The best meat thermometers in 2022 tested and rated
The best meat thermometers in 2022 tested and rated
Included in this guide:
The best meat thermometers will help create succulent and tender results, fourth dimension-afterward-time. Information technology should exist like shooting fish in a barrel to use, quick to answer and accurate in its readings. A good meat thermometer volition ultimately grant peace of mind that your meat is perfectly cooked to your sense of taste. Some come with useful features besides, such equally temperature guidelines, smart connectivity, and multiple probes — and then you tin can monitor more than 1 dish at a time.
A meat thermometer is a must-have if you lot often employ 1 of the best grills. It can help you accomplish not bad results every time, so you no longer take to worry almost under or overcooking that earth-shaking roast. Whether you're a novice in the kitchen or an experienced chef, a meat thermometer is an essential tool. Not certain which to choose? We put 12 models to the test to see which are worth your time.
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What are the best meat thermometers?
ThermoWorks has been acclaimed for its kitchen thermometers for years, and when we put 12 popular models to the test, nosotros instantly understood why: its thermometers were some of the best performers. The all-time overall meat thermometer for about people would be the new ThermoWorks Thermapen One, an instant-read model that truly lives upward to the word "instant," while also being nigh lab-authentic and loaded with more functionality than you might expect from such a modest, unproblematic device.
If you don't want to pay quite so much, the ThermoWorks Thermopop is overall the best cheap choice: At just $35, it'due south comparably authentic and foolproof, though you'll have to sacrifice a little every bit far as convenience and speed.
For set-and-forget cooking, the ThermoWorks ChefAlarm Cooking Thermometer is a characteristic-rich leave-in model that works just too in the oven or on the stovetop. Looking for a similar, less expensive version? You lot can do almost as much, almost as accurately, with the $24.99 Polder Archetype Digital In-Oven Thermometer & Timer.
If you want more only your medium rare steak to be bleeding-edge, the Yummly Smart Meat Thermometer connects to a mobile app for more options and more than visual guides and data than y'all tin can get from any countertop model. Information technology has some limitations, but information technology's one of the most fun means to cook — and our results were excellent.
The best meat thermometers for cooking you can purchase today
At that place's a reason the ThermoWorks Thermapen has become all just synonymous with instant-read thermometers amidst professionals and enterprising home cooks akin: information technology works exactly the way you lot think it should. You lot pull out the probe, it turns on, you take your reading, put the probe away, it turns off, and you lot're done. Information technology'southward so intuitive, it may as well be an extension of your hand, and you can use it for anything from making candy on the stove to checking the doneness of a Thanksgiving turkey or loaf of bread.
The newest model, the Thermapen One, is the best yet. All the classic, top-notch features are here: a display that automatically rotates in iv directions so the temperature is always face-upwardly, a perfect size and ergonomic shape for large or modest hands, a rubberized ring to help in gripping, easy access to changing settings (whether you want Fahrenheit or Celsius, whether it should measure whole degrees or tenths) and the calibration tool. But now it's even faster, giving you a solid reading in just over 1 second (up of iii times faster than the previous, lightning-fast MK4). It too has a much brighter car-on light and it'southward been redesigned to work better with induction cooktops.
The Thermapen One aced all of our usability tests and was the virtually accurate model we looked at, routinely either matching or coming within one-tenth of a caste of our reference thermometer's reading. Its only downside is its $105 toll, which may not be within everyone's budget. But if it's within yours, this is a kitchen tool every bit every bit essential equally a sharp pocketknife, a dishtowel, and a sturdy oven paw — information technology doesn't just make your food improve, it makes cooking a lot easier and more fun.
If you can't justify spending $105 on ThermoWorks'southward top-of-the-line Thermapen One, $35 gets yous a remarkably good substitute from the same company in the Thermopop.
Like its burlier, suaver big brother, it's piece of cake to apply, accurate, and fast. You lot don't get everything you do with the pricier model — y'all're limited to total degrees, not tenths (ThermoWorks claims a ±ii.0° F margin of mistake, though it always matched our reference thermometer in our estrus tests); it takes a while to "kick" and 3 to 4 seconds to requite you lot a static heat reading, but you lot get more than than enough otherwise. Its user-friendly design and sensible controls volition get yous up and temping immediately.
