One of the best pieces of cooking equipment in any kitchen is a meat thermometer. Instead of leaving things to chance, this time-honored and often overlooked tool can make the difference between juicy, safe and delectable or bury-it-in-the-backyard.
If you haven’t owned a digital meat thermometer before, the options available now are pretty impressive and probably more than your meat thermometer imagination would dare to dream. While there’s one clear cut purpose of a meat thermometer, there’s also much more skill and science compacted into recent models.
- Accuracy – The best meat thermometers never have more than a two-degree Fahrenheit variance for accuracy. If you find one which does, move on to the next.
- Speed – Although it’s unlikely a meat thermometer will take more than five seconds to give you a reading, some can provide the info you want in a couple of seconds. So, if you’re an impatient chef, maybe this is something you should consider.
- Probe – These are usually made from stainless steel and depending on the meat you’ll be poking, you may want a thinner probe for easy entry or a longer one so you can dig deep. It’s also worth making sure the overall length of the thermometer is at least ten inches to keep your hand away from any hot oil.
- Measure – You’re probably a Fahrenheit fan but just in case you’re more of a Celsius chef, most digital meat thermometers will have the ability to switch between the two. However, if you do opt for a model fixed to one type of measure, ensure it’s the one you’re confident with and matches your favorite recipe books.
- Power – Most likely your meat thermometer will be battery powered but be sure to check the type required and whether they’re included when you order or not. As you unfold your thermometer, it will usually turn on. However, some designs may opt for a simple power button instead.
- Washing – It’s best to use a damp cloth to wipe down your new favorite kitchen gadget. A date with the dishwasher will not end up well for a meat thermometer. Some will commit to being waterproof, but it’s best to keep them safe within a sink environment and not drown them in the dishwasher.
What Alternative Uses are There for a ‘Meat’ Thermometer?
Perhaps you’re more of a beer brewer, bread baker or yolk dipper than a meat master. If so, you’re still in luck with a digital meat thermometer and will find so many uses for this tool outside of the meat world. At the end of the day, it’s a thermometer, and it will tell you the temperature of the environment in which it’s probed, whether that’s the base of your new brew, the dough of your latest loaf or the water bath in which you’re about to boil your eggs.
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Whether you’re cooking for Thanksgiving, a summer BBQ or a special Sunday celebration, you want your meat cooked to perfection. And, with a meat thermometer, you can guarantee this.
We’ve prodded and probed the web to bring you the 11 best digital meat thermometers available. Select yours from the list below and advance your culinary confidence.
1. ThermoWorks ThermoPop Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST OVERALL
A go-to for many a home cook, ThermoWorks’ Thermopop is cheap, accurate and easy to use, able to quickly register the temperature of your food in a matter of seconds. In addition to having a fun design, the probe’s sheath also has a clip, so you can always have it on you while cooking, and won’t have to waste precious time hunting through your kitchen.
2. Lavatools Javelin Pro Digital Meat Thermometer
RUNNER UP
Less is more with the Lavatools Javelin Pro Meat Thermometer. It has a 4.5 inch-long probe which opens to a total length of 10.75 inches, so piercing the biggest cut of meat is not a problem. The 360-degree display automatically rotates with the device’s orientation. And, it’s available in seven different color options, some of which are inspired by food, such as wasabi green and chipotle red.
3. MEATER Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST SPLURGE
The MEATER Meat Thermometer is the smartest thermometer of them all. It is lightyears ahead of all other meat thermometers and is the ultimate choice for any gadget king or queen. Ever wished your phone would tell you when dinner’s cooked? Well, the MEATER can. Ever wanted to be up to 165 feet away from your oven and know exactly what’s happening inside it? Well, the MEATER can tell you. You get the picture. This dual-sensor, rapid responding, wireless thermometer is the best splurge on our list.
4. ThermoWorks Thermapen One Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST FOR ADVANCED COOKS
This is the Rolls-Royce when it comes to the best meat thermometers. True to its name, the ThermoWorks Thermapen One can produce temperature readouts in under a second, and is also the most precise food thermometer you can buy, with readings accurate within a half a degree. And for the advanced chefs out there, the Thermapen one is not only IP67 water and dust-proof, but you can also recalibrate this thermometer should it start to produce questionable readouts.
5. ThermoPro TP03A Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST BUDGET OPTION
With a name like ThermoPro, how can this meat thermometer be anything but the best? It’s clearly loved by customers and will be your sizzling sidekick when it comes to telling the temperature. Although it’s not the fastest at reading, if it’s accuracy you’re looking for, this is your go-to. The design is smart and simple with one AAA battery required to power it on. Plus, the first battery is included, so you can whip this probe into action as soon as it’s out of the box.
