Insight on better meat thermometers

[NBK]

I was wondering if some folks can share their insight on what the gold standard is regarding meat thermometers? There are a sea of different thermometers out there and was hoping I could speed up my research with this forums opinions.

Thanks -

 

[Mike]

Probably the highest regarded meat thermometer, would be the Thermapen MK4.

 

[Ostrichsak]

I was wondering if some folks can share their insight on what the gold standard is regarding meat thermometers? There are a sea of different thermometers out there and was hoping I could speed up my research with this forums opinions.

Thanks -

The general consensus is that the Thermopen MK4 is the answer if budget isn't a concern. I just started a thread a few weeks ago with lots of options if you're more budget-minded so I would search that out and see what everybody is saying there.

 

[Smoker4]

I've been avoiding the cost of the Thermopen for a while and got tired of the cheaper ones. Picked up a Thermopen recently on sale. Couldn't be happier.

 

[C. Keeper]

I've been avoiding the cost of the Thermopen for a while and got tired of the cheaper ones. Picked up a Thermopen recently on sale. Couldn't be happier.

Sometimes you get what you pay for...

 

[sdynak]

Sign up at Thermoworks for their e-mail list. They just ran an open box special 40% off MK4 but it is over for now.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Sometimes you get what you pay for...

Personally, I think this is a great example of not getting what you pay for. $100 vs $20 for a 2-3 second temperature vs 3-4 seconds? Hardly seems worth it to me.

Face it, the goal here is to make delicious food. The food won't taste the slightest bit different to justify the 5x higher price tag. Mathematically speaking, I think this is the case study for not getting what you pay for.

That's just my opinion though & I know others opinions are different. I'm glad there's options to choose from so we can all have products that fit our wants.

 

[fullhouse32]

Thermapen MK4

 

[sdynak]

They just dropped 30% off on Purple

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermap...A&utm_campaign=Mar2021-purple-Mk4-closeout-cs

 

[Smoker4]

Personally, I think this is a great example of not getting what you pay for. $100 vs $20 for a 2-3 second temperature vs 3-4 seconds? Hardly seems worth it to me.

Face it, the goal here is to make delicious food. The food won't taste the slightest bit different to justify the 5x higher price tag. Mathematically speaking, I think this is the case study for not getting what you pay for.

That's just my opinion though & I know others opinions are different. I'm glad there's options to choose from so we can all have products that fit our wants.

This is the way I was thinking too. Unfortunately, I purchased several cheaper options that disappointed. I finally realized that I was going to spend $70 and have 4 junkie thermometers. Might as well buy a Thermopen on sale for $70.

There may be a cheaper one that works well, but you only get a few tries to get it right or you have spent the same amount of money and have nothing to show for it.

 

[C. Keeper]

Personally, I think this is a great example of not getting what you pay for. $100 vs $20 for a 2-3 second temperature vs 3-4 seconds? Hardly seems worth it to me.

Face it, the goal here is to make delicious food. The food won't taste the slightest bit different to justify the 5x higher price tag. Mathematically speaking, I think this is the case study for not getting what you pay for.

That's just my opinion though & I know others opinions are different. I'm glad there's options to choose from so we can all have products that fit our wants.

If you're happy with a $20 thermometer by all means use it.

I'm happy with my discounted Thermopen, so I'll use that.

 

[NBK]

They just dropped 30% off on Purple

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermap...A&utm_campaign=Mar2021-purple-Mk4-closeout-cs

Thanks for all of your responses. I have gone through several thermometers so $70 is a gift. I just ordered mine! Gathering quality tools is part of the fun.

 

[Biggs300]

Sdynak, thanks for the heads up. Purple's not my favorite color but, for a $30 savings, who cares. I bought a cheap knockoff which works well enough for kitchen use but takes much longer than advertised to register. What was suppose to be 2-3 seconds response time is actually 5 seconds or longer.

 

[sdynak]

Sdynak, thanks for the heads up. Purple's not my favorite color but, for a $30 savings, who cares. I bought a cheap knockoff which works well well enough for kitchen use but takes much longer than advertised to register. What was suppose to be 2-3 seconds response time is actually 5 seconds or longer.