We have minor complaints. You have to press a button to kickoff the temperature reading or turn on the lite. The brandish doesn't rotate automatically; another button press is required. Some buttons are located on the front and some on the back. All the buttons are strong and take more attempt to printing than it seems they should, and because the whole thing is a single, non-moving piece (not counting the included probe encompass), you get less clearance while taking readings with the 4.v-inch probe.
Even because those caveats, the Thermopop is a fine thermometer, ideally suited to anyone who's getting started in the kitchen or doesn't need (or care about) the bells and whistles that can add multiple Hamiltons or Jacksons to the cost.
Similar its more ostentatious instant-read sibling, the Thermapen, the ThermoWorks ChefAlarm Cooking Thermometer does more, and does it improve, than its exit-in thermometer competitors. If you don't recall you need annihilation to supplement your instant-read, the ChefAlarm may modify your listen — particularly if you roast a lot of big hunks of meat, deep fry, or make candy.
The 10 buttons on the ChefAlarm's keypad are clearly labeled and arranged, so you'll be setting your melt fourth dimension, minimum and maximum temperatures, and alarms in seconds. But y'all can besides conform (or mute) the warning volume or plough on a backlight that improves readability no thing how dark your cooking area. The wide Power switch is at the summit rear of the unit of measurement, perhaps the most easily accessible place; below information technology are buttons for swapping the scale betwixt Celsius and Fahrenheit and calibrating the thermometer, the latter a unique (just highly welcome) feature for this fashion. Two potent magnets on the back let you store the thermometer on your refrigerator or grill, just where you're probable to need it most. And a handsome, zippered cloth conveying case is included for keeping the chief unit, the probe, the prune, and the instructions all in one place.
The thermometer was also strongly accurate (inside, at about, a one-half-caste) and consistent, whether spending hours in our "medium rare" water bathroom or just a few minutes in the volatile high heat of deep-frying peanut oil. The $65 cost is admittedly a little steep, and maybe difficult to justify if y'all already have a proficient instant-read. But at that place's non much else bad to say most the ThermoWorks ChefAlarm Cooking Thermometer.
We prefer external probe-mode leave-in thermometers to their in-oven (and in-meat) cousins because they're safer and significantly easier to read and program. This fashion of thermometer doesn't get much easier than the Polder Classic Digital In-Oven Thermometer and Timer, a budget-friendly option that does all the bones stuff yous need.
Setting your desired cooking time and temperature, or configuring the alarm to sound once your target temperature is reached, could non be easier. The alert is piercing but articulate and non unpleasant. And we noticed no problems with accuracy during our testing (though the thermometer measures only whole degrees, not tenths, and then minute fluctuations were harder to detect).
Measuring less than ane.5 by 1.9 inches in expanse, the digital display is small, and the lack of a light can sometimes make information technology difficult to read. Though the bottom of the thermometer is a fine place to put the calibration switch, as yous're unlikely to need to swap between Celsius and Fahrenheit very often, it's a terrible location for the On-Off switch, which you'll demand every time you fire up the oven or grill.
All in all, the Polder Classic Digital In-Oven Thermometer & Timer doesn't inspire many complaints, though aside from its attractively low price, it doesn't inspire much excitement, either.
Although the Yummly Smart Thermometer ties into the (required) Yummly cooking app, which for a subscription fee gives you access to curated galleries of recipes matching your tastes and dietary requirements, you can also use it with any of your own recipes. Just fire upward the gorgeously designed Android or iOS app, which is awash in sumptuous photos and sleek temperature graphics, follow the on-screen instructions, and wait until you receive the alarm and alert that your food is done.
Except it'southward non quite that piece of cake. Earlier you can use the thermometer, yous have to set up a Yummly account, which is a tedious process involving selecting your preferred cuisines, ingredients, so on. You then need to accuse the thermometer on the battery-powered dock for 30 minutes and pair it with your phone or tablet, which took me a couple of tries to become right. Things weren't even totally hurting-free later on that, as the app had trouble recognizing the paired thermometer for a few minutes when we were ready to use it. After that, though, things went swimmingly, and our roast eventually came out a stunning, mouth-watering medium rare. (The app even takes carryover cooking into account.)
