I've "played" with mine a lot. You can quickly check the various areas of your refrigerator or freezer and see which areas are the coldest/warmest. It is surprising to see how quickly the interior and contents of a refrigerator or freezer start to warm when the door is opened...
Last week, I checked my electric skillet for temperature. I knew the thermostat was way wacky after 30+ years of use. By design, it has hot spots around the heating element. But, I was surprised at the variation of temperatures overall. I took about eight measurements and they ranged from about 320 to 390 degrees F. Most were near the desired 350 degrees F. for the quarter-inch of peanut oil. The thermostat needed to be set about 25 degrees lower than what the dial indicated to achieve that desire range. The chicken fried perfectly!
So, you can see if a skillet has reached the desired temperature before adding ingredients to it. You can check the temperature of water coming out of your faucet--good if you want the right temperature water for yeast. You can, if you are so disposed, check the outer temperature of your meat if you want the meat to come up to a desired temperature before putting it on the smoker.
I'm trying to think of other things for which I've gotten some practical use out of the IR-Laser thermometer. I probably use it once or twice a week for something. However, I still have the ol' micro-tip instant-read thermometer ready for checking food for adequate internal temperature. I still use wireless remote thermometers for cooker and/or internal meat temperatures.
Oh, for the A/C, I have a little-used photography thermometer stuck in a vent. You can read the temperature in the dark because the dial glows!
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