Best Cooking Thermometer Reviews 2020

Are you in the market for a cooking thermometer? Maybe you've been using one for years and need a replacement, or you've just realized the need for one. Either way, you'll need to browse through myriads of products to determine the one that’s best for you. Did you just say "oh my! Where’s the time and energy for all that”? Not to worry! We’re here to help you reduce the process by narrowing down your choices. After extensive research, we’ve come up with a list of five top products from five top brands, though these brands do have other products to check out if you want.

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Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Type

Temperature

Size

Probes

Remote Range

Our Top Choice

Maverick Wireless Cooking Thermometer

Maverick Industries, Inc., is dedicated to high-quality, inventive technology, and collaboration with other leading brands for ultimate consumer satisfaction.

Monitors internal meat temperatures from 300 feet away. Stores settings even when it's turned off.

No up and down controls for getting the temperature you want; have to hold down.

Wireless

Temperature up to 572°F

9.7 x 9.1 x 3.5 inches; 1 pound

Yes; 300 feet

Best Value

ThermoPro Wireless Cooking Thermometer

ThermoPro is a brand of iTronics, a manufacturer and distributor of electronic consumer gadgets; it employs its vast experience to create products its customers will love.

Automatic transmitter that shuts down if temperature is below 122°F for 2 hours. Timer counts up and down.

It uses up a lot of batteries.

Wireless

16°F to 482°F

6.5 x 2.6 x 6.1 inches; 0.53 pounds

Yes; 300 feet

iDevices iGrill2 Cooking Thermometer

iDevices started manufacturing grilling gadgets and appliances over 50 years ago, and continues to make products that make even the "lamest" griller look like a pro.

150-foot Bluetooth range. 4 probe ports that allow you to monitor 4 different cuts of meat simultaneously.

The Bluetooth smart range may be less than 150 feet in some areas.

Bluetooth

-22° F to 572° F

8.5 x 8.8 x 2.7 inches; 0.75 pounds

Yes; 150 feet

Lavatools Cooking Thermometer

Lavatools was founded as a solution to the issues that plague the modern-day kitchen, to challenge accepted standards and bring improved speed and accuracy to your kitchen.

High measuring range. Ambidextrous display.

The probe hinge is tight.

Digital

-40° F to 482° F

4.5 x 1.4 x 0.8 inches; 0.3 pounds

Alpha Grillers Instant Read Meat Thermometer

Alpha Grillers is a family-owned company, that puts customers before profit and always seeks to provide the very best for grillers at any level of expertise.

Starts reading immediately, and powers off when you flip it back. Magnet on the back, and can be calibrated.

The plastic it’s made of is not too strong.

Digital

-4º F to 392º F

6.3 x 2 x 1.6 inches; 0.15 pounds

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Watch Our Cooking Thermometer Review

What is the Best Cooking Thermometer?

No single cooking thermometer can be called the best cooking thermometer on the market. There are differing products with differing features that appeal to different people in different ways. It’s important that as you read this review, you note the features that are essential for a good cooking thermometer so you can look out for them while shopping for one.

Our Top Choice

The Maverick Wireless Cooking Thermometer is a revolutionary tool that helps you remotely monitor and regulate the temperature of your meat or whatever you’re smoking, grilling, or cooking. Do you want a thermometer that costs less, and even features a laser pointer? We recommend the Maverick Laser Surface Thermometer.

Maverick Wireless Cooking Thermometer - Includes Bear Paw Meat Handlers

Features

Maverick Industries, Inc., was established in 1981, and it made its appearance with an inventive array of electronic barbecue grills, all made in New Jersey. With high-quality products in this class, it launched itself as one of the significant trendsetters in the industry. Its thermometers are dependable tools that promote food safety and decrease the occurrences of food poisoning or food-borne sicknesses. Its dedication to high-quality, inventive technology and collaborating with other leading brands has made it a safe and reliable choice for all concerned.