But a single thermometer probe costs $99, which is pricey for something that simply determines meat doneness, fifty-fifty via an app. If y'all want to cook up to four dishes this way at once, you can, but is that worth almost $400? The probe itself is among the smallest we saw, at only 3 inches of usable length, so larger chunks of meat or poultry might pose issues. And because the dock must remain no more than than five feet away from the probe during cooking, y'all may take a lot of stuff to cart around to become it all to work.
The Yummly Smart Thermometer is dynamic and fun, no doubt, and a fine sign of what smart cooking is likely to resemble in the future. Simply, hopefully the ease of setting upwardly will amend — and the price will come up down.
The Lavatools Javelin isn't quite small enough to attach to your keychain, simply information technology'due south close. Measuring just under 4.5 inches when closed, information technology'due south far and abroad the shortest instant-read thermometer nosotros tested. Yous won't accept to worry most it cluttering upwardly your utility drawer, that's for sure. (Although since it has integrated magnets, yous can hang it upwards somewhere and not worry about its drawer presence at all.)
Although the Javelin'due south size makes it easy to carry around, you have to take care to non cover the digital brandish with your hand, and considering the probe measures only 2.8 inches, y'all're going to have to go up close and personal with food you want to check — if you're working in a deep pot or with a bulbous roast, it could testify both literally and figuratively painful.
The brandish doesn't rotate or lite up, two features that are much missed, only is to be expected at this budget price point. The thermometer is also powered by a three-volt CR2032 battery, rather than 1 or ii ultracommon AAA batteries, like every other model we looked at.
The Javelin is fast, with read times between 3 and 4 seconds, and although it'south not perfectly authentic, in our tests information technology was never off by more than than 0.6° F, which should be fine for almost any home application. Affordable at just $26, the Javelin isn't a bad buy, but it's a reminder that, although good things oftentimes do come in modest packages, in the kitchen it's all-time to stay every bit far away from the rut as you lot can.
The OXO Skilful Grips Chef's Precision Leave-In Meat Thermometer reminds me a lot of the kind of the meat thermometer my parents had while I was growing upwardly — but information technology's even easier to use and read. The textured bottom of the probe tells you exactly how far into the meat it needs to be inserted, and the 2.half-dozen-inch-diameter meter is easy to read, with temperature waypoints every x degrees between 120 and 200, markings in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, large blazon, and even a basic guide to safety cooking temperatures correct on the dial. The slide-off probe cover contains the same numbers, plus explanations of the temperatures at which you lot can expect to hit medium rare, medium, and well done for a diverseness of different meats. Every bit the product's name suggests, OXO gives you a skilful grip on meat cooking.
The biggest trouble we ran into while testing was the thermometer's length. The instructions say to insert the thermometer to the border of the textured surface area, just that's merely 2.2 inches in—not far enough to deal with big roasts. And considering that leaves more than 3 inches of the thermometer sticking out above the meat, you may have trouble getting proper clearance in your oven. (We were able to practice okay inserting it straight into the side, but it was a task, and the probe didn't want to stay in that position.)
Priced at just $16, the OXO Skillful Grips Chef'due south Precision Go out-In Meat Thermometer is an cheap mode to guarantee your meat is safely cooked to your desired level of doneness. Certain, it'due south quondam-fashioned, just if meat is all y'all need it for, and you tin negotiate into and out of your oven, it'due south a fine thermometer my parents would have loved to take when I was a child.
The OXO Good Grips Chef's Precision Thermocouple Thermometer looks like exactly the instant-read thermometer you'd expect OXO to make. Information technology's big, fashionable and black and white, with few obvious standout characteristics. Similar so many of the other kitchen products in OXO's all-consuming line, it's quite a chip better than you may expect — if not perfect.
