Thermometers for Grilling

I'm looking to purchase a thermometer for a friend to use when grilling. His method of considering doneness is to get a sharp knife and cut the meat (still on the grill) nearly in half to see if it's pink. I don't expect that he would use a traditional thermometer, but I bet he would use one that feels more like a cool gadget. I've seen some that are infrared, but those only test the surface temp. However, I've seen others that have a probe and the infrared temp taking abilities. Also, and this may seem stupid, but is there anyway to convert surface temp to get the internal temp of a food item?

Thus, I come to you LTHers for your thoughts on all things thermometers in order to get my friend to quit ruining good cuts of meat. I appreciate any help you offer.

I think there are 2 general styles of probe thermometers that you are looking for. The first has the thermometer probe attached to a cord that attaches to a display device where you can set a timer or set an alarm for when the meat hits a certain temp. The major advantage is that you can insert the thermometer into the meat and leave it in there as you can set the alarm to go off when it hits a certain temp. It cuts down on poking the meat each time you want to check the temp.

This is the one I have and have been pretty happy with it: http://www.amazon.com/CDN-Touch-Screen-Probe-Thermometer/dp/B000I664I8/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1292559030&sr=8-22

The other style is more compact and can be used with one hand and used more quickly. Thermapen is the high end brand but I'm sure there are several acceptable brands that are less expensive: http://www.amazon.com/Splash-Proof-Super-Fast-Thermapen-Thermometer-Professional/dp/B003P63MEW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292559045&sr=8-1

I dont think there is any way to tell the inside temp of meat based on it's outside temp. It'd be impossible to say b/c depending on how thick the meat is, it will take longer to cook through, so the outside could be up to temp long before the inside. The better method to test doneness is by how firm the meat is when you press down on it. Generally speaking, the more firm the meat, the more well done it is. It takes a bit of practice to get a feel for exactly how firm it should feel.

Thermapen is the answer--great tool but kinda pricey--
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/the ... Kgod0DzPnw

Here's a combo model that has both a probe and an infrared reader. It's on sale right now for the same price as a probe only model.
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/ir/ ... meter.html

I'd go with the aforementioned Thermapen, pricey but a top-notch piece of equipment, or a simple inexpensive analog instant read such as the Taylor. I wouldn't bother with anything in-between and, from multiple personal experiences, I'd stay away from the 12-15 dollar digital instant reads.

Thermapen has my vote as well..it will last so long that you will forget all about what you paid for it by the time it ever breaks
I bought a spare a couple years agao when they were on sale just in case my old went south but 6 years later with heavy use and its still going strong and justa s accurate as the first day I got it

I've got one of these and I love it, especially when grilling in cold weather.

http://store.weber.com/Items/WeberStyle/Detail.aspx?pid=1381

stevez wrote:Here's a combo model that has both a probe and an infrared reader. It's on sale right now for the same price as a probe only model.
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/ir/ ... meter.html

Note that the probe on this combo model isn't as good as the probe on the "standard" thermopen. The combo says it reads within 1 degree in 8-10 seconds; the standard model takes less than 3 seconds. This isn't a reason not to buy the combo, of course, but just a note on the differences.

I highly recommend the standard thermopen. It is super-fast (as I noted above) and is easy to read. It is worth the investment for someone who regularly uses a meat thermometer. For grilled and pan fried meat, you don't want to wait 10 or more seconds for an accurate reading.

Also, my thermopen died a couple of weeks ago. I sent it back to the manufacturer and they repaired it for about $20 and shipped it back quickly. Excellent customer service.

Darren72 wrote:

stevez wrote:Here's a combo model that has both a probe and an infrared reader. It's on sale right now for the same price as a probe only model.
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/ir/ ... meter.html

Note that the probe on this combo model isn't as good as the probe on the "standard" thermopen. The combo says it reads within 1 degree in 8-10 seconds; the standard model takes less than 3 seconds. This isn't a reason not to buy the combo, of course, but just a note on the differences.

I have both and don't find the difference in read time to be all that noticeable. I use the standard Thermopen most of the time, but it's nice to have the infrared feature every once in a while. Since the OP mentioned infrared as well as a probe, I thought I'd mention this model since it is on sale for the same price as the standard Thermopen.

stevez wrote:I have both and don't find the difference in read time to be all that noticeable. I use the standard Thermopen most of the time, but it's nice to have the infrared feature every once in a while. Since the OP mentioned infrared as well as a probe, I thought I'd mention this model since it is on sale for the same price as the standard Thermopen.

Do you use the infrared much, and for what? I've always been intrigued by infrared thermometers and wanted to get one. But whenever I get serious about picking one up, I convince myself that they aren't that useful and are more of cool toy than a useful tool.

Due to all of your rave reviews for the Thermopen, I took the plunge and ordered it. I will have to wrap it and gift it ASAP or risk gifting it to myself. Wish they had a buy one get one 50% off sale going on right now!

Thanks for your suggestions! I'm sure he'll love it.

Darren72 wrote:Do you use the infrared much, and for what?

To be honest, no. I thought I would use it all the time, and I did for about the first two weeks I owned the unit. I measured everything from the temp in my oven to the temp of my car engine. Once the novelty wore off, I sort of quit using it. If you follow any of the BBQ threads, you know my style is more cooking by feel rather than cooking by instruments (the zen method), so I naturally tended to not use it much. One thing I do use it for is to measure the temp of oil when doing deep frying.

Do you use the infrared much, and for what? I've always been intrigued by infrared thermometers and wanted to get one. But whenever I get serious about picking one up, I convince myself that they aren't that useful and are more of cool toy than a useful tool.

These may be somewhat specialized applications, but I have found a infrared extremely useful in tempering chocolate and some sugar confectionery uses. It avoids the mess of sticking a probe in and out of liquids and was more responsive than the probe thermometers (not thermapen) I was using.

