The Best Digital Probe Thermometer

Having a digital probe thermometer in the kitchen is definitely a game-changer in cooking. It is hard to judge whether a food is thoroughly cooked by merely looking at it. This is especially true if you are cooking large portions of meat, such as your turkey for thanksgiving or having a backyard barbecue with friends and family.

Visuals don’t tell you if the insides of the meat are cooked, and we know how important it is to hit the right temperature to get the tenderness and texture you love. Neither would you want to undercook nor overcook your meat, and using a digital probe thermometer is the best way to avoid it.

In order to identify the best digital probe thermometer on the market, we’ve gone through and reviewed some of the most popular products prior to creating this buying guide.

Our top picks

It wasn’t an easy task to identify the best digital probe thermometers, but some stood out and surprised us in a positive way. Below are the top picks of our team.

The best one we found in terms of value and quality is the ThermoPro TP20 digital probe thermometer. It comes with dual probes that work well in ovens, grills, and smokers. The dual probes can be used to monitor two different types of meats, which is great when cooking more than one kind of meat at the same time.

Aside from being able to measure the temperature of two different meats simultaneously, it also features preset temperature options for different types of meats (e.g. beef, chicken, pork, etc.), as well as different types of doneness levels for those (e.g. rare, medium, and well done among others). It gives you full control over how you want your meat cooked according to your preference. The preset temperatures are as recommended by the USDA.

Another thing that we like about this thermometer is its hands free monitor and the hassle-free setup. The product comes with a wireless receiver that will flash and beep to let you know that the food has reached the preset temperature.

You can enjoy leisure time with family and friends, while waiting for your food to cook just the way you want it to, without worrying about over- or undercooking it.

Because of its nature, there’s no Bluetooth nor WiFi syncs required, in order to make it work. It’s quite straightforward to use, and the backlit LED display gives you clear readings even when it’s dark outside.

Specifications:                                           

• Temperature Range: 32 to 572^oF (0 to 300^oC)
• Accuracy: ±1.8°F (±1°C)
• Unit of Temperature: Fahrenheit and Celsius
• Battery: 4 AAA Batteries (Included)

Want to monitor the temperatures of up to four meats at a time? Or perhaps four different areas of one big piece of meat? Then the Weber iGrill 3 is the best digital probe thermometer for you. It comes with two probes upon purchase, but you can add up two more if you want added capabilities.

Unlike other digital probe thermometers, this product doesn’t come with a receiver. But don’t worry. You’ll still be able to monitor the temperature from afar through the Weber iGrill app, which is available for both Android and iOS. It notifies you through your phone if the food has reached the set temperature. It also has presets for the doneness of the meat that you can choose from. You can focus on prepping other dishes or engage with your guests, while your meat reach the right internal temperature.

It’s worth noting that this digital probe thermometer is specifically made for the Weber Genesis II, Genesis II LX, and Spirit II gas grills. However, it does actually work with any grill but doesn’t mount into those like it does on the Weber grills’ dedicated sockets for this particular thermometer.

There are also some smartphones the app is not compatible with. This includes iPhone 4, iPad 1^st and 2^nd generation, as well as Huawei phones. Other than that, the thermometer and the app works great and is definitely of great convenience.

Specifications:

• Temperature Range: -22 to 572^oF (-30 to 300^oC)
• Batter Life: 250hrs
• Battery: 1 Lithium Polymer Battery (Included)

Are you often cooking more than one type of meat at once? Then consider getting the NutriChef Smart Bluetooth BBQ Grill Thermometer. It comes with the choice of either two probes or one probe upon purchase, but you can add four more probes if needed! Yes, you can simultaneously monitor up to 6 different types of meats at once.

Like other app connected thermometers, the NutriChef doesn’t come with a receiver that you can carry around. However, you can either use the transmitter, which has a digital display, or easily connect it through the EZ BBQ Mobile App to apply settings and get notifications when the meat is about to reach the desired temperature. It has 11 preset temperature options for the most popular types of meat, enabling you to easily cook the meat to the doneness you like.

What’s also great about this app is that you can save your own cooking presets of your favorite recipes! No need to keep adjusting the settings every time you decide to whip up your favorite meal. Another thing is that you can have different probes in different settings for different meats, or your preferred doneness.

The app is compatible with any newer iOS and Android devices, and can be used on any gas or charcoal barbecue, smoker, or even in the oven. There aren’t many restrictions for this model, which makes it more convenient and portable than others. Just make sure that you are within 300ft outdoors and 100ft indoors distance for the Bluetooth hardware to stay connected.

Specifications:

• Max Probe Temperature: 482^oF
• Max Stainless Steel Cable Temperature: 716^oF
• Unit of Temperature: Fahrenheit and Celsius
• Battery: 2 AA Battery

If you’re grilling multiple steaks at once, and want to reach just the right temperature in all of them, the Lavatools PT12 Javelin is your best choice.

This little digital probe thermometer instantly reads the temperature of any type of meat, and you don’t have to worry about inserting it properly because you can do readings in multiple areas of your meat to ensure it’s been properly cooked on any side.

With the Javelin meat thermometer, you’ll get a fast, precise, and durable thermometer at a very affordable price. It only takes 3-4 seconds per reading, making it perfect for practically any food you can imagine.

It has a simple design with multiple beautiful colors to choose from, that would fit any kitchen and taste. There are no exterior buttons to confuse you, and the probe easily folds in and out of the handle.

What’s more, you ask? Well, aside from how well is performs, it is also made to be splash resistant and therefore protected from small spills and other unforeseen kitchen mishaps. It also has a magnetic back to easily store it on any steel or iron surface, but it’s also compact enough to fit in most drawers.

Even though it isn’t as sophisticated as the other probe thermometers in this list, it is a must-have kitchen item, especially if you’re still new to cooking or don’t grill or cook large portions of food often. It is also quite affordable, and therefore great for any beginner or aspiring home cook.

Specifications:

• Temperature Range: -40 to 482^oF (-40 to 250^oC)
• Accuracy: ±0.9°F (±0.5°C)
• Battery Life: 4000+ hours
• Battery: 1 Lithium Metal Batteries (Included)

Buying guide

Aside from the products recommended in this article, there are plenty of great digital probe thermometers to choose from.

Below are some useful features to consider, if you want to have a look at your options before deciding on what’s right for you:

Thermometer type

There are a lot of thermometer types that you can use for cooking, and probe thermometers are just a fraction of it. For probe thermometers, you can choose between instant-read thermometers and leave-in thermometers. But how do you choose between the two?

The answer to that question would depend on what you will use it for. For slow-cooking meat, a leave-in thermometer would be best to use as you can have the temperature monitored to your desired setting without having to abrupt the cooking or open the lid of your grill.

An instant-read thermometer also lets you take the temperature within a few seconds, keeping you from undercooking or overcooking your food. But unlike leave-in thermometers, you’ll have to manually put in the probe every time you want to read the temperature. It’s great for measuring food in a steam tray, a fryer, a pot, and even cold items in salad bars. It also doesn’t break the bank as, it is usually cheaper than leave-in thermometers.

Accuracy

Whether you are getting a leave-in thermometer or an instant-read thermometer, one quality that you should definitely check is the accuracy of the readings. There will always be a gap in terms of accuracy, but the best one should be the product closer to zero. This makes sure that you have cooked your food as you want it to, not leaving it to be too undercooked or overcooked.

One thing we’ve learned, is to read up on user ratings across multiple sites, in order to evaluate the general user satisfaction.

Simple design

A simple design doesn’t mean that you should consider only getting those that have on and off buttons, although it definitely makes it easier to use. What we mean by simple design is that the buttons should be straightforward and don’t cause much confusion. This also includes how the product is set up and connects to a device if there is any.

Additional features

Again, additional features aren’t needed, and would greatly depend on your preference.

One additional feature that’s worth looking for if you’re often cooking large amounts of food, is the ability to add more than one probe to your thermometer.

App connectivity is also worth considering, if you like your gadgets a bit more high-tech and would like to keep them updated with new software and settings.

Notes from the editor

The following articles have been used as part of our research:

• Different Types of Kitchen Thermometers and Their Uses by Danilo Alfaro
• Pros of Using A Digital Thermometer for Food By Nick of Comark Instruments