If you were searing, roasting, grilling or barbecuing meat at any time pre-1942, knowing when your cut was done would come down to a white-knuckle combination of experience, knowledge and pure luck.
But after 1942, it was an easy job - even for the humble home chef.
George E. Ford invented and patented the very first meat thermometer on March 10, 1942, making it easy to check the internal temperature of meat without ruining the dish by slicing it open to check.
A meat thermometer is now an everyday cooking gadget, used for everything from roasting the star of Sunday lunch, tending to BBQ grub and making Beef Wellington to the biggie: preparing Christmas lunch.
The nifty gadgets ensure food comes out tender, moist and cooked to your liking throughout. Perhaps most importantly of all for meat like chicken and pork, a meat thermometer ensures the food you’re about to lift to your mouth or plate up for friends and family is safe to eat. Nobody wants food poisoning in their post-dinner party bag.
They can also be used for baking and making things like caramel to ensure you’re reaching the right temperatures for the dish in question.
Meat thermometers come in all styles, from digital and wireless to old-school manual ones. Whatever one you plump for, they should all give an accurate reading and resist high temperatures if you’re planning to pop them into the BBQ or oven. Digital thermometers can be read at a glance, and you may be able to set them to specific meats or cuts. Analogue displays have a dial face, like a clock. They may be more challenging to read at a glance, but they tend to be more affordable.
They couldn’t be easier to use. Simply pierce the probe into the thickest part of the meat, steering clear of bones and fat as these will hamper an accurate reading. Each temperature corresponds to the degree to which it has been cooked.
If you’re looking to up your cooking game, we’ve rounded up the best meat thermometers that can survive oven temperatures. We’ve taken care to make our selection across price brackets so you should find an option to suit.
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MEATER Pro (MEATER 2 Plus)
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Meater’s smart devices have pushed meat thermometers into the Smart era. Whipping up your favourite meaty delicacies has never been easier than with this wire-free device.
Each purchase comes with sensors and a probe. These connect to the brand’s app which then walks you through the cooking process. It’s entirely foolproof.
The brand offers three models with the Meater Pro Plus 2 sitting pretty at the top of the pack. It can survive heat up to 550°C and performs just as well on the BBQ grill as it will in the oven or over an open flame.
The probe's integrated multi-sensor technology finds the truest lower temperature of your cut, while the app sends alerts to your pocket on everything from turning down the heat, resting times and when you should eat for the best results. A single charge will set you up for two hours, while 15 minutes of juice will give you 12 hours of use - enough for the longest cookoff.
Best of all, this baby is waterproof, so can be slung into the dishwasher with the rest of your dishes when you're done.
Buy now £119.00, Amazon
INKBIRD INT-14BW Wireless Meat Thermometer
Not only will this set of four meat thermometers make you look incredibly cool at your next BBQ, but it pretty much guarantees perfect results every time.
There are eight sensors across the four probes, each feeding data into the LCD display and the app which comes loaded with 26 pre-set meat menus (with the best cooking times per the Ministry of Agriculture, no less). The sensors can monitor internal and ambient temperature simultaneously so you'll always know exactly where you are with each dish.
It's got the Smarts behind it too, with Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, 2.4G WiFi connectivity and local offline operation, all allowing you to barbecue wherever and whenever it's most convenient. It will work even if you're 300ft away.
Oh, and it's waterproof to IP67 and the probes can go in the dishwasher too.
An incredible piece of cooking kit.
Buy now £139.99, Amazon
ThermoPro TP16 Digital Meat Cooking
From deep frying guilty pleasures to searing steak and working with scorching hot sugar to make sweets, ThermoPro's TP16 thermometer is your cooking BFF.
The digital gadget comes with a stainless steel 16.5cm long food-grade probe. It has pre-sets for various cooking levels, from chicken and turkey to fish and various levels of 'doneness' for beef.
Highly accurate and heat resistant to an astonishing 300°C, there's also a timer mode with a countdown and count-up ability. It can be used independently of the thermometer, adding to its usability. The back of the display is magnetic, meaning you can whack it onto the fridge, oven side or BBQ and expect to find it where you left it.
Impressive - especially at this price.
Buy now £15.99, Amazon
Heston Blumenthal Precision by Salter Premium 5-in-1 Digital Thermometer
As part of Heston Blumenthal’s collection for Salter, this device combines the experience of one of the top chefs in the world with a household kitchen brand.
