting over who’s turn it is for stuff!! i’m always upstairs when the oven timer goes off
What a useful product! I use the timer on the stove, but sometime I have more than one thing cooking in the kitchen at a time.
This looks so handy! I rely on the stove timer SO much because my mind goes absolutely blank on what I was just doing when I leave the room. If I didn’t hear the beep it makes when whatever I was cooking is done, then I would burn everything!
I really like the size of this and that it will stick to the appliances.
Interesting. I can see how this could be very useful. Not sure I would make a point to buy one though.
Anything that allows me to toss directions is awesome. My husband wouldn’t even bother to look at them in the first place, so this would be great for him. 🙂
I need a timer to remind me to do… EVERYTHING! 🙂
I like the sounds of this timer! I will have to look into these.
This looks like a great timer. I’d like to have one for my kitchen.
Now this looks so cool! It’s a great price too.
I think that’s a neat little gadget! I could totally put this to good use and I love that it comes in different colors.
This is very cool! I love that it can stick to the fridge. Makes it easy to quickly grab and use vs. having to dig out of a drawer.
I love that it is a magnet too! That way it does not get lost in a drawer somewhere.
I especially like this idea if you have two things in the oven that need to be cooked for different lengths of time. Very nice!
This sounds handy. I like that you can hang it on the fridge.
I seriously need this in my life. I get sick of having to use my phone’s timer all the time. I like that this has a magnet on it.
i love the idea of sticking it to the fridge that way little hands can stay far away form it.
Sticking it to the fridge is super smart!!!. I need to get one of these for our stuff so when we have two things cooking I am all set.
I love little gadgets to help with time management! I need this– I hate pulling out my phone to use
Love that your husband contributed to your blog! This would be incredibly helpful when I’m working on a project and need to be gently reminded to be completed by a certain time.
I ove anything that helps to keep organized and manage things. I like the idea of using the fridge.
Oh I must have this! It would be great for brushing teeth, cleaning clutter spots and so much more. Timing myself makes me feel like I’ve really done something. haha
I like that it’s easy to use. If I get befuddled w/directions, I opt out quickly. 😉 This sounds great!
I could think of a few ways to use this! I don’t like to use my phone to time myself (another distraction!), so something no frills would be great.
I seriously need this because I am always using the microwave kitchen timer and I just hate it. I sometimes need to set more than one timer. I usually time electronic time for my children (that way they know when time is up) as well as food when I am cooking
i like that its magnetic and hangs on the fridge. Always in arms reach 🙂
This looks like such a useful tool. I especially love its portability. Sometimes I can’t hear the microwave timer go off from other parts of the house!
I need one of these! I’m always cooking more than one thing at a time and our time gets overwritten if we start cooking something in the microwave.
I would love to have one of those… Our old thermostat got a good workout but this one is slicker and better looking.
Very interesting! I’d love to have one of these!
What a great deal. It seems to be worth the money as well.
That’s a really good price for something that seems so handy! I could definitely use one of these in my kitchen.