How to buy cooking thermometers

Cooking thermometers are a must for any serious chef. These devices can inform you of the exact temperature inside your meats while they cook, reducing the risk of food borne illnesses and providing you with a juicy, perfect entree. And they’re not just for cooking meat…you can use thermometers for making breads, chocolates, and candy.

Thermometer types and options

Pop-up and disposable thermometers usually come with the food and are not highly accurate, but if you wish to get a general idea of what your Thanksgiving turkey is cooking at, these can work for you.

Standard thermometers take a minute or two to read the temperature, but can be left inside the food that is cooking. This is best used for foods that are thick, and not recommended for liquid items.

Digital probes can be stuck in the food while it cooks, but can also be read from outside of the oven. These can be made with a timer, but not all digital probes come with one.

Some Digital Probe Thermometers

Thirdly, a grill fork can be used to sporadically check the temperature. While this cannot be left in the food, it can be used to poke the meat that is cooking, allowing for periodic checks whenever you wish. These are fast and highly accurate.

Some Grill Forks

Next, there is the digital insta-read thermometer. This is also highly accurate and provides a fast reading to check foods at the end of their cooking time. This cannot be placed and left in an oven, though.

Also consider a wireless thermometer.  These give excellent continuous readings, but are not as fast as others. While this isn’t good to read the oven temperature, you can get an extension that will allow you to monitor the temp from outside of the oven. Next, thermocouples are one of the best thermometers to consider. They yield results in less than two seconds, giving you fast and accurate results, and are thin and easy to use.

Finally, there is a candy thermometer, designed to withstand high temperatures for a long time. It is recommended that if you are cook candy regularly, you buy a specific candy thermometer for periodic temperature checks as you’re working with your sugar solution.

Some Candy Thermometers

Proprietary features

When deciding which type of thermometer is best for you, it is highly recommended to go with a digital thermometer, which gives you a convenient and accurate reading. If you do not want to go with a digital thermometer, traditional thermometers can work, too.

Before buying a cooking thermometer, write down what you need a thermometer for. If you are a serious chef, you may need a couple for different purposes. Chefs that deal a lot with meats and poultry should highly consider buying a meat thermometer. Observe what temperatures you cook at, too. Some thermometers cannot withstand high temperatures.

If you deal with very hot food, be sure your thermometer has the capability to withstand your cooking. A standard meat thermometer is recommended for regular kitchen uses, while a candy or deep fry thermometers can withstand much higher temperatures. Another feature some cooking temperatures have are digital timers that have a long extension cord. Some thermometers can allow chefs up to 100 feet of area to walk away from and still be able to read the temperature. This is not standard in all thermometers, so be aware of this.

Qualities to verify before purchase

A couple of topics make or break thermometers. First and most importantly, you want your thermometer to be accurate. Incorrect data is worse than no data. Read reviews before buying thermometers to get information as to what thermometers have given good ratings.

You should also be looking for speed. Everytime you open the oven, you lose heat, which will alter your food. Some thermometers can give you readings in under five seconds, which makes for minimal heat loss. Look on each thermometer to see what speed they can give a reading in and search for as minimal time as possible. Be sure the thermometer can read the range you are cooking in so that you don’t waste your money buying a thermometer that can’t read the temperature.

Also look for thermometers that have a long probe. Short probes may not be able to adequately penetrate the food. The probe should be thin so it can leave as small of a hole so it leaves as little damage as possible. Check out how easily the thermometer can be cleaned too, as this will be going in different types of meat, and cleanliness is critical.

If the thermometer looks complicated and comes with a large book to study, avoid it. You want a thermometer that is easy to work with and has understandable features. You want your investment to be sturdy, too. Check the warranty, if any. Research whether there is a place you can order parts for it if it does break down. Get as much information about repairs, such as price and promptness, to be sure that you can invest your money in a thermometer that will last over time.

What pricing and brands are reasonable?

Many cooking thermometers cost less than $20, but higher quality and highly accurate thermometers usually max out over $200. Focus on the brand. Better brands will yield more accurate results. They will also be able to withstand more use.

Some highly recommended brands are Taylor, Polder, Weber, and ThermoWorks, but there are many other brands that provide high quality products.

The proper thermometer can improve you cooking, and the information in this article should help you find just the right one. Good luck!