The Maverick Wireless Cooking Thermometer has become vastly popular with both lay persons and veterans across the nation. It’s a product of feedback from Maverick's customers through the years; an innovative tool that helps you remotely monitor the temperature of whatever you’re grilling, smoking, baking, or cooking.

It has many great features, which include:

A wireless receiver with LCD that alerts you if the temperature of your meat is warmer than you programmed
A unit that stores all settings even when it's turned off
Monitors meats’ internal temperature from three-hundred feet away
A transmitter with a removable wire stand which can also be used as a hanger
A receiver that displays barbecue temperature of up to 572 degrees
A receiver with LCD that has backlight so you can use it at night
A signal/alert that warns you if you lose radio frequency signal or if transmitter is not within range
Probe wires that are up to 716°F heat-resistant
It's versatile and can be used in smoker or oven
A timer that counts up and down
Comes with bear paws (meat forks that are FDA-approved) for helping prepare meat to serve
A receiver with belt clip and built-in stand
A food probe wire that can be slotted six inches into whatever you’re checking/cooking

If you want to check out other options, Maverick has other cooking thermometers available.

Best Value

The ThermoPro Digital Wireless Cooking Thermometer is an ideal tool that helps you keep an eye on your meat remotely and accurately, as far as three-hundred feet away! It’s also USDA-approved! If you want something that’s less expensive and don’t mind different features, you can check out the ThermoPro TP03A Digital Cooking Thermometer.

ThermoPro Digital Wireless Meat/Cooking Thermometer

Features

ThermoPro is a brand under iTronics, a veteran manufacturer and distributor of a range of electronic consumer gadgets. It’s served in a large variety of fields, giving it quite a bit experience—and it uses that experience to give its customers only the best products. It’s been doing this, and doing it well, for almost 20 years.

The ThermoPro Digital Wireless Cooking Thermometer is an ideal tool that helps you accurately keep an eye on your meat from a distance; you no longer need to be up and down for hours to check your meat. Sit back with a beer or a game, and monitor it from as far as three-hundred feet away!

If the recipe you’re using requires the meat to be at a particular temperature, this unit lets you set the required temperature, ensuring that you enjoy your treat just how you like it. If you’re a novice in culinary matters, you’re also covered because this system comes with standard USDA temperatures for every kind of meat, along with diverse levels of doneness.

It has many other great features, which include:

A timer that counts up and down for easy monitoring
Large, neat backlit LCD viewer that changes color from blue to green to red as you cook
Allows you to program your preferred temperature settings
Transmitter with wire which can serve as a stand or be hung on the door of your oven
An automatic receiver that goes off thirty minutes after it dictates a lack of signal from the transmitter
A step-down probe tip design
An automatic transmitter that shuts down once the temperatures stays below 122°F for up to two hours

Do you want to check out other cooking thermometers before making a choice? ThermoPro has more to choose from!

With the iDevices iGrill2 Cooking Thermometer, you can grill with assurance and exactitude. You can monitor your food throughout the process, cooking it at the right temperature, to perfection. If you want a regular kitchen thermometer at a lesser price, we recommend the iDevices Kitchen Thermometer.

iDevices iGrill2 Bluetooth Cooking Thermometer – Available in 2 Packaging Options

Features

More than 50 years ago, iDevices wanted to create the way to a perfect steak; this led to the manufacturing of different gadgets and appliances that make the grilling process easier and smarter. With the same innovative spirit with which it started, it continues to make products that make even the "lamest" griller look like a pro.

With the iDevices iGrill2 Cooking Thermometer, you can grill with assurance and exactitude. You can monitor your food the whole time you’re cooking, and it alerts you when your food has reached the right temperature to go ahead and dig in. It makes grilling or smoking your food easier and smarter, and leaves you feeling like a pro!

It has many other great features that include:

Two meat probes which can measure from 572° Fahrenheit to -22° Fahrenheit, enabling you to closely track the progress of your food from the app that’s connected to iDevices
Four probe ports that allow you to monitor up to four different cuts of meat simultaneously
Bluetooth with a range of 150 feet that keeps you remotely connected to your food
An illuminated display that lets you take a quick look at the probes’ temperatures
iDevices Connected app for Android and IOS that enables you to get a clearer view for individual probes, with views that can be customized (app is free and available in Google play store and the app store)

If you want to look at other options before making a choice, iDevices has many cooking thermometers you can check out.