If you’re a stickler for detail, this meat thermometer reveals all the data you could need for precision cooking. It has a speedy and accurate reading with not one but two sensors that consistently measure the internal temperature of your meat and the oven itself or the air fryer/grill/vat of oil you’re using it with. You can also expect timer and pre-set features, meaning you’re not trapped in the kitchen for the entire time.
It has a long probe that you can keep in the oven while cooking plus a clip on the back to adapt to confectionery recipes. For the latter, this is actually one of the most versatile thermometers on this list as you can use it for a whole host of grilling, roasting, frying and baking needs with info cards so you can follow Bluementhal’s recommended settings.
There’s a two-year guarantee and the temperature ranges from -45°C to 200°C (-49°F to 392°F) with 0.1 degree of accuracy.
Buy now £29.99, Amazon
Thermapen Professional SuperFast Food Thermometer
Taking a no-fuss, no-frills approach, this is one for chefs who like their tech streamlined, reliable and foolproof.
The Thermapen offers a speedy and accurate reading of your meal’s temperature, ensuring that it’s not only safe to eat but it's cooked to utter perfection.
How fast? Well, in just three seconds, the LCD screen will flash the right reading to see if you need to raise the temperature (it can go to 299°C and can be read in Celcius or Fahrenheit) or cool things down. And there are no awkward angles to contort yourself into either since the device rotates 360 degrees left or right.
The meat thermometer boasts an automatic backlight that makes it particularly handy for summer cookouts as well as a motion-sensor sleep mode to maximise its battery life. It folds up compactly when not in use, so no worries about adding it to your camping kit.
The probe is made from stainless steel, while the device is durable, water-resistant and has a specialised hygienic Biomaster casing to reduce bacteria growth.
Sold with a five-year guarantee.
Buy now £69.99, Amazon
OXO Good Grips Chef's Precision Digital Instant Read Thermometer
Whether you’re throwing a tomahawk on the BBQ or crafting an elegant salmon en croute, OXO’s thermometer is a great tool to have in your apron pocket. You’ll be surprised how much you use this thermometer when hosting season is in full flow.
The gadget gives an instant reading through the stainless steel probe with temperatures displayed clearly on the digital display. The head can be pivoted for additional ease and the tip is super fine to avoid ruining the look of your cheffy masterpiece.
It registers temperatures ranging from -40°C to 150°C.
Buy now £18.99, Amazon
DOQAUS Instant Read Cooking Thermometer
While high prices are often synonymous with quality, this thermometer proves that for under a tenner, you can have a great device that does the job and does it well.
The battery-powered thermometer gives a quick reading with accuracy guaranteed. To use the compact contraption, you fold out the probe to automatically kickstart the measuring in which the digital display clearly shows the temperature. It has a backlight to enhance readability in the dark or when there’s lots of smoke. There’s a hold function to remember the temperature after you’ve removed it and the probe is made from stainless steel with an 11.5cm length to prevent burning. It can also move 180 degrees so you can read it from any direction.
Switch from Celsius to Fahrenheit and it can withstand a temperature range of -50°C to 300°C.
Buy now £8.46, Amazon
ThermoPro TP02S Digital Meat Thermometer
Avoid burnt fingers with this meat thermometer which features an extra long probe to give you enough distance to spare your extremites.
Simply stick the probe into your meat, sweets, milk, BBQ, oven or smoker for an instant and accurate reading. The tip is designed to be super thin so that it offers a quick result - in just five seconds.
To save battery life, it has an auto shut-off feature if nothing has been touched in 10 seconds and you can switch it between Celsius to Fahrenheit. The gadget can measure from -50°C to 300°C.
Buy now £8.49, Amazon
Polder Digital Meat & Poultry Probe In-Oven Thermometer
Avoid overcooking steak or undercooking chicken and flex your kitchen prowess with the help of this specialised meat and poultry thermometer from Polder.
This is one of those oven-safe devices that you can place within the meat while it's cooking to constantly monitor the food inside. There are a range of pre-set options that will alert you at a specific temperature so your dish is always a point.
The control unit is magnetic or self-standing, battery powered and can switch from °C to °F.
Buy now £24.99, Lakeland
