Reliable Instant-Read Meat Thermometers

I have had bad luck with meat thermometers. Through the years, I have not been able to find one that works well. The last straw was last night when my two meat thermometers registered a 30-degree difference in the same place on the roast. The one thermometer that was about 30 degrees higher than the other was purchased around last Thanksgiving at Williams-Sonoma. The other was a hardware store variety. Both are crap.

Before throwing my money away on another meat thermometer, I thought I would poll the venerable folks on these learned boards:

Can anyone recommend a reliable meat thermometer and if so, where did they purchase it or what brand was it? Is it digital? Does it have probes?

Hoo boy. I am somewhat ashamed to admit it but we splurged recently and got one of the super-fast Themopens (yes, those who know me, it's a cooks illustrated recommendation). -50C to 300C range (so you can use it to test oil for deep frying in a pinch) and it gets a reading in 3 seconds flat.

The last centimeter of the thermometer is much narrower than the bulk of the probe, so it doesn't leave any marks or big gaping holes.

It's a really great thermometer, and I use it a lot more than the bulky (and broken -- it thinks boiling water is 225F at sea level) taylor probe it's replacing.

I do kind of miss the benefits of the probe, and I might get another just for roasts. But for 95% of my temperature measuring, it's perfect.

http://thermoworks.com/products/thermap ... _home.html

We justified the cost by comparing it to the cost of the multiple thermometers we've bought that broke within the first couple years.

I also endorse the Thermapen with the following reservation: it is designed for right-handed use. It can be awkward for southpaws like me. I didn't realize this problem when I ordered it - but I use it frequently and have learned to work around it.

Bill/SFNM

I dig the thermopen as well, but it's major design flaw for me is that it turns off after only a 10-15 seconds and the only way to get it back on is to fold the pen and reopen it. They really need an on/off button !

Bill - I noticed the same thing. Well, I noticed that I kept putting it in and not being able to see the readout. It never even occurred to me that it was because I'm left handed.

I keep a couple of the Polder thermometers near my oven. I can monitor roasts, oil, baking, oven temperature, etc. I have the older models and not this one. Although with the new dual probes I may be getting a few of them pretty soon.

Polder Thermometers

Anyone calibrate their thermometers? I mean, assuming that you live on or near sea level, good ol' distilled water is going to boil at 100°C and freeze at 0°C. I realize that that's not 375°F, which is a major point of interest for all of us, but then. You get two points, one at each end of the scale, and you can feel pretty decent about other points. Unless, of course, the device is linear over water's range, but otherwise not.

I use pH a lot in the grape biz, and feel pretty confident when I define two points in my range.

Geo

Geo wrote:Anyone calibrate their thermometers? I mean, assuming that you live on or near sea level, good ol' distilled water is going to boil at 100°C and freeze at 0°C. I realize that that's not 375°F, which is a major point of interest for all of us, but then. You get two points, one at each end of the scale, and you can feel pretty decent about other points. Unless, of course, the device is linear over water's range, but otherwise not.

I use pH a lot in the grape biz, and feel pretty confident when I define two points in my range.

Geo

Geo,

I calibrate my dial instant read thermometers quite frequently. I believe most of this discussion is revolving around digital probe and instant read styles. As far as I know there isn't a way to calibrate the thermocouples in these devices.

Flip

Flip,

I guess I wasn't as clear as I should have been. What I meant by "calibrate" was, in its simplest form, "see what the thing *actually* reads when it *should* be reading x ". Most of the processes used for measurement--change in resistance, voltage, volume, etc.--are relatively linear over the ranges we're interested in. Thus, even if the thing isn't accurate in actual vs. as-read, it'll still be possible to use it precisely.

When there's an adjustment that can be made, one adjusts to the calibration measurement. Otherwise, given that you've calibrated the device, you have a good idea that, when it reads "x", in fact the actual temp is "x+y".

Sorry to have been so vague.

Geo

I use bench-calibrated thermocouples to check out the accuracy of my cooking thermometers. The Thermapen is good within 2 degrees. My older Polders (over 6 years old) are good within 5 degrees, some with as good as a 2 degree variance. But the Polders and Polder-clones I've acquied within the past few years can be off by as much 15 degrees. Perhaps they're using lower quality thermistors in the probes. BTW, although the probes have the same connector, they are often not interchangeable. That was a shock.


Bill/SFNM

aschie30 wrote:I have had bad luck with meat thermometers.

Aschie,

I use the $5-$8 Taylor analog instant reads. Never had a problem, no batteries involved and accurate.

I should note I have low demands on an instant read, the analogs are not as 'instant' as other more engineering minded models, might even be off 1/2-degree now and then, but they work well for me.

Enjoy,
Gary

Thanks all for your replies. I think I'll try with Gary's cheap analog for now and ask for the thermopen for Christmas.

After fighting with my electric Taylor thermometer lately (it still works, but I've got to hold the head of the unit "just so"...), I ordered Gary's recommended analog version mentioned above and it seems just fine, though be warned that the point at which the temperature is read is a solid two inches up the shaft so it might be a bit tricky with small items.

In a visit to Sam's Club today I found this nearly identical Cooper model at 2 for 8 bucks & change. Even though I still lust for the Thermapen, there's a lot to be said for this economical alternative that lets me keep a backup and even not leave home without it.

Ralph