Meat Thermometer

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

tatertat

Assistant Cook
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
1
I just bought an instant meat thermometer and tried it. I was just cooking a chicken breast (about an inch in thickness) and even when the chicken was ready, the thermometer still read 120F. I became suspicious so I cut it and of course, the chicken was done.

I tried putting the thermometer in boiling water to test it and found out that unless the stem was dipped in about 2 inches, it would not come close to displaying the right temperature (it actually still read lower than 212F but closer than when it was dipped in about an inch deep, which read about 180F.)

Is there a recommended meat thermometer? Do people even use them????
 
I use a Polder magnetic digital thermometer/timer with oven proof probe. I've been using it for 4 years and have no complaint.
 
I have this one: Amazon.com: CDN Proaccurate Stainless Digital Thermometer: Home & Garden

I'm very happy with it. You should definitely go with a digital model rather than a dial type.

With any thermometer, you must insert an inch or two of the probe into the meat, aiming to get the point as near as possible to the center of the thickest part of the meat.

Test yours with boiling water and a cup or small bowl filled with water and ice. It should be within 1 or 2 degrees F of the targeted numbers. Dial type thermometers are adjustable. Usually by turning a nut under the dial.
 
One of the best instant read thermometers is the Thermapen, but it's also quite pricey. I use mine all the time, and all it takes is just inserting the tip to get a good reading. I also have a Thermoworks probe thermometer for roasting, and it works very well too.
 
One of the best instant read thermometers is the Thermapen, but it's also quite pricey. I use mine all the time, and all it takes is just inserting the tip to get a good reading.
This is what I use as well. I have found it to be the most accurate thermometer and the easiest to use. The downside is the price. If you plan on using a thermometer a lot then it is well worth it though.

With less expensive thermometers, as you have found out, the part that takes the temp is higher up in the probe which means you can not use it on thin pieces of meat. With the Thermapen it is in the very tip so you will not have that issue.
 
One of the best instant read thermometers is the Thermapen, but it's also quite pricey. I use mine all the time, and all it takes is just inserting the tip to get a good reading. I also have a Thermoworks probe thermometer for roasting, and it works very well too.
I may get one of those for my in-laws. My FIL is trying to do the cooking since MIL is suffering from Alzheimers and cannot cook anymore. He complains about over cooking meat since he's afraid of bacteria. If he had one of these, he could check the temp and have a decent roast!
 
Many instant-read food thermometers are adjustable. Often there's a hex nut where the probe attaches to the dial, and there's a sort of wrench on the plastic tube that goes over the probe when it's not in use. You calibrate it with boiling water (212 at sea level -- varies with altitude) and ice water (32 degrees).

I also have a Thermapen, which is worth the price because it is extremely accurate and truly instant.
 
The Thermapen responds in about 4 seconds and costs about $85.

CDN Pro Accurate Quick Kit Digital, is just as accurate as the Thermapen, responds in 10 seconds, and is only $17.95.

Is 6 seconds worth $57.00 to you?
 
The Thermapen is currently available from the manufacturer for $74: ThermoWorks - Home of the Original Super-Fast Thermapen!

And despite the conservative claim that it reads in 4 seconds, it actually reads in about 2 seconds (I just checked it with my coffee). And yes, that speed is very important to me, especially when I have my arm stuck in the oven or over a hot BBQ grill.

The Thermapen is accurate to within 1%, which isn't all that important in cooking but it's comforting to know that, unlike other instant-read thermometers if used, it's right.

It's NSF certified and meets the USDA requirements for accuracy.

The probe needs to be inserted only about ½ an inch for an accurate read.

And the ½-inch tall numbers in the digital readout are large enough to read at arm's length, important when you're checking something in the oven or on a hot grill.

Lastly, it has a range of -58 to +572 degrees, making it more versatile than most others.

So, yes, for the same reasons that Cook's Illustrated gave the Thermapen three stars (highest rating) in accuracy, speed, and functionality and gave it the only "highly recommended" rating in its June 2008 review, it's worth the extra bucks to me.

Of course, I think nothing of spending $200+ on a kitchen knife, so don't listen to me. :ohmy:
 
...So, yes, for the same reasons that Cook's Illustrated gave the Thermapen three stars (highest rating) in accuracy, speed, and functionality and gave it the only "highly recommended" rating in its June 2008 review, it's worth the extra bucks to me.