I've also found it very useful in checking oven temps in bread and pizza baking, especially the temperature of the baking stone, which takes a long time to heat up despite what your oven setting (or an oven thermometer) might say.

These are all good ideas. Thanks. My wife would probably use the infrared for chocolate and caramel. I could see using it for the pizza stone and oil.

The one caveat with chocolate and caramel is that since the infrared is measuring the surface temp, you've got to make sure you've got whatever you're measuring well stirred so the temp is the same throughout. It's a bit harder to read sugar correctly too since its usually boiling and the surface temp is more unstable.

Darren72 wrote:Also, my thermopen died a couple of weeks ago. I sent it back to the manufacturer and they repaired it for about $20 and shipped it back quickly. Excellent customer service.

That's great to hear. We accidentally left our non-splashproof thermopen outdoors in the rain this summer. When we turned it on, the temperatures were all way off (boiling water at 30F, ambient air at 285F, etc), but we replaced the battery and let it dry out and it's just fine.

Love our thermopen.

Hey, if you're in for $50, might as well get this Bon Jour combo for $99. It is a terrific product. The laser-site infra is invaluable for pizza ovens and large, drafty BBQ pits. Goes up to 900 F, which is higher than most. Probe works well too. Very accurate and pretty bulletproof in my experience beating the hell out of it.

http://www.cookware.com/asp/show_detail.asp?sku=BJR1087

I prefer the probe-on-cable-with-remote-display to any option that involves opening the oven door or grill lid to poke at the meat to check the temperature. The geek in me dislikes disrupting a process to take a spot measurement. The probe model I use is from Williams-Sonoma, and I think I've had it for at least 5 years. The alarm is a nice feature also; can't get that with an instant-read.

For grilling thinner steaks and chops, I use my Thermapen. I have an older non-splashproof model that requires MUCH care in cleaning--- The smallest amount of water that invades the crevice between the metal and the plastic renders the unit "dead" until it dries out. Fortunately, Thermapen has refined the newer models, making this a moot point. If you purchase, make sure you get the newest model.

For roasts ( and thicker steaks and chops ) I swear by my dual sensor Polder. Not only does it accurately read internal temps, it also reads the air temp of your oven/grill/smoker. This unit has received mixed reviews on Amazon, but I have never had any issues with mine.

http://polder.com/894-90.html

I thought some of my fellow LTHers would be interested in an email I just received from ThermoWorks announcing a sale on Thermapens. The Thermapens are $79 through the end of the month. They normally sell for $96.

The email also included a free shipping code which is 'Freeship11' that expires at 12pm mountain time TODAY (1/15).

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/the ... mapen.html

Seen at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show: iGrill

Does anyone have an experience with these?

I'm going to be gifting a Thermapen to a newlywed couple. Thermoworks is having a 15% off sale right now, so the timing works. Does anyone have experience with the Thermapen Mk4? Trying to decide if it's worth the extra $20 from the original.

The only substantial difference, in my experience, is the backlight, which just isn't that bright. Buying for myself, I'd go with the Classic Super-Fast because if I'm cooking in the dark, I'll probably have an LED head lantern on anyway. As a gift, especially for more entry-level folks, perhaps you'd want to buy the more deluxe edition?

=R=

Just want to add that these are great devices that can be used for a lot more than just grilling (a multitude of cooking environments). They're fast, durable and very easy to use. I have one at home and one at our office kitchen. Frankly, I find them indispensable and compared to other brands I've used, these are - by a wide margin - the best. It's not even close. If I received one as a gift, I'd be very happy.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:The only substantial difference, in my experience, is the backlight, which just isn't that bright.
=R=

I don't know, comparing my Mk IV to my original besides the backlight:
Uses 1 AAA battery (which we always have a stash of) instead of specialty CR2032's (needs two) which I have no other devices that use.

Auto-rotating display - very handy when food being sampled might be in less than ideal position.

Motion sensing sleep/wake - easy and always ready to use, further conserves battery (Thermoworks states double the battery life)

Waterproof (haven't tested this and would prefer not to!)

I have both. If I was buying from scratch today I'd definitely opt for the Mk IV.

Kman wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:The only substantial difference, in my experience, is the backlight, which just isn't that bright.
=R=

I don't know, comparing my Mk IV to my original besides the backlight:
Uses 1 AAA battery (which we always have a stash of) instead of specialty CR2032's (needs two) which I have no other devices that use.

Auto-rotating display - very handy when food being sampled might be in less than ideal position.

Motion sensing sleep/wake - easy and always ready to use, further conserves battery (Thermoworks states double the battery life)

Waterproof (haven't tested this and would prefer not to!)

I have both. If I was buying from scratch today I'd definitely opt for the Mk IV.

Really interesting, thanks. I've still never had to replace the original in my Classic-Fast, so I did not know this. Fwiw, the Classic-Fast also has a sleep function. I actually find the auto-rotate feature on the MK4 somewhat annoying in that it can sometimes be too sensitive. And yes, I'm with you on the wateproof aspect!

=R=

My son left my Original Thermopen outside overnight and the dew got to it.
Removed battery cover and battery and used hair dryer, works fine but I would go with the waterproof model.
As Posted, Thermopen is the best!-Richard

I've used the remote reading thermometer from Oregon Scientific for years and found it very good and reliable. Spare probes have been available online for years,something other manufacturers don;t do.
No better way to tell whether the meat is done then by temp

ronnie_suburban wrote:Just want to add that these are great devices that can be used for a lot more than just grilling (a multitude of cooking environments). They're fast, durable and very easy to use.

Thermapen, count me a Fan!

Thanks everyone for the feedback. The battery info is especially helpful, Kman.