The 9 Best Meat Thermometers for The Home

It can be heartbreaking to buy an expensive steak, only to accidentally overcook it and end up with something resembling a rubber chew toy. And it can be a whole lot worse than that if you go the other direction—and accidentally serve up undercooked chicken. Our picks for the best meat thermometers help you avoid both of these mishaps by indicating your food’s precise internal temperature. Because yes, cooking is an art, but it’s also a science.

Our picks for the best meat thermometers

How I chose the best meat thermometers

Ease of use

I considered the top concerns home cooks have when shopping for a meat thermometer—beyond just budget and the thermometer’s accuracy. I assessed how easy it was to get a reading (and see the reading at a glance), the overall user-friendliness, and durability.

Experience-based recommendations

I sought expert opinions for factors shoppers may overlook on their purchase, especially when it came to specialty techniques like smoking and barbecuing meat.

Tech features

While there are a few no-frills options on the list, I did consider the surprising technological leaps made in the meat thermometer realm. From infrared technology to smart features, I included thermometers that used tech to enhance the cooking experience.

How to find a quality meat thermometer for you

The main thing to know about meat thermometers is just how vital they are to cooking a meal properly. After all, even the best grills and ovens can’t tell you if the food you’re making is the right temperature for maximum flavor (and safety).

Accuracy

The top concern for those in the market for a meat thermometer is also the one that’s the most difficult to gauge (no pun intended) without actually testing it out. However, most models have an accuracy claim that at least gives you a little more confidence in what you’re purchasing. Before you use the thermometer, though, make sure you give it your own accuracy test. South Dakota State University Extension recommends holding the thermometer in a glass of ice water for 30 seconds (if digital) and 1-2 minutes (if it’s a dial model), then checking to see if the temperature reads out as 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Overall design

“Cooking is all about temperature control,” says author and Barbecue Hall of Famer, Meathead Goldwyn. “You must know what the temp of your cooker is and what temp the food is in order to gauge doneness and safety. You cook with a thermometer, not a clock! Any recipe writer that says something like, ‘Cook for five minutes on one side and three minutes on the other,’ or, ‘Cook till the juices run clear,’ is guilty of malpractice,” Goldwyn jokes. Any meat thermometer you purchase should first and foremost have a clear display that’s easy to read at a glance.

Function

If you mostly cook in the oven or inside a closed grill, you’ll need something designed to stay in the meat and send you the temperature remotely, so you don’t have to keep opening up the lid or door and letting all the heat out. For those cooking mostly on stovetop, a handheld meat thermometer will work fine, and likely be less expensive.

Ease of use

Again, if you’re hovering by the stove, a simple handheld device with a large, easy-to-decipher readout is ideal. If you’re planning on leaving something cooking all day, however, you’ll want to opt for a thermometer that you can monitor via a connected app on your phone.

How to use a meat thermometer

“You need to measure in the geographic center,” says Goldwyn. “It’s the thickness of the meat or vegetables that determines how long it takes to cook—a turkey breast takes longer to cook than a chicken breast, because a turkey breast is much thicker. So you need to measure the temperature in the center of the thickest part.”

How to read a meat thermometer

“With the digital ones, you just read the number!” says Goldwyn. “Of course, you need to know the numbers: Medium rare steak is at its most tender and most juicy at 130 to 135 degrees. Medium is 140, well done is 155. If you want a medium rare steak, you need to know what is the right temperature. And you need to know that poultry is more risky than any other kind of meat, you need to cook it to that 160 to 165 range.”

What are the benefits of using a meat thermometer?

“With a meat thermometer, you’ll never overcook a meal again,” enthuses Goldwyn. “And it’s not just something like steak, which is expensive. It’s a safety issue: Consumer Reports did a research project where they went out and bought 300 chicken breasts and tested them. They found 90% had pathogenic bacteria. The bacteria all die if you cook them to 160 to 165 degrees, so they’re perfectly safe if you cook them with a thermometer. You don’t want to send Grandma to the hospital on the fourth of July.”

How to use a meat thermometer in an oven

Once you’ve set up the monitor or app you’ll be using to track the temperature, in-oven thermometers are fairly straightforward. Simply insert the probe a couple inches into whatever it is you’re cooking (if it’s a large piece of meat, opt for the thickest section). Make sure you haven’t accidentally left the probe touching anything that will throw off your reading—the edge of the baking tray, for example, or a piece of bone or fat that will heat up differently to the actual meat—then close the door and monitor your progress from the comfort of wherever you like!

How to use a meat thermometer when cooking on the stove

Stove-top cooking is even easier when it comes to meat thermometers. For the most accurate reading, remove the meat from the pan first, then insert the probe into the thickest part of the cut—once again avoiding bone, fat, the edge of the pan, etc.—and see what the readout says. If it’s not there yet, just give it a little more time.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is it worth buying a meat thermometer?

Naturally, Goldwyn says yes. “Steak is expensive! You don’t want to have company over and buy ribeyes and overcook them,” he says. “A medium rare steak is 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, not a penny more, not a penny less. You can’t tell for sure by cutting into it, because the inside of meat is anaerobic, there’s no oxygen. As soon as you give it oxygen [by cutting into it], the oxygen changes its color.”

“People worry that if you poke a hole in it [with a thermometer], it’s going to dry out,” Goldwyn continues. “That’s just not the case. A steak is 75% water: If you buy an eight-ounce filet mignon, it’s six ounces of water. If you lose three or four drops, you haven’t run it dry. You can stab it several times, it’s not going to hurt it.”

Where should you put the meat thermometer in a turkey?

“In the thickest part of the breast,” says Goldwyn. “It’s where they put that pop-up thermometer. Unfortunately, that pop-up thermometer is generally set for around 180 degrees [rather than 165], because [the turkey sellers] don’t want to be sued. At 180, the turkey is cardboard.”

Which is better, an analog or digital meat thermometer?

It’s not even close, which is why you won’t find any analog thermometers on our list. “Those dial thermometers are not accurate and they’re extremely slow,” warns Goldwyn. “If you have one of those, take it out, bring it to your driveway and back over it with your car,” he says. “This is the digital age, digital thermometers are extremely accurate and they can be very fast. The high-end ones, in the $80 to $100 range, can give you a precision reading in one or two seconds. But you don’t have to spend that much, there’s some really good ones in the $15 to $30 range that will give you a good, precision reading within five seconds.”

What are the most accurate thermometers?

The most accurate thermometers have a digital display (and not a dial with an arrow where you have to guess the result). As for specific brands, Thermoworks is often recommended by professional chefs (and made our list twice). Goldwyn personally is currently a fan of Fireboard for both accuracy and convenience.