If you’re picturing a dial-topped metal skewer, you should know that many meat thermometers have grown far fancier: Many are wired probes that connect to digital displays. Some speak to you ("lamb, medium"), then automatically set the correct temperature; beep when they reach a required temperature; retain a reading so you don’t need to wrestle a roast from the oven in 1 second flat; even track temperatures on two different foods. The Weber has a wireless probe that lets you check the temperature of a food from 300 feet away. (There’s a remote component you can clip to a belt.) But that meat thermometer didn’t perform as well as others overall.
How we tested
In addition to testing temperature accuracy (see photo), we measured how quickly each meat thermometer adjusted to temperature
changes. The fastest took 10 seconds or less; the slowest, more than 30 seconds. And we checked the temperature range each
meat thermometer could read. The widest was 0 to 450º F, which makes it more useful for tasks such as deep frying. The narrowest
range was up to only 180º.
Bottom line
If you want to insert the meat thermometer before cooking, try the digital Polder THM-360, whose two probes can track the
temperature of two different foods. If you prefer to check the temperature of cooking meat instantly, try the digital Taylor
Weekend Warrior, which costs about half as much as the Polder and is especially easy to use. It has a "hold" button that freezes
the displayed temperature until you can remove the dish from the oven, and a "max" button to show the highest temperature
the probe has reached.
For leftovers, use a refrigerator thermometer to make sure food is kept cool enough. We recently tested five. Best overall was the digital Taylor Commercial 1448. It was extremely accurate and cost just $9.
Learn about the cooking appliances you'll use with your meat thermometer, including ranges, cooktops and wall ovens, and gas grills.