It'southward long (simply past 6.5 inches) and oval in shape, merely too thick (0.eight inch) and with rounded edges, so it's comfortable to hold. Its bidirectional rotating display uses white digits on a black background, which makes it piece of cake to read in whatsoever amount of light. Most interestingly, the temperature probe rotates out to 225 degrees instead of the usual 180, so you can comfortably take temperature readings in any position, using your ascendant manus, no affair which it is. Fifty-fifty the ThermoWorks Thermapen doesn't do this.
Though fast, information technology'southward non the most authentic of the thermometers we tested, as it was routinely off by virtually a one-half-degree. Its bigger hurdles chronicle to usability. The shiny body is overly slick, the integrated knob for opening the probe is harder to use than just pulling information technology out by the metal and if y'all want to change either the scale or the temperature resolution, you have to move two inset switches in the bottom of the battery case. This was an unusually difficult procedure we couldn't accomplish with the recommended Phillips screwdriver (we needed a toothpick).
Possibly the well-nigh unfortunate drawback of the OXO Good Grips Chef'south Precision Thermocouple Thermometer is its cost. If it were less expensive, information technology would exist a more compelling buy, but listing for $104, simply barely beneath the notably superior Thermapen One, it doesn't compare. Our recommendation: root through your couch cushions, detect that extra penny, and get the Thermapen One instead.
If you ofttimes cook for large or picky groups, a single meat thermometer might not be enough. The ThermoPro TP25 iv Probe Bluetooth Remote Meat Thermometer offers all the convenience of a digital leave-in thermometer but is equipped with 4 unlike probes that feed the main unit (and the accompanying, required app). Existence able to manage multiple pieces of meat, while also juggling different cooking times and temperatures (this grouping likes their beefiness medium rare, that group is having roast chicken, and and so on), gives you lot more flexibility in the kitchen or at the grill than most other models we've covered.
This does present its own challenges, every bit arranging all four probes (two plug in to each side of the base unit) at the same time is cumbersome, and your cooking setup may non allow for an like shooting fish in a barrel solution. In that location are other, more confidence-sapping issues, as well. The production box is riddled with typos. The app is intuitive simply poorly designed and irritating to navigate, similar a half-finished prototype that somehow snuck out the door. I also question its born temperature presets, which define medium rare for beef at a likewise-high 140° F, and indeed, our roast cooked at this preset came out firmly medium. Although you tin can create your ain presets for the desired target temperature or range, yous tin't edit whatsoever of the default ones, no thing how lightheaded yous detect them (footing beefiness has to be 160° and poultry 165°? Actually?). Most annoying of all: the thermometer had been consistent and mostly authentic during the first 2 and a half hours of the water bath examination, but its battery ran out at that signal and the thermometer had to be plugged in, resulting in its temperature readings fluctuating wildly across an unacceptable range of more than xx degrees.
The combination of the four-way functionality and the reasonable price of the ThermoPro TP25 4 Probe Bluetooth Remote Meat Thermometer may arrive a passable investment if y'all're a large-time grill master or party thrower. Just remember that the extra time you'll demand to spend untangling cables and getting everything perfect in the app is fourth dimension you lot could instead exist spending with your guests — and don't e'er let the bombardment run out while you're cooking.