Of course, I think nothing of spending $200+ on a kitchen knife, so don't listen to me. :ohmy:

It's interesting that you should mention that, because it was a video from the C.I. test kitchen that recommends the CDN as the second preferred choice.

Of course, I think nothing of spending $100+ in aircraft fuel and rental car expense in order to save $8.00 on shipping cost! :ermm:
 
Well, actually the CDN was not part of CI's June 2008 review of instant-read thermometers. It included only these:

  • Comark PDT300 Thermometer
  • Cooper-Atkins Waterproof Digital Thermometer DPP400W
  • DeltaTRAK 11000 Thermometer
  • Fieldpiece SPK1 Thermometer
  • Maverick Redi-Chek Professional Chef's Digital Thermometer DT-01
  • Polder Instant-Read Thermometer 371
  • Taylor Classic Instant Read Thermometer 9840
  • Thermoworks RT-301 Thermometer
  • Thermoworks Super-Fast Thermapen 211-476
Three CDN products were included in CI's January 2008 review of meat-probe thermometers (these have a probe on a long wire that attaches to a unit that sits outside the oven). All three were rated "not recommended." Their oven thermometers and candy thermometers fared a bit better in other of CI's tests.
 
I didn't mean to argue -- I was just pointing out that the CDN wasn't in the June 2008 review. Apparently the video was made after that test. Still, I think the quicker read and larger display make the Thermapen -- which in the video is described as the test kitchen staff's first choice -- is the better of the two, if you can justify the price.

I've gone through several $20 instant-read thermometers over the past 30 years or so, and found them all to be less than satisfactory, so I decided to pop for the Thermapen. I'm happy with my choice.
 
I saw the review on TV and they did recommend the CDN in my link above as the second choice. I have that thermometer and it works well.

No, it's not as fast but it's reliable. For most applications, you don't have to wait for the display to stop climbing. You can tell if you're in the ballpark or if you have to cook longer based on the speed and increments of the changes.
 
Another reason that has not been mentioned yet that I like the Thermapen over others is the size of the probe. It is significantly thinner than any other thermometer I have seen for kitchen use. You can stick a piece of meat multiple times and not be left with gaping holes that juice pours out of. That coupled with the accuracy, durability, and speed of response is worth every penny to me.
 
I've said said this a number of times on this board, but it bears repeating. I put off buying the Thermapen for 3 years (at least) and wish I had not. It is, hands down, the best instant read thermometer I ever owned, and I've been through quite a few of the Taylor dial type and some of the cheaper digitals. I've had the Thermapen for maybe 4 or 5 years, and it has never let me down. Fast, accurate, and makes a relatively small hole in the food. Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Every penny.
 
Here's a stupid question:

Do you insert the meat thermometer before or after placing the meat in the oven?

I have a Taylor thermometer with a gigantic probe and big numbered dial. I used it only twice before and both times it proved useless as the temp showed too low and yet the meat was overdone already. Since there were no usage instructions, I wasn't sure whether to insert the probe before or after placing the meat in the oven. So I did both methods on two different occasions. Disastrous results both times.

Have not touched the thermometer nor roasted meats since then.

I'm about to toss the thermometer out.

Thanks!
 
It depends on the thermometer. A "probe" thermometer is designed to be placed n the meat before it is cooked. There is a thin wire that comes out of the probe and plugs into a readout that is outside the oven. This gives you a continuous read of the current temp. The other kind (which is probably what you have) will get ruined if you try that. That kind is designed to be stuck in the meat to read a final temp. It is not to be left in the meat.
 
It depends on the thermometer. A "probe" thermometer is designed to be placed n the meat before it is cooked. There is a thin wire that comes out of the probe and plugs into a readout that is outside the oven. This gives you a continuous read of the current temp. The other kind (which is probably what you have) will get ruined if you try that. That kind is designed to be stuck in the meat to read a final temp. It is not to be left in the meat.

Thanks for the reply GB.

Sorry, no wires with the one I have therefore it's not a probe type. My mistake. What I have looks like a gigantic nail. Funny there were absolutely no warnings about not placing inside oven nor instructions on the packaging. :mad:

So you mean with this 'nail' type, I still have to guess when to take the meat out of the oven, insert thermometer, then if not correct temp, either:
1) put back in the oven and repeat trial and error
or
2) masticate tough meat?
:glare:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom