Customer Reviews

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer (RED) - Thermoworks

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've tried plenty of other cheaper digitals. If I'd bought the Thermapen first I'd have saved a lot of money. Mine gets to 32 F in an ice bath in 3 seconds flat. It seems totally instant when I'm bbqing. I can grill a dozen steaks and cook each of them to each guest's request. None of my other digitals could do that. Forget the digital forks, they make big holes in the meat and they're real slow. I've tried two of the CDN QT450 mentioned in Cook's magazine. Both konked out. The red probe tips chipped off. And one was alot slower than the other. Neither one even close to the Thermoworks Thermapen speed. I use the Thermapen almost every time I cook. Completely changes the quality of my cooking. The latest Cook's review still says the Thermapen is their first choice. If they understood how fast the CDNs konk-out, maybe they wouldn't recommend it as a cheaper alternative. In the end it isn't. Go with the Thermapen.

This Thermapen is a Godsend! Takes five seconds to register the temp, is comfortable to hold and easy to read. You cannot clip this on the side of a pan, which is inconvenient if you're monitoring liquids. If you buy it direct from the manufacturer, you can choose from nine colors. I always overcooked meat for fear of it not being cooked enough. Now I am enjoying the process for the first time in 40 years.

The other day I was making fried chicken. I stuck my old deep-fry thermometer in the oil (Polder? Taylor?). A little later I noticed the oil was at the smoke point. Alarmed, I checked the thermometer and it read just 320. Junk. I stuck the Thermapen in and in one second it told me it was actually near 400. I'm a tool junkie and have bought more than my share of fancy thermometers over the years. They're all garbage, like using a sun dial instead of a watch. The Thermapen is gold. Gold. Get one now.

I've used this is great thermometer for over a year and it's been nearly flawless. The only drawback is that the LCD display does not like to get wet. If it gets damp and you don't dry it off immediately, you will get unreliable readings or none at all. As other reviewers mentioned, don't wash the Thermapen body or use it in the rain.

Other than that, it is fast and accurate as others have stated.

BTW, Thermaworks has great customer service (guess how I know that).

I have burned through dozens of instant read thermometers in the past and have been looking for a new one that will work. I have the newest version of this item with the 3s read time instead of the old 5s. This thing works like a charm. It is worth the money.

Every once in a while you find a product so far superior to everything else that you want to shout it from the rooftops. The Thermapen is one of those products.

It reads temperatures so rapidly that you can easily check the temperature of your meat or poultry at multiple sites in seconds. No more worrying if you have the probe in the exact right place or not -- just slide the tip through the meat and watch the temperature display change almost instantly. All the anxiety about safely cooking meat and poultry -- gone!

It is super easy to use and the display is readable without my reading glasses. I just wash the probe with dish soap and running water after I use it. (You cannot immerse the body of the pen in liquid.)

The Thermapen is made in the United Kingdom. If you go to the manufacturer's website (thermoworks.com), you can find the pen in a large range of colors, with special offers when you buy multiple pens. It is available in Fahrenheit or Centigrade, and there are accessories available too. (I love the leather storage wallet.)

Try this and you will see why it is top-rated by Cook's Illustrated magazine. I am a fan for life.

Cooking thermometers have come a long way in the 15 years.

I remember the old mechanical spiral-dial thermometer that my parents used - it was terrible. It's temperature response time was measured in minutes, and if it got you within +/- 20F of your target temperature, you were lucky. Candy thermometers offere a slight improvement in speed and accuracy, but were calibrated too high a range to be useful for grilling and baking.

Then the first of the digital thermometers came out for home cooks. As a budding humebrewer and someone who loved to cook, I immediately bought the best ones I could fine. Unfortunately, although faster and more accurate, they were still a bit slow ... taking up to 30 sec to stabilize. They also tended to be moisture sensitive, needed periodic re-calibration to retain accuracy, had to be turned on and off manually, and frequently needed new batteries. However, they were still a giant step forward.

About 5 years ago (guess?), I saw the first Thermapen in a Baker's catalog, which ballyhooed it's speed, accuracy, and convenience. I promptly bought one and tried it. I was delightfully surprised to encounter a product that actually did everything as well as it claimed.

LIKES:

* SPEED & ACCURACY: Courtesy of the probe's tapered tip, and modern thermocouple, the thermapen can get an accurate reading within 1F in roughly 3-4 seconds ... and the tip is tapered enough so that it only makes a small hole, without overly damaging that you're measuring. That makes all sorts of things possible - you can accurately check individual chops, burgers, sausages and fish for proper doneness while grilling, and you can check oven roasts and baked bread for doneness in a blink without losing all the heat in your oven (although if you're serious about baking, you should be using a wireless instant read instead). The unit also seems to retain excellent accuracy, and doesnt need regular re-calibration.

* ERGONOMIC: I like how the probe is protected by having it fold and clip into the side of the unit, so it can fit securely into your pocket ... no protective tube to lose, or awkward clamshell case. It's fairly rugged, and doesnt mind being bumped around in the ol kitchen tools drawer. The unit also turns itself off after a few minutes, to protect the battery (12v type 23A ... it looks like a half-length AAA).

MINOR NITS:

* F/C: There's no switch to change between farenheit and celsius ... you have to buy one set to one scale or the other. It can't do both. There's also no calibration adjustment ... although I dont really miss it, because this unit seems to stay accurate, despite years of use.

* BETTER SWIVEL NEEDED: I really like the folding probe, but because it only folds along 1 plane, it can sometimes cause awkward hand and viewing angles. It would have been better if the swivel were redesigned to allow full XYZ (3D) rotation, instead of only XY (2D).

* PRICEY: At $85-90 USD, it's priced rather steep. However, I've gotten years of very satisfied use out of mine, the battery is changeable, and it's been worth the price. Still, I'd like to see the price come down.

* SIZE: Although fairly compact and fits neatly into a pocket, there's still plenty of room for further size reduction.

Highly recommended ... if your budget permits.

I have owned this thermometer for 2 days and it works as advertised. I decided to get this after serving $55 dollars worth of steak that was way undercooked. I tested this instrument on vigorously boiling water: 212 degrees in under 5 seconds. I grill out a lot and I need both speed and accuracy and this unit delivers. My other 'instant read' meters take 30+ seconds before giving a reading and you are not quite sure when you have the final temp.

I put the probe under my tongue and it reads 98 degrees. I wave it around the room for about 20 seconds and I get a pretty accurate reading of the ambient temperature in the room - this takes longer because the probe is not being inserted into anything.

Pros: Accuracy, Speed, small diameter probe, large display, minimum probe depth: 1/8", huge temperature range (-50 to 575).
Cons: Design favors right handed use.

I have heard that this unit is a favorite among restaurant health inspectors. It is easy to see why.

On the surface, this seems a lot of money for a thermometer but once used you wish you had purchased it earlier. Large screen makes the temperature easy to read although an illumination feature would be good for night time grilling. Feedback is very near instantaneous but the best feature is the ability to know what part of the probe is actually doing the reading (the tip). The probe is long enough to reach near center on the largest cuts of meat being cooked.

I purchased my Thermapen about a year ago. It's worked flawlessly since day one. It reads a very wide range of temperatures quickly and accurately. It's made a huge difference in meat preparation - I no longer overcook. Steaks, chops, poultry all come out perfect and I no longer worry about undercooking. I've used it for everything from checking the temperature of our hot water heater to the temperature of milk in our refrigerator. If you're serious about cooking, this is a professional quality tool.