Yes, yes, yes. Obviously it's expensive, so I held off until my parents bought it for me for Christmas a year ago, LOL. Certified accurate, and good for temps from your coldest freezer to your hottest pot of oil, what more can you ask for. It's one high-end toy that IMO isn't just hype.

Yes. I love it. Actually, I have two because my original one kept "disappearing" around the barbecue.

Carol

I got one for Christmas last year. Hands down, my favorite kitchen tool. If it broke, I would order a replacement on the spot.

Worth every penny!

My step-son gave me one last year. It really is the neatest thing since sliced bread! If you leave it laying on the counter, it'll even tell you the temperature of your kitchen! I've had "instant" thermometers before but I didn't know "instant" until I got the Thermopen!!

Best ever thermometer. Buy it. You will love it.

Thermapen is a good thermometer, used by many professional chefs, but hugely over-priced relative to comparable items.

Buy it if you don't mind spending the money.

Thermometer is not a very sophisticated electronic device. Not much goes into making it.

I have been using several $20.00 ones with no problems for many years.

Or you can check out this almost identical one:

VWR Flip-Stick Thermometer - Model 15551-002

I am sorry I have a different view.

dcarch

YES!!!!! I love mine but don't think you can use it for candy making. If you do a search here, you will see I tried it LOL and DROPPED IT INTO BOILING TOFFEE. It did survive, I ended up with a minor burn (what's another one) and I am not tempting fate again.

The con is that there is no way to clip it onto the side of the pot so each time you need to take the temperature you need to reopen it and put it back in the pan holding your hand over a steaming pot.

The new Thermapens are waterproof so that's an added plus.

And they are absolutely fantastic for all other kitchen uses. I use mine for testing breads, cakes, souffles, meat and poultry. It's used at least twice a day sometimes more.

And I think they have a special promotion on for the holidays.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermapen promotions

Definitely get one. Well worth the money. Anything you need a temp on it will work, and very accurately too. We use it when frying in oil, roasting meats, candy making. You will find you will be reaching for it more and more. NancyLouise

Yes, worth the money. I love mine! The others were always inaccurate and I had to keep tossing them out. A Thermapen is a keeper.

Wow sounds like this is the favorite! I was looking at my dial type meat thermometers supposedly "instant" read HA! If by instant they mean a full minute!? They both say that it's 82 degrees in my house...whatever! Heck even my $1 mercury(house) thermometer is more accurate than that. HA! I just calibrated them about a week ago to boiling water so I mean really what good are they? One is an Acu-rite and the other is a Trutemp, they are both newish. So even though they weren't expensive...they were a total waste of money.

Another thing that I need is a probe that doesn't have to be stuck in the meat a full inch. That is useless for checking a one inch thick steak! I think I will splurge on the good one or be more diligent on returning a crummy one!

dcarch...do you have a thermometer that you have used that is good that you would recommend. I know there's the one in your post but have you actually used that brand? I know there are some that look like the expensive one but don't perform like it.

You wouldn�t want to have what I have. I do strange cooking, and I have strange thermometer needs.

I have many different ones which do different things for me. From remote IR non-contact read to remote wireless read. I have ones that also give relative humidity.

The two I use a lot are laboratory type with programmable features. Each cost me less then $50.00

They sense temperature to better than one degree. If I insert the probe (transducer) in the meat with a set temperature, say 127 degrees, once the meat hits 127, it immediately shuts the oven. If it goes to 128 degrees, it sends an alarm. I can also program them to turn on an electronic refrigeration device (Peltier Thermoelectric cooling).

You can see this feature is very nice if you have a large piece of expensive rib roast resting right out from the oven. Once the desired temperature is reached inside the meat, the thermometer is programmed to turn on a fan to prevent carry over heat from overcooking the meat.

I repeat, Thermapen is a very good cooking thermometer. Buy it if you don�t mind parting with $100.00

That said, you may also like to scan thru other options, not just on prices, but many have very useful other features .

dcarch

DH gave me one for Christmas last year. I didn't know they were expensive. Anyway, I thought they were supposed to be instant, but mine takes a while (I've not timed it, but it seems like it's a minute, at least) to reach a final temperature reading. So, I don't know if that's what instant thermometers are supposed to do, but I was expecting it to be faster than the other thermometer I have, which is one of those that you can stick into whatever you're roasting or baking in the oven, and read it outside. They're the same speed, so it turned out the Thermapen is redundant - sort of. I do use it almost exclusively now, as it's easier to grab than the other one with the long "string," but I could have just as easily gotten by without it.

Oh, and it came with a bonus people thermometer. That thermometer is totally inaccurate. It reads a completely different temperature every time, even if you take the temperature twice in a row. Maybe this brand is way over rated.

Sally

OH Sally thank you! I was all ready to beg for one for xmas but after reading your review, it's not as important to me now hahaha!!!

