Get the lowdown on the top meat thermometers of the year and find out which one’s the best fit for you!
Whether you’re a seasoned grill master or a beginner home cook, a good meat thermometer is an essential tool in the kitchen. A reliable thermometer will help you ensure your meat is cooked to the proper internal temperature, resulting in dishes that are not just tender and juicy, but safe to eat every time.
With so many options on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the best meat thermometer for your needs. That’s why we’ve rounded up a selection of the top-rated meat thermometers for you. From digital models with advanced features to bare-bone classics, we’ve done the due diligence for you so you can focus on the activity you love — cooking.
Whether you’re cooking a holiday roast or grilling up burgers, these thermometers will help you achieve the perfect temperature every time.
See our picks below.
Best Meat Thermometers
Handy, precise, and waterproof tool for grilling, searing, roasting, or broiling meats. Adjustable probe, large, easy-to-read dial with a bright backlight, and a hold function. Pre-calibrated and accurate to +/- 1 degree. Takes 2 to 4 seconds for a reading.
Grilling, searing, roasting, or broiling meats? No problem! The Alpha Grillers Instant-Read Meat Thermometer is the perfect tool for ensuring that your dishes are cooked to the proper temperature every time.
This meat thermometer features a long, adjustable probe that you can angle as needed, making it easy to get an accurate reading even in the tightest of spaces. It’s also pre-calibrated and ready to use out of the box. Add a CR2 battery — it comes with two CR2 batteries in the package, so you won’t have to run to the hardware store — and you’re good to go.
With its large, readable dial and the bright backlight, the Alpha Grillers Instant-Read Meat Thermometer is a cinch to use. Turn off the backlight in daytime to save battery power. The buttons let you switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius or calibrate the thermometer with ease.
It’s also very precise, with an accuracy of +/- 1 degree. It takes just 2 to 4 seconds to get a reading, and the hold function lets you hold the current reading so you can remove the thermometer from the heat and look at the dial.
Last but not least, the Alpha Grillers Instant-Read Meat Thermometer is waterproof, so you can use it with wet, dirty hands, as well as in any weather.
Set of 4 stainless steel thermometers to monitor the internal temperature of steaks, chops, or whole birds as they cook. Easy-to-read face plates feature doneness indicators for beef, pork, and chicken.
If you’re serious about cooking meat to perfection and you’re not a fan of digital thermometers, the KT THERMO Steak Button Thermometers are a must-have for your kitchen.
This set of four thermometers allows you to keep tabs on the internal temperature of your steaks, pork chops, or whole chicken at all times, ensuring that you and everybody else in the household get your meat exactly the way you like it.
To use the thermometers, simply stick them into your meat at least 1.5 inches thick and keep them inside until you get an accurate reading. The easy-to-read face plates feature doneness indicators for beef, pork, and chicken, so you’ll know exactly when your meat is cooked to your desired level.
With a body of stainless steel, these dial thermometers are durable and easy to clean. They are generally safe for use in the oven, grill, and meat smoker, and can read temperatures in the range from 140°F to 194°F. Whether you’re an experienced cook or a beginner, the KT THERMO Steak Button Thermometers are neat tools for achieving great results every time.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected thermometer with four leave-in probes. When the meats reach the target temperature, an alarm is sent to the thermometer and your phone. Temperature range of 32°F (0°C) to 572°F (300°C) and accuracy of +/- 1.8°F/1°C.
If you’re looking for a convenient and easy way to monitor the temperature of your meats as they cook, the Govee Wireless Meat Thermometer is a great choice.
This Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected thermometer comes with four leave-in probes that you can use for baking, roasting, broiling, and meat smoking. When the meats reach the target temperature, an alarm is sent from the probes to the body of the thermometer and to your phone, so you’ll know exactly when the food’s ready.
The Wi-Fi connection distance is up to 328 ft / 100 m. Make sure your router supports 2.4 GHz and 802.11 b/g/n bands for compatibility. This meat thermometer doesn’t support 5 GHz connections.
The Govee Wireless Meat Thermometer has a number of very useful features, including a countdown timer and a temperature curve to monitor meat stall. These features will be particularly of help to meat smokers, who need to keep track of the temperature of their food over a long period of time.
The body of the thermometer has a 3000 mAh rechargeable lithium battery, which yields 20 to 40 uses per charge in peak capacity. The temperature range of the probes is 32°F (0°C) to 572°F (300°C), with an accuracy of +/- 1.8°F/1°C. Just remember to never expose the probe to an open flame or put it in boiling water, as this can damage the probe and make its readings less accurate.
And if you’re not sure what temperature your food should be cooked to, the accompanying app has 28 built-in presets powered by USDA recommendations. All in all, the Govee Wireless Meat Thermometer’s a fantastic option.
How to Choose
Now that you know our picks, how can you decide which is best for you? Use the guide below as a starting point.
If you’re mostly grilling, searing, roasting, or broiling meats, the Alpha Grillers Instant-Read Meat Thermometer is a good choice. It reads quickly and accurately, and the adjustable probe and hold function allow you to take the temperature even in tight spaces. The waterproof body makes it sturdy and durable to use.
If you prefer a traditional dial thermometer, the KT THERMO Steak Button Thermometers are a good option. This set of four thermometers is easy to use and allows everyone at home to get their meat exactly how they like it. However, it has a much smaller reading range and is admittedly not as accurate as our digital thermometer picks.
For the seasoned home cook, experienced griller, or avid meat smoker who prepares multiple roasts at a time or smokes more than one hunk of meat, the Govee Wireless Meat Thermometer is a great choice.
This thermometer connects to your phone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and has four leave-in probes, which make it easy to monitor the temperature of your food as it cooks. It has a wide temperature range and a number of useful features, such as a countdown timer and temperature curve, that make it ideal for more advanced cooking techniques.
Why Trust Our Picks
We spent 19 hours researching and rounding up the best meat thermometers, so you won’t have to.
We looked at product specs, read through owner’s manuals, and scrutinized customer reviews to come up with a shortlist of contender thermometers. We then drew on the decades of combined cooking experience of our team to review our list of favorites and come to the final selection of winners.
First and foremost, we considered accuracy and speed. We wanted meat thermometers that could accurately and quickly read the temperature of meats over a wide range. We also looked for thermometers that had additional features, such as a hold function in the case of our instant-read pick, or the ability to connect to a phone via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in the case of our leave-in pick. Brand, price, and the warranty coverage were also key factors.
We hope you found this list helpful! If we missed anything or you have a question, please leave a reply below.
