I have the splash-proof Thermapen and absolutely love it! I use it so much and have never doubted my decision to spend all that money on it. I'll admit, though, that my cookoff contesting was an ulterior motive for this purchase - and it has paid off for me in that respect.
What's great about it? . . . it's just so fast and accurate - makes it so easy to check temps right up to doneness. It's also so thin, there's practically nothing you can't check easily without tearing stuff apart. I use it on baked goods too, not just meats; even check oil temps quickly if I'm frying (which is very rare) but the thermapen is great because I usually only use about 1/2" of oil so it's not like I can clip a bigger one onto the skillet.
What's not great? . . . only that price, otherwise it's perfect!

Sticking fingers in ears "La-La-La"

Hmmm... I have an intant read thermometer that I bought at Wal Mart for less than $10. This is my second one in the last 10 years - I bought it because that's what my cooking instructor recommended as part of a standard knife kit at the JC in Santa Rosa.

Works for me :-)

Becky

I have several of the ordinary dial instant read thermometers and use them a lot but need several since I misplace them for some reason. I also have a Sunbeam digital with timer and the probe with the alarm and really like that for cooking turkey or a roast. The alarm is loud so I can hear it in the living room but would like to get one with the wireless remote so I could carry it with me if I'm upstairs/downstairs or outside when it needs to sound off. I've had the Sunbeam for probably 15 years or more. Bought it from QVC.

We have been using a Thermapen for years now and love it too. It is durable and extremely fast and accurate. We use it for all our needs. Water temp in proofing yeast, oil temps for frying, candy making. Just about anything you can think of that needs accurate temp reads. Well worth the money. NancyLouise

Thermapen - Quick, guaranteed accuracy (I found out that my Maverick is off by several degrees) and I like that it goes high enough for deep frying. Nice big display. It could use a "hold" button but no big deal. I say get it.

I don't throw money around, but we've purchased 3 Thermapens - one for home, one for our lakehouse and one as a Christmas gift to our DS/DIL who were so impressed with ours when they used it to grill here last summer.

Love it for all the reasons people have stated above.

Plus, I am really nervous about cooking poultry to correct temp. & almost always overcooked it before the Thermapen. Our other meat thermometers took so long to deliver a consistent reading that by the time I was satisfied it was done the breasts were overdone, drying out and pitted with big holes that let all the juices run out.

DH loves his steaks (I rarely eat red meat..) and he'll invest in some good cuts for himself and company on the weekends. He swears by the Thermapen which lets him know that the meat is properly cooked for safety, but still lets him enjoy it on the rarer side.

Since I began making homemade bread/rolls I also use it regularly to check proper water temp before proofing yeast. More seasoned breadmakers can do it by touch, but I'm not there yet.

DS/DIL have the new splashproof model. Our 2 are the older ones, the oldest is 2 yrs. old. With continual use, they've all held up with no problems.

Costly, yes. But we justified it by taking into account how much DH would be spending to go out for a perfectly prepared steak dinner. Now he's confident he can have them at home all the time.

LOVE my Thermapen. (Cathy, get your fingers outta' your ears!) This is one gadget you can justify the cost of. Meat turns out perfectly every time. Considering the cost of certain cuts, it's a well chosen tool, well worth the cost. We also use it test bread, casseroles, baked potatoes, or use it to heat oil in the wok or as a candy thermometer. Yes, I thought it was expensive, but once you own one, you'll never go back to being without. Instant is quite illuminating!

I put my fingers in my ears so I wouldn't hear the reasons to buy a Thermapen...unfortunately I continued to follow this thread. I have been putting off buy it because of the $$.

So, this is my birthday present.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermapen

Happy Birthday to YOU, just a little early! Truly, this is one cooking gadget worthy of a Gadget Queen!

You are all terrible influences. Last night I had just about decided to force myself to go without a thermometer for a year, to force myself to get better at figuring doneness by feel, but now I'm wavering again. My self control is scant.

Well, I respectfully submit that it should be less about self-control, and more about never having to guess! (Thereby saving money and time on over/underdone food.) If you could only have one, this is the one to have.

I have to admit, I expected a little flak over this - glad there are others who feel that the Thermapen is well-worth its price.

If you think about most kitchen items/gadgets/impulses that we all succumb to at times, the worst choices seem to be the ones with the single-use abilities . . . the ones that take up a lot of space, but get used just occasionally . . . the ones that don't live up to their hype . . . leaving us to dump them when we come to those realizations.

The Thermapen will never disappoint you, it will get used more than you think in so many applications . . . and you can carry it around in your pocket.

I love my Thermopen and wish I had bought one sooner. They are definitely worth their money. I bought several of the instant read things for $15-$20 before the Thermopen and they weren't worth bringing home.

Kathy, the Thermopen is worth about twenty of your other gadgets. Do youself a favor!

Beverly

HmmmÂ.funny I should read this as I'm in the final hours of cooking a pork butt on the grill for pulled pork. I have a fairly decent instant read thermometer at home but I'm at my weekend lake place for Labor Day and the one I have here (just bought this year because the other one I had was a POS) leaves something to be desired. So far I haven't been able to bring myself to buy a thermapen but maybe I should just end the chronic misery of an unreliable meat thermometer once and for all. I could put it in the tote bag I carry back and forth with me - as I'm sure once I have one I will never want to use anything else and I surely do not want to buy two of them.

Beverly, sadly you are correct on this issue. I wish there was a gadget amnesty program so I could recoup some $$ to pay for the Thermapen.