Thermapen ONE preliminary review

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I was doing a little advance online holiday shopping while waiting for a meeting. One of the young adults I've been buying cooking items for isn't the best or most attentive of cooks and is likely not to really get to know the equipment well. So I thought Thermapen. It's so highly spoken of here. I have a combo IR/probe unit which works well enough, but isn't the easiest thing to operate correctly. When I got to the Thermaworks website, they had a great promotional price on the new Thermapen ONE--so good that I got one for the gift, and one for myself!

It just came. It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be, maybe double over all, and hefty (i didn't read the specs). This isn't going to be lost. :) It does good tricks. The sensor is in the point, and can work at a depth of 1/8". Score! My analog candy thermometer is quite accurate, but requires an inch. While the digital doesn't clip to the side of the pot, it also says it reads at 1 second. My old instant read takes longer to be "instant". It turns on when you fold out the probe, and turns off when you close it. No fussing with little buttons while juggling the cooking with messy hands. It has a rotating display so if you hold it in a funky direction it's still legible, and it has a light sensor so knows whether to turn on the display light or not. My old one is LCD with no display light, which has been an issue at times. The display on the ONE is huge! And so are the numbers. Still, the battery is supposed to last a really long time.

They also sell (and I bought) a silicone "boot". It's translucent, milky color, so mutes the bright orange I got to go with my Le Creuset, but I have ceramic tile on concrete floors, and the boot is supposed to help save it from them. The boot also has a magnet and a lanyard (which has a pressure buckle, making it easy to separate off if it's hanging), and is grippier than the hard plastic of the housing, which, again, messy hands, should be good. The hard housing, however, does have an antimicrobial element that's silver based. Silicone will need more frequent deep cleaning. I got boring old black for the gift. :) ETA--not boring. It's actually an interesting very deep blue.

Now I'm going to have to cook things just to probe their temperatures. :)

Featured Answer

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

3 years ago

That said, i do have a rotation of foods that do not need temp checks. Long cooks on the grill we will check but not that often. A wiggle leg on a chicken, a roasted pork shoulder i can tell by the bone release. Braised chicken thighs by timing having done that dish so often.

It is the random new cuts from the local farm share i might need help...so nice to have a quick temp gauge.

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Comments (18)

John Liu
3 years ago
Dang, no promo now :-(

I need a new thermometer! Tell us how you like yours and if it really reads that fast?
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
Any chance of pix? I have no idea what a silicone boot is ..... and that’s after Googling.
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arkansas girl
3 years ago
floral it is this, from their website:

silicone boot
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
Oh, I see. Thanks. From the wording I thought it was something for the casserolle, not the thermometer.
Lars
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I have a Thermapen in Cathedral City and a ThermoPro in L.A. that has a magnet that allows me to store it on the side of the refrigerator. I actually like the ThermoPro better, which is why I keep it in L.A. I've had both of them for several years and have had no problems with the batteries.

I've used the Thermapen to check the pool and spa water temperatures as well.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
3 years ago
When i first purchased my thermopen about ten years ago they only had sale prices once/twice a year. One was fathers day.

Now i get e-mail messages about once a week and lots of product now. I'm sure some sales will show up before thanksgiving.

When my first one stopped working i quickly picked up a thermopop for 21$ and the all their silicone tools were BOGO at the same time. I have 4 of the tivets that i use for spoon rests. One on each side of the stovetop. Great jar openers. Always one in the dishwasher in rotation.

Love the 'spots'. Fridge/freezer thermometers.
plllog
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It really reads that fast and shallow. I zapped a little water in a custard cup for 10 seconds and probed it. There was no perceptible delay between insertion and readout, but the numbers wobbled. So I added more water—maybe to 3/8”—and zapped 30 seconds. Again, instant display, but it wobbled up and down and held at about the promised one second (by perception, not clock) then seemed to start the wobble again, but it was the water cooling. There wasn't enough mass for it to hold temperature.

The tip is narrower than the shaft. I presume this will make it easier to push into food than my old thermometers. So, as of now, I like it fine, but I've never been good at thermometer use. I do fine with, time, appearance, smell, hollow thump, rebounds when pressed—or not, coats a spoon, reduced by half, chilled plate, hard crack, soft ball, etc. (Though I have to look up jam and candy ones before starting because I use them so infrequently.) I've never done well with meats at other temperatures than I prefer myself, and I'm hoping the ONE will be better because it's so easy to use. Also for recipes that require a particular temperature to proceed. The IR/probe I was given is too fussy for that.