I have an instant read thermometer that isnt instant either, I thought something was wrong with it. Instant to me is like *snap*! right now! This also takes about a minute.

dcarch, my first laugh of the day was your picture, thanks for that too!

sally do you have this Thermapen or do you have a "look alike" because that's not how I understand this one works. It's supposed to take seconds...pretty much instant. You could ask at their website because I asked them a question yesterday evening and got almost immediate response. They tout it as being the fastest out there pretty much. So one minute isn't acceptable I don't think? Maybe there's something wrong and should be exchanged?

What do you all that own one and are happy think about how long it takes to register?

I just went to the website where I was looking at it yesterday and Sally, it's supposed to read in 3 seconds! So I believe you must have a defective one. I mean the very top line says "3 second reading" I don't know how else to interpret that but to mean it's suppose to read in 3 seconds.

Here is a link that might be useful: specs on Thermapen

Mine takes about 3-5 seconds to give a reading but keep in mind if the temp you are measuring is changing then you aren't going to get a stable temp from the Thermapen. It will continue to reflect the correct temp as it changes in the item.

I agree that one minute is totally unacceptable for a Thermapen and would indicate some sort of problem.

My old one is fast and my new one is nearly instant.

Carol

Hmm, that's interesting. Maybe it is defective. Well, I've had it nearly a year, now, as it was last year's Christmas present, but it's been that way from day one.

It did occcur to me that changing temps of what I'm measuring could factor in, but that's not it entirely, as it takes it's sweet time reaching the approximate temperature. I'll have to actually time it next time I use it. I could just be really, really impatient. lol.

Dcarch, I hope Homeland Security doesn't see your post! That thermometer in the middle looks mighty suspicious. Joking, joking, in case any of you out there ARE Homeland security. :-)

Sally

"----Dcarch, I hope Homeland Security doesn't see your post! That thermometer in the middle looks mighty suspicious. Joking, joking, in case any of you out there ARE Homeland security. :-)
Sally"

Picking on the wrong kid? You watch out!

dcarch :-)

Hey, Sally, Tim here from ThermoWorks. Sounds like you're having trouble with your ThermoWorks products. We're known for three things, speed, accuracy, and standing behind our products. If you send your Thermapen and/or your other thermometer in, we'll find out what's wrong with it and make it right. Can I help?

(Please, Shaun, reconsider! Thermapens have been the top rated thermometers for speed, accuracy and reliability by Cook's Illustrated for 12 years running and in most other rankings, too...)

Wow......serious customer service!!!
There is a thermapen under my Christmas tree....not for me but as a gift.
I am very glad I made that choice.
Linda

I played with mine a bit last night and since I was just counting off seconds in my head I can't say for sure how quick it was but it was definitely under four seconds. Without a stopwatch I can't say it was three, but bottom line it was fast.

Arkansas_Girl - I also noted that that just the very tip needed to be in the water to get a good reading. I think they advertise 1/8 inch, and I wouldn't question it.

dcarch - Love your pictures. You scare me. You're probably right that there are cheaper options out there that do a reasonable job, but my experience with three was not reasonable. One died, one was inaccurate and not calibratable, and one was terribly slow. Common name brands. For the money I wasted on them I could have probably almost paid for a Thermapen.

Definite recommendation here - mine is indispensable to me. I've packed it (very carefully) in my luggage to my last two cookoffs. The first won me $2500 and the next week, the second won me $25,000. I know the Thermapen played a big part for both wins!

See that!!!!! Tim is right. Thermapen has theeeeeee most FANTASTIC customer service in the world. I can vouch for it from first hand experience.

Sally, get your Thermapen fixed and join the ranks of those who love theirs.

PS I don't work for Thermapen but I wish I did ;)

FOAS alerted me on a completely different post about the Thermapen rep posting on this thread. I must have let the thread slip by without returning to it after posting last, cause I missed out completely.

DCarch, hysterical picture!

Timothy Robinson, if you're still lurking here, I truly appreciate your response. I will contact the customer service people about both thermometers. Thanks!

Sally

Dcarch:
I always thought there was something wrong with you.

Think I am getting close to the answer. LOL !!!

****************************************************

I picked up a cheapo instant read ( Acu > Rite ),
at Walmart. About $10.

Checked it out , using my Navy and other Thermometers.

Being I do mostly down home cooking, it is used mostly for
Steaks and Roasts.

Last nights New York Strip was cooked to 125 Deg. and was meduim Rare. It was delicious !!!

And what is " worser " I cooked it in my burned out, disfigured, nonstick pan.

I will have to cook another one tonight, in the Cast Iron Skillet,
to make sure the thermometer is accurate.
I always sacrifice myself first, before I will use it for my family.

That is what parents are here for.

DC:
Keep them coming.

I will keep testing.

LOU

Sorry:
I did not do any more testing.

Decided to make a 10 minute, Italian, Irish Stew, with the other piece of NY Strip.
It was great and I did not need the Thermometer.

LOU