It time to talk about Thermometers

This is interesting and a question every Q'er wonders about. My Maverick just gave up its life in the last storm after 4 years of loyal service. So I thought I would share this with the group.

meat thermometer doesn’t cost much, but it can save hundreds of dollars in medical bills by ensuring that food is cooked enough to kill disease-causing salmonella, E. coli, and other bugs. We tested 11 meat thermometers you either leave in food as it cooks or poke in and read instantly.

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.


Brand & model Digital Price Overall score

Leave-in Thermometers
Polder THM-360 • $30 92.

AcuRite 00648 • $20 72.

Taylor Classic 1470 • $16 67.

Oxo 1051105 $15 64.

KitchenAid KG 122SS $15 49.

Weber 6439 Audible • $40 43.

Maverick ET-8 • $20 37.

Instant-read thermometers
Taylor Weekend Warrior 806 $16 84.

Maverick ET-64 • $30 66.

Polder THM-372 • $20 65.

Taylor Connoisseur 501 $16 25.

Posted: October 2008 — Consumer Reports Magazine issue: November 2008