FEATURE: Not only does the display rotate and light up by itself, if you put it down open (on) the light will go off (the display stays on longer) but when you pick it back up the light comes back on.

Floral, sorry. I had meant to explain ”boot” but got distracted. Thanks, Arkansas Girl! But here are pictures with boot anyway:

The round protruberance is the magnet. More detail shows through in the picture than IRL because of the flash lighting it up.
aziline
3 years ago
I bought a ThermoPop first. One day the metal detached from the plastic and would slide off if I wasn't careful. I limped along until I finally messed up the wire that is in the metal and no longer worked.

I agree that they go on sale more often now. Then bought a Thermarpan One and am very happy with it. I was also surprised at how big it was.
foodonastump
3 years ago
My One is my third Thermapen, but only the first to live up to the hype. Most importantly, it's the first one I've had that's as quick as advertised. Secondly, water was the downfall of my previous two, but the One seems a lot more water resistant. I like that it's backlit, and I really like that after it times out, it turns back on the instant you touch it as long as the probe is out.

I almost didn't buy this last one as I've kind of felt like my first two were a waste of money. I think a sale sucked me in once again, and I'm glad it did.
plllog
Original Author
3 years ago
I just read their e-mail today. The ONE is supposed to be water resistant to one meter for a short time. I'm thinking half a minute, but I really don't remember. Pretty much will survive being dropped in a sink. :) There were a lot of warnings about keeping stuff, especially oil, out of the hinge area. I also read that it times out after 10 seconds, though mine only seems to do it when I put it down open. 10 seconds is probably longer than I thought. :)

FOAS, thanks for confirming that it's good! I've looked at sales in the past, but wasn't tempted by the prior ones. There's really nothing wrong with the IR/probe I was given, and I kept looking because of the good reviews here in CF. I think this one will be easier for me to actually get to work as one is supposed to, given my lack of skill with a thermometer.
bbstx
3 years ago
Rats! Sorry I missed a good sale. My Thermapen is probably one of the originals…used by cavemen to test the doneness of their mastodon roasts. I don’t *need* a new one, but I sure would like to get a new one.

btw, plllog, all of those things that you look to for doneness (thump, appearance, rebounds, etc) always stymie me. I’m much happier with being told ”cook to X degrees internal temperature.” That is how I quit overcooking cheesecakes. I finally read a recipe that gave a temperature for the correct “wobble”!
linda campbell
3 years ago
Just now discovering the thermo-pen? I have had one easily 5 years....great tool. Terlls me when the bread is cooked if I have doubts and a casserole warm enough. And I have given one to all the cooks in my family. Thermo pop is their answer to an instant read....a thermo pen is entirely different animal...my first buy as a gift was almost $100.
plllog
Original Author
3 years ago
Linda, I've had an instant read that does infrared and probe for many years. It's just fiddly and hard to use. It works just fine. I'm just better at all those experiential things than using a thermometer, and I hope the ease of the ONE will make it easier for the things I do want to check. The main thing was the gift ONE for the clueless new cook. It's going to make her life much better,
Elizabeth
3 years ago
Really like mine and use it for all meats. I don't overcook meats anymore to "be safe".
petalique
3 years ago
Maybe I’ll get one someday. We’ve been using (with good results) a $14 Taylor probe thermometer and timer. We find it easy and accurate and have it inside a roast in the oven with the readout block on the nearby counter. No backlight and its not s_xy.

It probably take a half second or more to register and report the temperature. I think I’ve dropped it a few times and it still works. It has an alarm that you can set for temperature or time.

I think the Thermapen design would be great for bread, sauces, pan-cooked items, or grilled foods.

Thanks for sharing your feedback, plllog. Oh, and I like the idea of the protective silicone ”boot.”
plllog thanked petalique
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
3 years ago
Since i posted my 'loot' pic a few days ago i've had 3-4 e-mails. Endless sales daily.

If you want something just check their website.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
3 years ago
As predicted, i get e-mails almost daily from thermoworks. On sale again. And almost every day---until tomorrow, and proobably again next week.

Thermapen ONE preliminary review

sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

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