6. Fireboard FBX2 Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST SPLURGE
If you’re barbecuing, grilling or smoking meats and you want the ultimate in precision, the Fireboard FBX2 is absolutely the best meat thermometer. With the ability to support six probes at once, you can have temperature readouts in different parts of the meat to ensure nothing is drying out. Taking things one step further is the ability to connect this meat thermometer to your phone via Bluetooth, which can let you monitor your cook from inside the house. And for advanced grillers out there, this meat thermometer also has the ability to measure the ambient temperature around the food, and can even link up with a fan accessory that controls airflow in the cooking chamber.
7. ThermoWorks ChefAlarm Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST PROBE THERMOMETER
In the event that you’re cooking a roast, or pork shoulder or anything else that takes hours, a probe thermometer can save you from constantly having to stick your hand in the even to temp your meal and let heat out in the process. And if you’re baking anything delicate and temperature-sensitive, such as a cake, a probe thermometer is even more crucial.
The ThermoWorks ChefAlarm is not only capable of alerting you when your food reaches a desired temperature, but can track the minimum and maximum temperatures your food reached during the process, and it can even trigger an alarm for low temperatures, which is handy if you’re chilling food instead of cooking it.
8. Polder Classic Combination Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST BUDGET PROBE THERMOMETER
Those looking for a more budget-conscious probe thermometer should consider the Polder Classic Combination, which like the ChefsAlarm contains a timer, and the ability to set an alarm when food hits a high temperature. While it may not be as quick, or as accurate, the lower price will be attractive to less-advanced or the occasional home cook.
9. Marsno Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST VALUE
If we were to say, “You can get a meat thermometer with an initial battery life of over 4,000 hours, a temperature range of 58 degrees Fahrenheit to 572 degrees Fahrenheit, and under accuracy within one degree Fahrenheit for under $20.00,” you’d probably think we were crazy. But, it’s true, and the Marsno Meat Thermometer is exactly that option. It’s available in black or orange, so you can be both stylish and smug about this new buy.
10. Vulter Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST GIFT PACKAGING
From ‘Me 2 You,’ or should we say ‘meat to you.’ Maybe you have a friend who doesn’t realize the positive impact a meat thermometer will have on their life, so you want to give them the gift of temperature. Well, now you can with the Vulter Meat Thermometer. The tool itself covers all the necessary features, and the gorgeous packaging will have your lucky gift receiver guessing what it could be. Just imagine your partner’s surprise when you give them a meat thermometer on Valentine’s Day!
11. Powlaken Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST COLOR RANGE
Brighten up your kitchen and cook delicious meats with the Powlaken Meat Thermometer. There are eight rainbow colors to choose from, all of which follow exactly the same design and are completed to the same high-quality standard. Simply flip out the probe, place it in your meat, wait two to three seconds and voila, you get an accurate temperature reading. This is really just a colorful source of vital meat information.
12. Juseepo Digital Meat Thermometer
FAST READING
It’s the speediest thermometer of them all. It’s the Juseepo Meat Thermometer. Grab this tool off of your wall where you’ll have it hanging from its handy hook, flip it open and place it in your meat to get the reading you need in just two seconds. You can switch the reading from Fahrenheit to Celcius as you prefer and then compare the temperature given to the useful chart printed on the handle for reference. This small tool provides an awful lot of information for its size.
13. Inkbird Digital Meat Thermometer
BEST RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
This is the only rechargeable meat thermometer in our roundup. So, if you’re a smart chef who’d prefer to plug in a USB rather than hunt around the house for a tiny battery, the Inkbird is for you. The compact, fold-away design makes this an asset to any kitchen, even if you’re tight on space. Plus, it will produce an accurate reading within two to three seconds (as long as you’ve charged the battery).
14. CDN Digital Meat Thermometer
GREAT FOR SOUPS AND STOCKS
The CDN Meat Thermometer definitely looks like something a professional chef would use. It’s fixed in shape and can be hung from the side of a pot with its probe down to take the temperature of any stocks, soups or candies you may be concocting. This thermometer takes a little longer to respond than most others in this roundup, but it is extremely accurate and makes up for any delay with its levels of waterproofing.
15. ENZOO Digital Meat Thermometer
GREAT FOR GRILLING
The ENZOO Meat Thermometer allows you to keep a close eye on your meat as it cooks, without climbing into the oven. On the screen, you’ll see four temperature chambers, each of which corresponds to one of the four colorful probes. This enables you to either track up to four different pieces of food at the same time or get multiple readings from different areas of the same dish. With a range of up to 500 feet, you can be relaxing in the backyard, far from the oven, while knowing exactly how things are cooking in the kitchen.
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