Is there a better thermometer that will give me a reading on the temp at the bottom of the pot? No, the Tel-Tru thermometer that NOE sells is the best on the market only he sells it for 6 bucks more than one can buy it from the factory.

Anyway, the thermometer has a bi-metal stem. Look and you will see a strip of metal near the bottom of the stem. If the bi-metal strip is not kept in the melt - the temperature will vary