The Lavatools Cooking Thermometer is a useful tool that allows you to monitor whatever food you’re cooking and even alerts you of the final temperature reading. Do you want a less-expensive cooking thermometer that comes in 6 color choices and a lifetime warranty? Check out the Lavatools PT12 Javelin Cooking Thermometer.

Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo Ambidextrous Meat Thermometer - Available in 5 Colors

Features

Lavatools was founded as a solution to the issues that plague the modern-day kitchen, and it came to challenge the accepted standards and bring improved speed and accuracy to your kitchen. Every one of its products is carefully designed to meet the demands of a typical kitchen. It looks for and uses only the best thermoplastics to ensure that these products last for a long time, and its devices are engineered to deliver precise and accurate readouts as quickly as possible, using the latest innovations and technology to provide unforgettable culinary experiences for its users.

The Lavatools Cooking Thermometer is a useful tool that allows you to monitor whatever food you’re cooking and ensure that it cooks at the right temperature for the right length of time; it has been fundamentally designed with an extra-large two-inch display screen with a 360-degree viewing precision that rotates automatically depending on its holding position.

It has many more great features that include:

A high measuring range
An intelligent stabilization alert that informs you, holding the readout when it’s established
Automatic display rotates to show readings at any angle, thus making it convenient for righties and lefties alike
It’s energy-efficient; the "auto sleep" hibernates it when it's idle and the "motion wake" starts it up when you pick it up, thereby saving your battery power
A motion-activated sensor that illuminates backlight and makes it usable even when you have heatproof gloves on
It has sheer speed and accuracy that ensures your meat is cooked to juicy perfection at all times
A 4 ½-inch probe that allows you to reach the middle of large loaves or cuts of meat
An anti-fog coating that helps to keep the readout display clear
Performance isn’t affected by wetness; it doesn’t slow down when it's wet

If you want to check another option, Lavatools has many cooking thermometers for your perusal.

The Alpha Grillers Cooking Thermometer is a straightforward tool that doesn't need any setup or assembling; it has a quick reading time and a temperature guide is included with your purchase. If you want a less-expensive cooking thermometer with two display options (F or C) and a “hold” feature for the dispaly, you can check out the Alpha Grillers Instant Read BBQ Meat Thermometer.

Alpha Grillers Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Grill and Cooking

Features

Alpha Grillers, a family-owned company, seeks to make a difference by making available products that provide the right solutions to grillers at whatever level. It cares more about its customers than profit, and believes in creating a close community of people who share a passion. This led to its dedication to become one of the most trusted sources for top-quality barbecue tools and related accessories globally. It also listens to constructive feedback from customers and continues to innovate and churn out high-quality and beautiful designs that they love.

The Alpha Grillers Cooking Thermometer is a straightforward tool that doesn't need any setup or assembling; all you need to do is ensure the probe is flipped out and you’ll get your food’s temperature reading. It does this very fast and accurately—between four to seven seconds—and you get an easy-to-read and accurate temperature reading on the display.

It has more great features that include:

Auto power-off; it goes off once the probe is flipped back
Includes a detailed meat temperature guide that you can consult
Well-packaged in a foam-lined box so that you can store it properly or give as a gift
Helps you achieve perfection with any kind of food that you’re cooking
Comes with a lifetime money-back guarantee
It has a magnet at the back and can be calibrated

Alpha Grillers has more cooking thermometers in case you want to check out other options.

How Do I Choose the Best Cooking Thermometer?

Cooking thermometers are important kitchen tools, as essential to any kitchen as knives, cookware, forks, etc. Only the uninformed would assume that thermometers are for women or sissies. If you want your food to be safe, tender, flavorful, and juicy, you have to get the temperature of the cooker and the internal temperature of the food right. An understanding of the best and safest temperatures is the basis of good cooking.

