The best meat thermometers you can buy

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The Insider Pick:

If you like to grill or cook meat at home, it's a good idea to have a meat thermometer on hand. The Lavatools Javelin Digital Meat Thermometer is our top pick because it's intuitive to use, provides fast and accurate measurements, is easy to read, and has a magnet on the back so you can store it on your fridge.

There are plenty of hacks out there for telling if your meat is done. You can cook your chicken until the juices run clear. You might press on your hand as a reference guide for how done your steak is. Or, you may simply slice the cut of meat in half and eyeball it.

All of these methods are fairly valid. But, I prefer precision. I want to know the moment my roast reaches a safe internal temperature. If I wait any longer, I fear that I might lose some flavor and juiciness. If perfection is your goal, then a meat thermometer should be an indispensable tool in your culinary repertoire.

Types of Meat Thermometers

There are two types of meat thermometers that tend to work better than the rest: probe thermometers with cords and digital instant-read thermometers. Instant-read thermometers generally take less than 10 seconds to provide an accurate reading, work well in all sorts of foods, and are not designed to remain in the meat while it’s cooking.

Probe meat thermometers with cords typically cost a bit more but they remain in the food while it’s cooking in the oven, grill, or smoker. And, many of the best models will also alert you when the meat is at the optimal temperature.

Beyond these alternatives, there are analog dial thermometers, thermometer-fork combinations, thermocouples, disposable indicators, and the infamously inaccurate pop-up indicator that comes with your turkey. We didn’t think any of these latter styles performed well enough to include them in our guide, but if you would like to learn more about their pros and cons, the USDA gives a helpful rundown.

We also want to note that ThermoWorks produces many of the highest-rated thermometers, but we didn’t feel their performance justified their exorbitant prices. There are several options that work just as well at a fraction of the price.

Our research into the best meat thermometers involved a close examination of countless reviews and ratings from consumers and experts. The five meat thermometers we chose to include in this guide exhibited a strong track record of accuracy, easy usability, and durability.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Lavatools Javelin Digital Meat Thermometer is our top pick and why you might prefer the ThermoPro Wireless Remote Meat Thermometer, the Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo Digital Meat Thermometer, the iDevices Kitchen Thermometer, and the Polder Stable-Read Digital Thermometer.

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