The 3 Best Instant-Read Thermometers for 2024, According to Our Tests.

How to Use an Instant-Read Thermometer

What do you use an instant-read thermometer for?

Use an instant-read thermometer whenever you need a quick, accurate snapshot of the current temperature of food. Most people understand their utility for grilling or roasting meats, but you can also use them in sauce-making where you need to know the temperature, like when tempering custard, or for scalding milk in cheese-making. 

Most people think of using a thermometer to test how hot something is, but you can also use an instant-read thermometer to measure if something is cold enough, like whether your ice cream base is ready to spin. There’s also a place for instant-read thermometers in food safety, checking if the food you’ve set out on a buffet is outside of the microbial danger zone, or if the braised meat you just labored over (and which is always better when you let it cool in the cooking liquid overnight) is cool enough to safely store.

How far do you insert an instant-read thermometer?

Upon examining the five instant-read thermometers in my kitchen (I test cooking products for a living, OK?), all share a common trait. Their probes have a thinner, needle-like tip to make insertion easier that broadens about an inch from the end. Ideally, you should insert the thermometer’s probe far enough to cover that narrow end that houses the sensor. Expanding a little from that, you should insert the probe until the tip is in the middle of the food, provided the piece of food you’re testing is a uniform thickness. Because nature doesn’t often create uniform food, take a chicken thigh, for example, you should forgo the center as a target and insert the probe into the thickest part of the food, away from any bones, which are fantastic heat conductors and will give you an inaccurate reading.

How We Tested Instant-Read Thermometers

Over the past few years, we've tested more than two dozen instant-read thermometers in both our testing lab and homes to measure two key points: their accuracy and their response time. We originally tested 22 models from brands including ThermoWorks, ThermoPro, Taylor, Cuisinart, OXO, Weber, Maverick, BBQ Dragon, Venigo, Saunorch, and Kizen. In our most recent round of tests, we brought back our top-rated instant-reads and added brands like Dash and Typhur to the lineup for the following tests.

Sous vide test: We set up an immersion circulator (the heat-control portion of sous vide cooking) to bring a water bath to 134°F. We then tested each thermometer's response time and temperature, repeating the test three times. In these tests, we noted any temperature variation from the immersion circulator and any deviations in the instant-read reports. We then averaged the instant-read temperatures and response times.

Boiling water test: To test higher temperature thresholds, we performed the same tests as the sous vide portion, using water at a full, rolling boil. Again, we recorded and averaged the response times and temperature readings.

Ice water test: To test accuracy at freezing temperatures, we filled plastic containers with ice then water, waiting two minutes for the water to chill. We submerged the thermometers then recorded the response times and temperatures, then we put the thermometers in warm water until their temperatures came up to at least 68°F. We repeated these steps four times to get an average final temperature.

Grilling test: With this test, we sought to put the thermometers through a more practical application. We inserted wired thermometers into pork loin to let us know when the meat reached 135°F; when the meat reached its target temperature, the wired models alerted us and we inserted the instant-reads. We judged them on how easy they were to insert into the meat without completely it from the grill and how easy they were to read in outdoor light.

Other Instant-Read Thermometers We Recommend

Dash Meat Thermometer

$13 $8 at Amazon View on Bydash.com

The Dash delivers speed and accuracy at a fraction of the price of our favorite, albeit with some design sacrifices. This thermometer registered within 1°F to 2°F of accuracy in our freezing and boiling water tests with even better accuracy in our cooking tests, which reflects a more normal usage. It had a three- to five-second response time, which puts it slightly behind the Thermapen ONE. The price, however, is hard to beat.

OXO Thermometer

$105 $78 at Amazon $105 at Williams Sonoma $105 at Wayfair

One of the top performers in our meat thermometer tests, the Oxo Good Grips instant-read thermometer measured within 1°F of accuracy and took between three and five seconds to react. It's a basic model with an easy-to-read display that also accommodates left-handed folks. It lacks features, though you can switch between measuring in whole numbers (rounding up or down) or decimals (to the 10th of a degree). While it comes at a lower price than the Thermapen ONE, we chose the Thermapen ONE as our Best Overall because it reacts quicker and the construction feels a bit more durable.

Our Expertise

Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Food Republic, and other publications. In addition to writing over 30 articles on grilling and barbecuing, he’s tested wireless thermometers, cutting boards, wood-burning and gas pizza ovens, a kamado grill, and more.