Removing thermometer probe on Insignia deep freezer NS-CZ50WH0?

[mlopez19]

Trying to mod my freezer to store Dippin Dots. Supposedly hack is to pull out thermometer probe to make the compressor run consistently to get to a colder temperature. I’ve located the probe but it will not easily pull out. Do I need to defrost the freezer first? Should I remove the caulking? I don’t want to destroy anything when pulling it out so any tips would be great. 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Sometimes it's just moisture that has frozen keeping the sensor in the tube so you let it thew out before trying to remove.  Other times they build up with rust from the moisture and the sensor tube doesn't want to come out easily.