Meat thermometer for grilling/kitchen

I'm very new to cooking...... Very new. I have been grilling for sometime now but I have always judged "doneness" by time or looks. That is not working too good for me. Now that I am educating myself on certain aspects of cooking I see that a meat thermometer is what I need. Do I need a fancy one or does a Thermometer I can pick up in Walmart do the same thing?

 

Just get a basic probe thermometer at Walmart.

They're all made in China, anyway, and when you get more experienced you'll only use one seldomly.

 

http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/thermometer-reviews-and-ratings

The Thermapen is awesome. Almost instantaneous temperature reading. Pricey, but well worth it.

 

Get one of the restaurant style ones with a thinner probe. Dont get the giant ones with the huge probe. It will leave a larger hole for all of the juices to run out of. Simple is fine, you can even calibrate it using ice water, or boiling water. Also their recommended temps on the packaging are usually a little higher than you really need to cook the meat. Poultry is really the only one you need to be careful with. Cook poultry to 155-160. After it rests for a few minutes off the heat it should continue to rise to 165. If you pull it off at 165, it will end up 175+, more likely to be tough and dry. Beef cook how you like. Pork as well, 135 or so will be a little pink still, nice and juicy but still safe. Have fun.

 

Something like this is all you need. There are 2 versions the one up to 220 is what you prolly want. https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Atkin...67494554&sr=1-12&keywords=cooking+thermometer

 

Amazon has them for $157...


depends how much you are going to get in to cooking...if you arent doing it much then go cheap. also get one of these if you are going to get in to candy making....

$8 Taylor Classic Line Candy/Deep Fry Thermometer

https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Preci...8_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1468010223&sr=1-4

 

X2 I love mine i have the
Maverick ET-732 Wireless Dual Probe as well for the BBQ it's nice to be in the house prepping other things and know your meat and BBQ temp saves a lot of burnt/over cooked food.

 

Absolutely the best. You can get them directly from Thermoworks for just under $100.00. Yes price but well worth it. I have 3 (different colors for different meats). You can go cheaper but not better.

 

Does Cabelas carry a decent one in-store? Im heading out of town and want to pick one up along the way, smoking ribs and chicken at the beach. I want a Thermapen but can't afford one right now. Hopefully Cabelas has a $30 cheapie that works decent enough for occasional use.

 

Looking at the Cabelas website I see that they sell the Polder Classic Cooking Thermometer. I have one of these also and it is a good one. Unlike a thermopen or any instant read thermo this one is made to leave the probe in the meat as it is cooking. Polder is a good company and this is a nice thermo. Price is $19.99.

 

Thanks. I was looking for something more like one that could be instant read so it doesn't stay in the meat and let juices out longer than necessary. That's my *theory*, anyway.

 

i have a thermopen. the older version. cost me $80 back then. takes 6 secs to get a read. the new one is silicon coated and reads in half the time. i just bought a new one for a friends baby-gift. figured they could use it too cook and test food/milk temps for the twins. it was $100

having said that..America's test kitchen just tested one that cost like $20 and tied in rankings with the Thermopen. if i had to do it again, i would go with the $20 version..and it reads in 6 secs as well..IIRC. google it.

AND KUDOS to the OP for testing doneness by temp. it is the only real way beside slicing into the food.

 

Thanks aficionado, tired of serving cut up meat...lol

 

I agree with something that is "instant" read (it takes a little longer than an instant actually, but a few seconds is good) and a thin probe.
I use my thermometer every time I grill or smoke, even if I can judge by looking at it, I am now so used to it that that I use it anyway to double check.
Also, as mentioned above, pull the meat off the grill 5 degrees or so under your target temp since it will continue to cook for a while after taken off the heat.

 

I looked at the Thermapen but it was just more money that I want to spend. I saw the Thermapop, by the same makers, for roughly 1/3 the price. Read reviews and found it was super accurate and only took about 2 seconds longer to get the temp than the pen. It has been working flawlessly. Maybe organize a group buy?! Purchase five or more and get five dollars off each one...

I also have the Maveric dual probe, which, generally speaking, I really like. It's good to see the internal temp of the meat and the grill temp continuously. The issues I have is the receiver is a battery hog, and it is not intuitive in the least to navigate the menus. So bad that of all the functions I only use it to watch the temp.

http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop?gclid=CNO9qNzEhc4CFVKDfgodeskOaw

 

I have several but this relative cheap one is my favorite.

 

i go a schooch higher with dark meat. breast meat, i target 160 with military precision.

 

iGrill2
https://www.amazon.com/iDevices-IGR0009P5-iGrill2-Bluetooth-Thermometer/dp/B00NC4KU42

 

Only experience I have with this one is my best friend has it. Super nice but you have to watch how many walls you have between you and the base. He loses signal about 1/2 way into his kitchen which is nowhere near the expected signal range. If he is outside with nothing between them the signal is pretty darn good though.

Outside of that it's pretty nice, cool having one less gadget you have to pay attention to/tote around.

 

I agree with the range/interference issue. I'm lucky enough to have large windows between my back deck and my kitchen/family room.