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Meat thermometers (whether instant-read or not) are not primarily about preventing overcooking of meats. A better reason to buy an instant-read thermometer is to ensure that your cooked meats and poultry reach a safe internal temperature. Some cooks are fairly confident about this when it comes to roasts, steaks, chops, or burgers, but for a roast chicken or, even more so, a huge roast turkey, a thermometer becomes more important. Can you rely on your own experience and ability or should you buy an instant-read digital meat thermometer?
I was prompted to write this post because I found about ten too many articles that were positively precious about instant-read cooking thermometers. One of those articles said it was worth it to pay almost a hundred bucks for a Thermapen (ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen Professional Thermocouple Cooking Thermometer) because otherwise, you might overcook a $25 steak.
So, a couple of uses of such a fancy thermometer will pay for itself. To me, this seems to imply that if you were to over-cook an expensive steak you’d throw it out, and therefore having the thermometer to save it will pay for itself after about three uses.
I certainly could never get behind such logic. An overcooked steak is still a perfectly edible steak, and some folks actually like their steak well-done.
Meat Thermometers are Primarily for Safety
Again, the main purpose of a meat thermometer is to ensure you have reached the safe cooking temperature for the particular cut of meat or item you are cooking or heating.
Here are some examples of safe internal temperatures for various types and cuts of meat:
- Beef, Pork, Veal & Lamb Steaks, chops, roasts: 145° F (62.8 °C)
- Ground Meats: 160 °F (71.1 °C)
- All Poultry (breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, etc.): 165 °F (73.9 °C)
- Ham, fresh or smoked (uncooked): 145 °F (62.8 °C
- Fish & Shellfish: 145 °F (62.8 °C)
- Casseroles and Leftovers: 165 °F (73.9 °C)
I’d urge you to check out these safe cooking temperatures for meats and poultry.
Recommended Product: Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo Ambidextrous Backlit Instant Read Digital Meat Thermometer
Doneness Vs. Safety
Remember that doneness and safety are not the same things. Doneness has to do with your personal preference. You may like a steak cooked to a degree of doneness that does not allow it to reach a minimum safe temperature, for example.
A steak cooked to 145° F is considered to have reached the minimum safe temperature. This is generally considered to be a medium steak. Therefore, a rare steak will not have reached the minimum safe temperature, and for this reason, many restaurants refuse to cook steaks below medium or give you a stern warning about undercooked meats.
Of course, you can choose to cook a steak or other meat to a higher temperature and therefore a greater degree of doneness. I cannot tell you, however, whether you should disregard this minimum safe temperature. The only way to be certain you have reached this minimum is to use a meat thermometer.
You may have eaten many rare steaks and never had a problem. On the other hand, if you do get sick from meat, it probably was undercooked.
Poultry is simpler since when it is cooked to the minimum safe temperature of 165° F, it should be generally cooked to a degree of doneness that most people would find acceptable. However, when cooking a whole bird, different parts of the bird will reach higher temperatures more quickly, resulting in uneven doneness even when using a thermometer to check. A solution to this is spatchcock chicken.
If you are constantly worried about your meat or poultry being undercooked this can certainly cause you to often overcook it! So, an instant-read thermometer can help you to avoid this by letting you know when you’ve reached just the right temperature to ensure safety without overcooking and drying out your meat or chicken.
The important thing is safety, however, not doneness. Overcooked meat, poultry, or fish is still edible and quite safe.
Other Uses For Instant-Read Thermometers
For deep-fat frying, a thermometer can be handy. Otherwise, you’re left guessing or using other tests to check the temperature of your oil, such as the bread test.
For candy making, which requires great precision in temperature control, a thermometer may be essential. An instant-read thermometer can also be used for checking the temperature of any liquid such as baby’s formula or water for yeast when baking bread.
You do not need an expensive thermometer. The Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo will get the job done for about half the price of the product mentioned at the beginning of the article. You can use it not only for meat, but for frying, candy making, and any time you need to test the temperature of a liquid.
- Ultra-fast 2 second readouts thanks to a proprietary high-performance Japanese temperature sensor, making Javelin PRO Duo one of the most popular cooking and grilling accessories out there.
- Superb accuracy of ±0.5°F achievable by laboratory calibration. Javelin PRO Duo is an instrument-grade digital cooking thermometer designed to take the guesswork out of cooking.
- A large 2 180° auto-rotating and motion-activated backlit display makes Javelin PRO Duo instant read thermometer well-suited for glove-wearers, awkward angles, and left-handed users.
- With an expected battery life of 4000+ hours, as well as auto-sleep and motion-activated wake, Javelin PRO Duo is the perfect meat probe thermometer for extended cookouts.
- IP65-rated splash-proof construction shields the Javelin PRO Duo digital meat thermometer against spills, kitchen mishaps, and the daily rigors of both home and professional kitchens.
- Not all kitchen tools and gadgets are created equal. Javelin PRO Duo digital food thermometer is NSF, CE, RoHS, and UKCA certified for food safety and commercial use.
- Unlike other meat thermometers for cooking, Javelin PRO Duo kitchen thermometer uses an advanced meat thermometer digital interface to accelerate and stabilize clear and precise readouts.
- Used by professional chefs, BBQ competitors, cooking show hosts, and award-winning baristas, Javelin PRO Duo is so much more than just a kitchen thermometer for cooking.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Keep in mind that it is not all that difficult to learn to judge the doneness of a steak, but a thermometer can help a lot with roasts, especially turkey and chicken, and, in general, can help keep your family safe by ensuring you cook your meats and poultry to the minimum safe temperatures.
You can also use a thermometer to check the temperature of microwave meals such as pot pies, which usually must be cooked to 165° F to ensure safety.
Thermometer For Roasting Poultry
And instant-read thermometer is not the best for roasting poultry, however. For that, it’s best to use a thermometer that can be left in the bird while it is roasting so you will need a unit that can go in the oven.
This type could be used for any type of roast, of course. An example is the ThermoPro Large LCD Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer.
Thermocouple Instant-Read Thermometers
A thermocouple thermometer is the fastest instant-read thermometer you can get. This type will measure the internal temperature of food within 2 to 5 seconds. They have a fine tip and such precision that you can use them even for thin foods.
Recommended Less Expensive Instant-Read Thermometer: Thermopro Ultra-Fast Digital Meat Thermometer
- Ultra-fast and accurate: Kitchen thermometer features advanced thermocouple technology that provides 2-3 seconds response time; 4 inches food grade probe thermometer guarantees an accurate temp reading to ±0.9°F with a wide temp range of 14°F - 572°F
- Lock Function: Digital meat thermometer for grilling can lock the current temp when the probe is removed from food and keep the temp displayed, no more dangerously peering into the oven or grill
- Large backlit display: Cooking thermometer features backlight LED display with large luminous digits to let you see clearly while cooking in the evening indoors or outdoors; 90 seconds auto-off to save battery life; batteries included
- Convenient storage: Digital thermometer for cooking with foldaway probe, features a magnetic back to allow you to easily attach to refrigerator or any metal surface; a hanging hole for your kitchen hooks or a lanyard
- Calibration: Calibration function adjusts your instant read thermometer probe sensor back to the correct accuracy, making this instant thermometer which lasts a lifetime
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Don’t confuse an instant-read digital thermometer with an infrared laser thermometer or with an oven thermometer.