Instant Read Thermometer – Reviews of the Best Instant Read Thermometers

Take the guesswork out of cooking meat and poultry. Choose the best instant read thermometer and avoid poisoning your friends and family!

An instant read thermometer is one of those essential kitchen items that every household should have and use. They provide an instant reading of the internal temperature of food and liquids. For many of us, it is not until we realize the consequences of undercooked food that prompts us into buying one.

The Center for Disease Control claims that around 76 million US citizens get sick from consuming contaminated, food every year and around 5,000 of those will actually die from diseases like salmonella, campylobacter and e.coli.

Outdoor cooking, barbecues, parties and family gatherings such as holiday times, all have the potential to make us sick if we are not careful with how we prepare our food.

Food poisoning can make you very poorly for weeks and can be fatal to certain sectors of the population like the very young and the elderly.

Food Poisoning Symptoms include:

* Abdominal cramps

* Nausea and vomiting

* Diarrhea

* Fever

* Dehydration

Most of us understand that when cooking, especially meat and poultry dishes, it is vitally important to ensure the food is cooked through.

The problem is, it is impossible to tell if the food is cooked just by looking at it. And you don’t want to cut into it to see if the meat is pink inside because the juices will escape and it will lose its tenderness.

The food borne bugs like e.coli are easily destroyed by high temperatures. So if meat is undercooked, it may not reach a sufficiently high temperature to kill the bacteria. But you also don’t want to over cook the food and serve it black and crispy!

The answer lies in an instant read thermometer that you can place into the meat for an accurate reading as to the temperature and 'doneness' of the dish.

An instant read thermometer is commonly used to check the internal temperature of meat dishes, but it can also be inserted into liquids and other types of food as well.

They take the guesswork out of cooking and give you that added confidence you’re not about to poison your friends, family or the neighbors!

They are not designed to be left in the oven or clipped to the edge of a pot like the oven safe (leave-in) meat probes. They won’t withstand the high temperature for long and will crack. With an instant read thermometer you simply insert it into the flesh of the meat to get a quick temperature reading.

They work particularly well with small cuts of meat like fish, chicken breasts, burgers and sausages as well as casseroles, meat loaves, egg dishes etc. In fact, any food you would like to know the internal temperature of.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, temperature is the only way to gauge whether food is sufficiently cooked. USDA research reveals that the "color test" can give consumers misleading information about the safety of the foods they are preparing, since cooked color varies considerably. For example, freezing and thawing may influence a meat's tendency to brown prematurely.

Most instant-read thermometers are digital and although you'll still see a few analog thermometers with dials, experts like Cook's Illustrated, don't recommend them because the digital versions are much faster and more accurate.

How To Use An Instant Read Thermometer

* An instant read thermometer should be used only toward the end of the cooking time - they're not designed to remain in the food as it cooks.

* Always read the instructions that came with the thermometer.

* To test doneness, pull the dish out of the oven or microwave and insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.

The sensor in the thermometer is approx 1 to 2 inches long and must be completely immersed in the deepest part of the food. Make sure it is not resting on any bone because bone conducts heat faster, and you'll get a false reading of the food's temperature.

Wait a few seconds and the temperature reading will appear. Remove the thermometer and put meat back into oven if more cooking time is needed.

Repeat until meat is done according to temperature on the thermometer.

* Red meat, roasts, steaks or chops - insert in the center of the thickest part, away from bone, fat, and gristle.

* Poultry - insert it in the inner thigh area near the breast of the bird, but not touching bone (See video below).

* Ground meat and poultry - place in the thickest area of meat loaf; insert sideways in thin items such as patties.

* Casseroles and egg dishes - insert in the center or thickest area.

Choosing The Best Instant Read Thermometer

Most dial or digital instant read thermometers are accurate to within plus or minus 1 to 2 degrees F. However after some considerable research we have found that not all thermometers are created equal and some are consistently more accurate than others.

More often than not, you get what you pay for and the thermometer that comes out as the most consistent and accurate is the Thermapen.

When researching the Thermapen we found it has almost zero, negative reviews and is also widely used by professional chefs around the world. Naturally, being the best, it is the most expensive and retails for around $100.

According to ThermoWorks, the Super-Fast Thermapen - instant read thermometer registers temperatures in only three to four seconds.

The sensor is very close to the tip of the probe, so it can accurately measure a thin hamburger patty or liquid that is as little as 1/8-inch deep.

The plastic, 6-inch-long handle comes in nine color choices.

The compact design has a 4.5-inch probe that folds against the handle so it can be slipped into a pocket.

Additionally, the thermometer automatically turns on or off when the probe is unfolded or closed, or after being left on for more than six minutes.

Here's a video of the Thermapen thermometer in action:

If you have one of these type of thermometers and would like to share your experiences of them, please drop them below.

Peter