My pleasure Biggs.. That is what I figure.. plus, if you get the magnetic case it won't be noticeable at all.

 

[Mannydog]

A couple years ago I wasn't ready to plop down $80 or $90 for an instant-read thermometer (aka Thermapen). Yet of course I still wanted one with all the features of a Thermapen. I settled on the LavaTools Javelin Pro Duo ( https://www.lavatools.co/products/javelin-pro-d ) and *love it*! Recommended by America's Test Kitchen. It has a response time of 2-3 seconds, backlit display, rotating screen for viewing at different tilt angles, perfect size, different colors, etc. Sometimes on sale, but typically ~$50 (about half the price of Thermapen). I use it all the time and am very happy with this purchase.

 

[Bama BBQ]

I've owned a Thermapen for a little over a year now & have tested it against several cheaper instant read thermometers. It's accurate & very good quality out of the box, made in Worthing, England vs. made in China stuff for whatever that's worth.
The latest I tested against it is a real Amazon cheapie that is on sale now for $8.99, I paid $12.99 for it last December "just for testing" & knowing I could send it back as I did a few others that were not so cheap.
So far it's every bit as accurate as the Thermapen "except" at high temp, like if I touch the grill grates in different areas with temps @ 450 - 500 the cheapie will always read 2-3 degrees higher than the Thermapen & is even a tiny bit faster to show temp ... judging by the eye of course but not enough to matter.

I have a commercial Digital Temp calibrator used in refrigeration for laboratories etc. & it's a pretty capable device, it measures down to liquid nitrogen cold & up to molten metals hot. I was very surprised to see the Thermapen & this last Amazon cheapie are so close in accuracy from the testing I've done between them. How long the cheapie will last is forthcoming .. but it's cheap & a good alternative to those not wanting to spend a lot. Maybe I just got lucky & got a good one, but so far no complaints.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KDFXJ36/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Ostrichsak]

This is the way I was thinking too. Unfortunately, I purchased several cheaper options that disappointed. I finally realized that I was going to spend $70 and have 4 junkie thermometers. Might as well buy a Thermopen on sale for $70.

There may be a cheaper one that works well, but you only get a few tries to get it right or you have spent the same amount of money and have nothing to show for it.

Not if you buy from Amazon.

I read all the reviews first, narrow it down to a few to test out and then simply order and try the ones that allow free returns. Most of the time I choose the one that seems like it will be the most likely to keep so I don't have to worry about returning stuff but at least I know I've got the ability to do so if I need it along with other options.

I feel like the thermapen model worked well a decade ago but times have changed and there's competitors that can do 90 to 95% the same thing at a fraction of the price with no requirement to buy and keep if you don't like it.

 

[fullhouse32]

Get what makes you happy and works in your budget.
I did get the Thermapen MK4 when it was 30% off on the gray one. I do like purple so I miss on that one.
If it was not on sale for 30% off I would not have bought it.

 

[mooncusser2k]

The topic of "which thermometer to buy" and "why do I need to spend more $$" keeps coming up lately. Here's a link to my post in a recent thread.

It's a bit like debating what vehicle to buy. Someone's going to be happy with a base model Kia while someone else wants the loaded Mercedes-Benz. Both can be right for that person.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

We've had Thermapens for well over a decade. Maybe 15 years. In our kitchen drawer are at least 4 versions.

The early Thermapens were not waterproof nor even water resistant. The water resistance rating has progressed as well as the overall durability. We had a couple of the models from 5-7 years ago that cracked on the housing. Thermaworks repaired/replaced them. Battery type has changed a few times as well. On the left is our early Thermapen and on the right is the MK4, with other models in the middle. I can say that the MK4 is a much more sophisticated thermometer than the earlier models. The MK4 has a full waterproof housing, rotating display, and a light.

In addition, we have a Thermaworks Smoke and a long digital soup pot type Thermaworks thermometer and an IR gun.

I will say that I use the Thermapens, the IR gun and my Smoke most often. I can't hardly imagine cooking without those three.

Are there other makes that can do the job? Sure. That's the good thing. With the influx of Chinese products, you can get all kinds of products cheaper than Thermaworks products. There will always be people seeking the best product and those seeking a product that is an economical fit for their budget. Fortunately, everyone has a lot of choices.