Thermapen - To buy or not to buy?

Please read the specs on that Maverick (BTW I own a ET-73) and you will not see the range nor ability of a Thermapen which has a range of -50 to 572 F. All that is within 3 seconds of insertion.

buy

Maverick is for low and slow cooking. The Thermopen's instant read capability keeps the Maverick honest and does so quickly.

just get the thing. i am not here to convince you, but you have been here long enough to know that the folks here don't steer you wrong.

you spent 800 bucks for a grill. pony up the cash for a thermapen and you'll know why it's THE thermometer you need.

if you don't believe me, think of this. it responds in about a second. so. 800 degree dome temp, four steaks on the grill. you want them yanked at 125/130 each, the thermapen will tell you in 2 seconds whether they are done or not. any other thermometer will take 10 to 15.

what's the big deal? well, if you can hold your hand over a raging pile of lump for 15 seconds, you are more of a man than most of us. then do it for the other three steaks. the last one will be toast by the time you get to it, too.

i've seen on the news where some guy with a mercedes was changing his own oil because the dealership charged 100 bucks, and he could do it himself in a half an hour. my theory is, if you can afford the mercedes, you can afford the dealership doing the oil change. if not, well, you really can't afford the Mercedes.

so.... if you can afford 800 bucks for a ceramic grill, you should be able to swing the thermapen. and if you trust us here for everything else, why question us now?

The instant read and the ability to read in very thin pieces of meat, like a fish fillet, is invaluable in this kind of tool. I have however, pulled the plug on the Thermapen and am now considering the mini-handheld thermocouple as it is water resistant and allows you to select a number of probes. The price with one probe is about the same, or if you wanted a second specialized probe, it will work on the same base unit.

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/handheld/mtc.html

I understand that the Thermoworks folks are working on a water resistant Thermapen, but it is down the road.

I just bought one at the Spring Coop, used it last night for the first time-worth the money imo

doc

how do you not burn up the maverick probe wires? or are all your cooks at 350 or less??
any way thermo pen is the best thing since sliced bread for the serious cook... instant read.. for yeast water, meat in multiple spots, blah blah.. it is a different tool than the maverick.. and it is , with out a doubt, my most used eggcessory. i would not be with ouot one , even if i had to cook in the kitchen.
bill

ive got three, one at home, one at camp, one in my luggage. while i can cook a descent steak without one, im more consistant at steaks with one. its the little things like knowing a strip steak tastes better to me cooked just slightly less than a ribeye steak. those few degree differences make a big difference in the overall cook

I'm thinking that the 4 second probe would be the all-around best choice. I'm also looking hard at adding the the 2 second "needle probe" because I cook a lot of fish fillets, burgers and sausages. This two-probe set plus the TC would come in around $100 verses $90 for a Thermapen.

I would love to have the manly probe with the coiled cable and screwdriver handle, but that is most likely overkill for me.

ive got one thats maybe 5 years old, melted it by placing it on a hot simmer plate, dropped it off the deck onto some rocks 14 feet below and bounced it into the lake (still going strong). what are you doing to yours.

Okay, thirdeye, you have me looking at the mini-handheld, too.

What will the 4 second probe do that the needle probe won't?

I'm thinking the needle probe and the smokehouse probe would cover all my thermometer needs.

Do i hear aggression in your voice?lol

Nor none in mine but a "convince me" post,(in this case) calls for a "just do it" response.


Walt

No but really, you made alot of sense in what you said and really broke it down. I know i listen to you eggsperts carefully and don"t 2nd.guess. I have nowhere the experience that ya"ll have,so i know that i"m paying attention...Question-I know the egg is designed to maint.a steady temp.for a long period.But for a long low/slow cook the thermapen is to make sure that your desired temp. don"t drop below where you want correct?

Jerry has been around and read enough that I think he had enough info.

Walt

I read the comments on the reviews but when I saw the Polder Instant Read on Amazon for about $13 I could not resist. Will this break after the first use?

*EDIT*
It is the Polder 371 Quick Tip
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G2SU68