✔️ Battery life: Some grill thermometers will require you to replace the batteries periodically while others are rechargeable.

If you're shopping online, watch product videos or preview the app to see if you like the interface. Stores might have a demo product you can see, or you can often find a sticker that replicates the readout. You want at-a-glance readability so you'll know whether to adjust the heat or stop the cooking process. ✔️ Interface: Whether your thermometer's interface is a simple dial or a connected app, you want it to be clear and intuitive. For small or thin items like fish or chicken breast, a shorter probe is fine, but for bigger foods like a large steak or a pork roast, a longer probe - around five inches - is better. ✔️ Probe size: You want a probe that's long enough to reach the thickest part of the food so you can accurately determine doneness and thin enough that it won't damage the meat. Read the use and care instructions to determine the uppermost temps the thermometer can withstand to ensure the device can handle direct cooking as well as flare-ups. But a narrower range might deliver better accuracy or a faster response time. Thermometers with a wide temperature range are useful for larger foods with longer cook times. ✔️ Temperature range: Factor in what you cook most often and then find the range of temperatures the thermometer can report - and withstand - that works best for you. This will help you ensure food safety as well as preferred doneness. ✔️ Temperature accuracy and range:Look for thermometers that are advertised with accuracy within ☒˚F, which is a range of accuracy most good thermometers can promise. The top-performing models were easy to use, had clear readings, quick response times and, most importantly, accurate readings. In addition to performance, we evaluated ease of use by rating the readability of each model, evaluating the user guides and assessing special features when applicable, like automatic shut-off and the ease of changing the batteries. The second controlled temperature test was similarly conducted with very icy water used to assess the thermometer's accuracy at measuring low temperatures.

To ensure accuracy, we compared these numbers to the known boiling point for the elevation of the test site and the atmospheric pressure of the test day. We conducted controlled temperature tests and used them to cook real meat.įor our cooking tests, we either roasted a chicken and compared the temperature reading of the thermometers to the temperature reading of a scientific-grade thermocouple, or we probed a grilled steak to check the temperature against a calibrated thermometer.įor the first controlled temperature test, we brought water to a boil in a stainless steel pot and measured the temperature of the water in the same location with each thermometer. The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab tested 28 thermometers. Based on our tests, these are the best meat thermometers you can buy in 2022. We also evaluated the ease of use and cleaning as well as the readability and response time. 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. 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. (Always follow the USDA's guidelines for food safety.) 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. Using a meat thermometer when grilling this summer or roasting a turkey around the holidays is the easiest way to ensure properly cooked meat.

We updated discontinued or outdated products and added top-tested thermometers from Lavatools and Fireboard. We updated this guide in May 2022 to include new winners based on updated testing from the Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

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