Top 6 compared
The best meat thermometers
No more cutting into the chicken to check if it’s done, at Sunday lunch or on the barbecue.
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The top 6 at a glance
A meat thermometer has a probe that goes into the thickest part of the meat and shows the temperature in the middle, so you know it’s cooked through rather than just browned on the outside. Instant-read ones are pocket-sized, and you dip them in whenever you want a reading; wireless ones stay in the joint throughout cooking and send the temperature to a receiver or a phone, which beeps when it’s ready.
Most of the instant-read ones here fold their probe away when not in use and stick to the fridge door by a magnet, and a rinse or a wipe after raw meat keeps them hygienic. The wireless one works with its own receiver rather than a phone app, so there’s nothing to pair or download.
What matters
- Accuracy within a degree either way, which is plenty for meat.
- A probe long enough for the thickest roast.
- A backlit screen that’s easy to read in poor light.
#1ThermoPro TP03H Instant-Read Thermometer
Under £10
- Accurate to ±0.5°C
- Rinses under the tap
- Built-in calibration function
Settles the “is the chicken done?” question in one to three seconds, to within half a degree, from a probe that folds away into the body. The quicker F1 and the leave-in TP20 score as high but cost more, and a check that dinner is cooked through is all most cooks need.
What owners say: Owners say it’s accurate, quick and easy to read, and keeping it stuck to the fridge or the barbecue means it’s always to hand.
A closer look: A hold function freezes the reading, so you can pull the probe out of a hot oven and check the number away from the heat. Now and then, dip the probe in a glass of iced water: it should read 0°C, and if it doesn’t, the calibration function sets it right.
Best for: Holding the reading
- Type
- Instant-read
- Reading time
- 1–3 seconds
- Accuracy
- ±0.5°C
- Waterproof
- Yes (IPX6)
- Magnet for the fridge
- Yes
#2ThermoMaven F1 Turbo Instant-Read Thermometer
£10–£20
- Reads in 0.5 seconds
- Accurate to ±0.3°C
- Rinses under the tap
- Costs more than most cooks need
Reads in half a second and is certified accurate to ±0.3°C against a NIST standard, with the calibration certificate in the box, across −49.9°C to 299.9°C. For a cook who checks a steak several times on its way to medium-rare, the speed means less time with the grill lid open.
What owners say: Owners trust its readings and like the speed, the bright screen that lights up on its own and the magnet on the back, and say it’s sturdy enough for barbecues as well as baking.
A closer look: It drops into sleep mode after 30 seconds untouched to save the battery, so it can be left on the side while the steak rests without running flat. The hook hole lets it hang with the barbecue tools rather than rattle about in a drawer.
Best for: Half-second readings
- Type
- Instant-read
- Reading time
- 0.5 seconds
- Accuracy
- ±0.3°C
- Waterproof
- Yes (IP67)
- Magnet for the fridge
- Yes
#3ThermoPro TP20 Wireless Meat Thermometer
£30–£50
- Two probes at once
- Alarm at your chosen doneness
Leave the probes in the Sunday roast and go and sit down: the receiver beeps from up to 90m away when it’s ready. There’s nothing to sync between transmitter and receiver, and the receiver’s screen lights up as the alarm goes off.
What owners say: Owners rate the accuracy, the presets for different meats and a wireless link that just works, and like keeping an eye on two pieces of meat at the same time. Durability is mixed, with some finding it robust and others less so.
A closer look: Each probe sits on a cable of about a metre, long enough to run out through a closed oven door or barbecue lid to the transmitter outside. Choose the meat and one of five doneness levels, or set your own target, and don’t be thrown if the box says TempPro rather than ThermoPro, as either name may turn up.
Best for: Watching from another room
- Type
- Wireless, 2 probes, 90m range
- Reading time
- Watches continuously, beeps when done
- Accuracy
- ±1°C
- Waterproof
- No, wipe clean
- Magnet for the fridge
- No
#4BESROY Instant-Read Meat Thermometer
Under £10
- Backlit screen
- Waterproof body
A no-fuss instant-read probe that gives a reading in two to three seconds and switches between Celsius and Fahrenheit with one press. It handles meat, sugar for sweets, hot drinks and baking, so one probe covers the Sunday roast and a batch of fudge.
What owners say: Owners find it well made and accurate, with a clear display and a quick response.
A closer look: Keep the tip away from the bone, which conducts heat and can give a falsely reassuring reading. With a whole chicken or a big joint, check a second spot as well, because one side often cooks ahead of the other, and let the number settle before pulling the probe out.
Best for: Making sweets
- Type
- Instant-read
- Reading time
- 2–3 seconds
- Accuracy
- –
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Magnet for the fridge
- –
#5AWLKIM Digital Instant-Read Meat Thermometer
Under £10
- Rinses under the tap
- Magnet holds it on the fridge
- Backlit screen
A fold-out instant-read probe that reads in one to three seconds through a fine 1.7mm tip, so it leaves only a small hole in a steak or a sausage. It’s rated IP67 waterproof, and its single CR2 battery comes in the box.
What owners say: Owners find it accurate and easy to use, with a clear screen and near-instant readings, and like that it sticks to the side of the fridge by its magnet.
A closer look: Unfold the probe and it’s ready, so it’s quick to grab for a sausage on the barbecue or a burger in the pan. The 1.7mm tip is fine enough to bend if it’s knocked, so fold it away before the thermometer goes into a drawer or a picnic bag.
Best for: Tiny probe holes
- Type
- Instant-read
- Reading time
- 1–3 seconds
- Accuracy
- –
- Waterproof
- Yes (IP67)
- Magnet for the fridge
- Yes
#6DOQAUS Instant-Read Meat Thermometer
Under £10
- Screen turns for left-handers
- Hold button keeps the reading
- Temperature guide in the box
- Body only wipes clean
A 3-second probe accurate to within a degree, with an 11.5cm stainless probe that reaches the middle of a thick joint and a screen that turns to suit left- or right-handed use. Fling the probe open and it switches on, ready to read.
What owners say: Owners find it quick, accurate and easy to read, in the kitchen and at the barbecue. The display is the sticking point for some, who say theirs only showed “Lo” when switched on, and durability gets mixed reports.
A closer look: Until the target numbers are second nature, keep the temperature guide from the box handy. Slide the probe in from the side of a thin steak or burger rather than the top, so the tip sits in the middle instead of poking through into the pan.
Best for: A long probe
- Type
- Instant-read
- Reading time
- 3 seconds
- Accuracy
- ±1°C
- Waterproof
- Probe only
- Magnet for the fridge
- Yes
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1ThermoPro TP03H | #2ThermoMaven F1 Turbo | #3ThermoPro TP20 | #4BESROY FM152 | #5AWLKIM TBX-GGT | #6DOQAUS CP1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | ||||||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Price | Under £10 | £10–£20 | £30–£50 | Under £10 | Under £10 | Under £10 |
| Type | Instant-read | Instant-read | Wireless, 2 probes, 90m range | Instant-read | Instant-read | Instant-read |
| Reading time | 1–3 seconds | 0.5 seconds | Watches continuously, beeps when done | 2–3 seconds | 1–3 seconds | 3 seconds |
| Accuracy | ±0.5°C | ±0.3°C | ±1°C | – | – | ±1°C |
| Waterproof | Yes (IPX6) | Yes (IP67) | No, wipe clean | Yes | Yes (IP67) | Probe only |
| Magnet for the fridge | Yes | Yes | No | – | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Holding the reading | Half-second readings | Watching from another room | Making sweets | Tiny probe holes | A long probe |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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