This Meat Thermometer Has 23,000+ Five-Star Reviews on Amazon
This Meat Thermometer Has 23,000+ Five-Star Reviews on Amazon
We updated this guide in February 2023 to ensure all picks tested and vetted by the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute were in stock and correctly priced.
Using a meat thermometer when grilling during the summer or roasting a turkey around the holidays is the easiest way to ensure properly cooked meat. The best ones allow you to quickly and easily monitor the internal temperature so you can avoid overcooking and serving dried-out food — or, worse, undercooking, which could result in illness. (Always follow the USDA's guidelines for food safety.)
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab, our experts test thousands of products each year, including grill thermometers and electric knives for carving your perfectly cooked meats. To find the best meat thermometer, our pros put 28 thermometers to the test on roasted chicken or grilled steak and in controlled temperature tests. We also evaluated the ease of use and cleaning as well as the readability and response time. Based on our tests, these are the best meat thermometers you can buy in 2023.
Our top picks:
You can read more about how we evaluate meat thermometers in our Lab and consumer tests — plus everything you need to know to shop for one — at the end of this guide. And if this is your first time using this gadget, we also have a guide on how to use a meat thermometer.
1) Thermapen One
Thermoworks
thermoworks.com
$99.00
This Thermoworks meat thermometer is our overall top performer and a winner of our Kitchen Gear Awards. It activates the moment you unfold it, and the tapered probe easily pierces thin and thick meats to deliver accurate results in one second. The screen is very easy to read and offers readings to the tenth of a degree. It has an auto-sleep mode that will help conserve the battery, or you can simply fold it back up to turn it off. The large body offers a comfortable grip and has enough length to protect your hands from heat. And it comes in 10 fun colors.
2) Instant-Read Digital Thermometer
Char-Broil
amazon.com
$24.20
This compact digital instant-read thermometer performed well in our tests, giving accurate temperature readings in less than 10 seconds, scoring a four out of five for responsiveness. It has a few tricks up its sleeve, like auto-off and seven selectable meat types along with their suggested doneness levels — and it speaks seven languages! It also features an alarm to let you know when your meat is done.
3) Chef's Precision Digital Leave-In Thermometer
OXO Good Grips
bedbathandbeyond.com
$44.99
While most digital thermometers aren't safe to leave in the oven or smoker because the typically plastic housing can melt and its screen can deform, this digital pick has a probe with an extra-long cord to stay in your meat throughout the cooking process while the base rests on your counter. It has safe and secure storage space for the probe inside the thermometer's housing, plus plenty of space to snugly wrap the long cord around it. We like the large screen that's easy to read and program with our desired doneness temperatures. It also comes with a timer, which makes keeping an eye on your meat even easier. One caveat: It was more accurate in our controlled heat test than it was when tested in a cut of meat.
4) TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer
ThermoPro
amazon.com
$24.99
This top Amazon pick has more than 21,000 five-star reviews and is a budget-friendly thermometer with some high-end features. The probe rotates 180 degrees to give you access to all foods regardless of size or positioning, and the display itself autorotates (though you can choose to lock it) so it's easy to read for right- and left-handed users. It's also magnetic — great for storing on the fridge, oven or grill — and has a hanging loop. The manufacturer claims a response time of three to four seconds with an accuracy of ±0.9 degrees, though we haven't tested those claims in the Lab.
5) Meater Plus
MEATER
amazon.com
$99.95
This wireless thermometer pairs with an app via Bluetooth so you can keep an eye on your steak's temperature from your phone. When you let the app know what you're cooking and select your desired doneness, it will calculate the estimated cooking time. It comes with a storage case that's also its charging station, and it will alert you when fully charged. It scored well in our accuracy tests, and our pros appreciated not having to work around any cords.
6) ThermoPop?
Thermoworks
thermoworks.com
$15.99
This small but mighty thermometer scored a five out of five for accuracy in Lab testing. The display is backlit and shows large digits, making it easy to read. The splash-proof thermometer comes in nine bright colors, and according to the company, is durable and constructed to outlast similar thermometers. The only downside is that the small buttons may be slightly difficult to use for those with larger hands. It takes up less room in drawers than the fold-up types and includes a protective sleeve with a handy clip.
7) Javelin Pro Duo Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer
Lavatools
amazon.com
$55.99
The Javelin Pro aced our accuracy tests and landed in the top spot for our best grill thermometers because the thin tip works well for small foods like chicken thighs, and the probe is long enough for big cuts like pork shoulder. We also love the handy storage features: It's magnetic so you can pop it on the grill once it's cooled or store it on your fridge, and it has a hanging loop that works on tool hooks. The autorotating display makes it comfortable for right- and left-handed users, and it includes a one-touch backlight option for better readability.
8) Good Grips Chef's Precision Analog Leave-In Meat Thermometer
OXO
amazon.com
$16.95
With this three-inch dial, you won’t need to squint to see the temperature. It's easy to hold and it comes with a probe cover that protects the tip — and your fingers — during storage. The face displays USDA-recommended temperatures for various types of meat. This was the top-performing dial thermometer in our tests and scored five out of five in all categories. The probe features a shaded section, which lets you know how deep to insert it into the meat.
9) Spark
FireBoard
fireboard.com
$149.00
Our pros loved this thermometer for its versatility: The base is an instant-read thermometer with a thin tip that works well for a variety of foods, and it includes the option to attach a probe (sold separately) that you can leave in food during cooking. Both functions scored well in our accuracy tests. The base is straightforward with a large, clear display, which autorotates for easy viewing at any angle. It also connects to a smartphone app that displays data for the instant-read and leave-in probes. In our tests, we noticed that the app lagged very slightly behind the device itself, but it was accurate within seconds.
The best meat thermometers, including thermocouples, digital, instant-read and dial models, that are easy to use and accurate for meat, fish and poultry.