Whatever the level of your culinary expertise or technological knowhow, there’s a cooking thermometer that would serve you well and help you to come off like a pro each time you grill, bake, or cook!

Price

A cooking thermometer is a good investment that can help any cook or chef of any standard to save time and face (no more apologizing for overdone or undercooked food). The cost of a good one is between $20 and $100.

As we all know, the design and features of the product will affect how much it costs. You can’t very well expect a thermometer that has an app that connects it to other devices, to be the same price as a plain digital thermometer. But whatever the case, it’s the functionality of the product to the user that’s most important.

In the course of our research, we came across some cheap cooking thermometers but decided against featuring them because we wouldn’t want to waste your time, effort, or money on products that won’t stand the test of time. We assure you that any product you choose based on this review would serve you well - and you won’t regret your purchase.

Features

There are different cooking thermometers available on the market, each of them with different features that are best suited for different types of cooking. It’s important to know the vital features to look out for when shopping for a cooking thermometer, so here they are:

Length of reading/response time - Some thermometers are instant-read while others take a while to register temperatures.
Ease of cleaning - Check the washing instructions to ensure that it won’t be too much trouble to clean.
Design and material – The material of the product and its design determine its durability and functionality.
Ease of use and operation - Some thermometers can be used remotely, others have Bluetooth connectivity, and still others are plain digital thermometers.
Probes - The number and size of probes that the thermometer comes with is important.
Temperature range - This refers to the minimum and maximum temperatures that it can read.
Energy efficiency – Check how long the battery will last and what features it has for battery longevity.
Extra features – A magnetic back helps the thermometer stick on metal surfaces, clips can be used to attach the thermometer to belt loops or use as stands, backlit LCD displays allow easy reading, connected apps give you convenience, and so on.

Construction and Design

Before you buy a cooking thermometer, you need to determine what type of food you'll be using it for. This will help you know the type of thermometer to purchase.

There are sophisticated cooking thermometers that are wireless, have Bluetooth connectivity, and can be connected to some Android or iOS devices. If you’re not a tech savvy person and don't have issues with going back and forth to check your food, it doesn't make much sense to buy them. There are good digital instant-read thermometers that give you the required result. But for tech savvy people who want to kick back and have a beer or watch a game while grilling or smoking up some recipes, we recommend the ones that you can use remotely or connect to your other devices.

Some cooking thermometers come with more than one probe. This is a good feature because it allows the user to monitor four different cuts of meat, which is especially helpful in a situation where you have picky eaters who like different levels of doneness in their meat.

With some cooking thermometers, you can preset the cooking time, oven/grill temperature, and temperature. This saves you a lot of stress because it lets your food cook to perfection and alerts you when it’s done.

Performance and Ease of Use

The response time of a cooking thermometer is important because it can impact the level of performance. You don’t want to insert your probe and then wait for as long as thirty seconds before you get a reading - not very convenient at all! So the instant-read products are the best options.

The essence of using a cooking thermometer is to help reduce the risk of foodborne diseases/illnesses, so it would be ironic if lack of proper cleaning of the cooking thermometer led to contamination or food poisoning. Check the cleaning instructions to determine the ease of cleaning before purchase.

There are extra features that help make a cooking thermometer more convenient to use. There are those that can be read from any angle, making them convenient for ambidextrous use. Others have backlit LCD displays which make them convenient to use at night, and helps the user get a quick reading at a glance from any angle.

Go back to the start of the reviews

Get the Best Cooking Thermometer of 2020!

Thank you for taking the time to read this review. It’s our optimistic belief that we’ve given you enough information for you to go out there and make the right choice for the best cooking thermometer for you.

Our Top Choice

Maverick Wireless Cooking Thermometer

Best Value

ThermoPro Wireless Cooking Thermometer

iDevices iGrill2 Cooking Thermometer

Lavatools Cooking Thermometer

Alpha Grillers Instant Read Meat Thermometer

Go back to the start of the reviews

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