What to look for in a meat thermometer
- Style
There are a number of different types of thermometer on the market, and what you like to cook will be the primary decider for which mode you lot buy. If you rarely cook anything more than roast beef or chicken, a simple, exit-in meat thermometer may exercise the job (and, in near circumstances, volition exist highly affordable). You can up your game with a digital remote probe-style thermometer, which thanks to cabled probes lets you see the meat's current temperature from outside the oven, prepare temperature maximums and alarms, and more than. These are also expert for deep frying or sugar work, if yous have a model that clips on to the side of the pan. If you'd prefer a single, get-everywhere model, an instant-read tin piece of work in all these places, though these make it more hard to nautical chart temperatures over fourth dimension. - Analog or digital
Analog thermometers are typically less expensive than digital, simply they're also invariably slower and normally more difficult to read. This matters less with a thermometer y'all're going to go out in the Thanksgiving turkey for a few hours than it does with a thin steak or caramel sauce, where every change in degree can spell the departure between success and failure. As some adept digital thermometers are available for $35 or less, you're better off getting one of those if y'all tin. - Instant-read features
The well-nigh important features for instant-read thermometers are the size and pattern: y'all want one that isn't too small or too large, that has an easy-to-access probe, and that you can firmly grip even if steam or grease interfere. Many newer instant-read models besides have displays that lite up or rotate in two or four directions (and so you can see the temperature no matter where yous or the nutrient are located); these are helpful, just may add a lot to the terminal cost. - Number of probes
Most remote probe-mode thermometers only include ane probe, so you can just track the temperature of a single dish at a fourth dimension. Some, even so, include up to four probes, letting you lot gear up wildly different recipes with just a single device. This is handy, peculiarly if y'all entertain a lot or frequently prepare multiple meats at one time, only tin also be logistically difficult (as you may have a lot of probes and cables to organize) or expensive (for models where each probe is sold separately). - Resolution, calibration, and calibration
Abode thermometers measure out in either whole degrees or tenths of a degree; make sure you know how much detail you want, equally not every thermometer does both — and those that do should make it easy to switch between the resolutions. Similarly, the thermometer should brandish the temperature in both degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius, and so yous can apply it no matter where you alive, and allow y'all to easily flip between the two. Though it's non a necessity, calibration is an excellent additional feature; past measuring a known temperature (such as ice water) and adjusting the readout accordingly, yous can continue using your thermometer even if its initial accuracy diminishes over time. - Smart functionality
Smart thermometers can connect with a mobile app then yous can follow what's happening in the oven even when you're away from the kitchen. This is still something of a gimmick, and is of limited utility unless you're making a long-cooking dish that might suck up most of your day. But, apps that let long-term temperature tracking and take presets for certain kinds or cuts of meat may help take some of the guesswork out of the procedure. Utilize one that's customizable, though, as your cooking equipment and personal preferences tin be difficult to hard-lawmaking into any software.
How much should you lot pay for a meat thermometer
The price of a meat thermometer can range from less than $x to over $100. Naturally, the more y'all spend, the more than features you're going to become, such as app connectivity and additional probes. However, that's not to say y'all can't become a proficient meat thermometer for a good toll.
Decide on your budget every bit well equally what you need before browsing for a new thermometer. Consider what you will utilize it for and whether the extra features would prove useful. If you lot desire one from a premium brand, such as ThermoWorks, be prepared to pay a premium price. However, even ThermoWorks offer options for those on a budget, such every bit the ThermoPop, and then be sure to practise your research before y'all invest.
How we tested kitchen thermometers
To appraise the 12 kitchen thermometers, we put them through a series of objective and usability tests that would allow united states of america to determine their overall technical capabilities and how well they worked in everyday kitchen tasks.
To measure speed and accuracy of instant-read thermometers, nosotros prepare water baths at three different temperatures: one filled with water ice h2o at just barely over 32° Fahrenheit, 1 with water kept at a abiding temperature (approximately 125°, or where you'd await to pull a piece of beefiness for medium rare doneness) via a sous vide car, and a pot of water boiling at simply over 204° (the boiling point affected by the altitude of our test space). We dipped each thermometer'southward probe in the h2o, timed how long it took the temperature reading to stabilize, and compared its temperature reading with i from a freshly calibrated, lab-quality reference thermometer.
For digital remote-style probe thermometers with cables, we used the 125° water bathroom and the reference thermometer to rails temperature consistency over a period of 5 hours.
We then enlisted the thermometers for an all-twenty-four hours cooking marathon, roasting four-pound slabs of superlative sirloin until they reached medium rare. For instant-read and clip-on thermometers, we also deep-fried French fries and tortilla chips, in each case using multiple units to compare accurateness and usability. Along the fashion, we tried as many of the thermometers' special features (such as temperature alarms or mobile apps) equally possible, so we could mimic how they would function in the real earth.
Once we were finished cooking, nosotros also went through the procedure of cleaning and storing them, to see how well they could withstand those everyday maintenance.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-meat-thermometers
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