Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer (RED) - Thermoworks
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer (RED) - Thermoworks
Customer Review: A joy to use & makes an excellent gift
Summary: 5 Stars
Cooking thermometers have come a long way in the 15 years.
I remember the old mechanical spiral-dial thermometer that my parents used - it was terrible. It's temperature response time was measured in minutes, and if it got you within +/- 20F of your target temperature, you were lucky. Candy thermometers offere a slight improvement in speed and accuracy, but were calibrated too high a range to be useful for grilling and baking.
Then the first of the digital thermometers came out for home cooks. As a budding humebrewer and someone who loved to cook, I immediately bought the best ones I could fine. Unfortunately, although faster and more accurate, they were still a bit slow ... taking up to 30 sec to stabilize. They also tended to be moisture sensitive, needed periodic re-calibration to retain accuracy, had to be turned on and off manually, and frequently needed new batteries. However, they were still a giant step forward.
About 5 years ago (guess?), I saw the first Thermapen in a Baker's catalog, which ballyhooed it's speed, accuracy, and convenience. I promptly bought one and tried it. I was delightfully surprised to encounter a product that actually did everything as well as it claimed.
LIKES:
* SPEED & ACCURACY: Courtesy of the probe's tapered tip, and modern thermocouple, the thermapen can get an accurate reading within 1F in roughly 3-4 seconds ... and the tip is tapered enough so that it only makes a small hole, without overly damaging that you're measuring. That makes all sorts of things possible - you can accurately check individual chops, burgers, sausages and fish for proper doneness while grilling, and you can check oven roasts and baked bread for doneness in a blink without losing all the heat in your oven (although if you're serious about baking, you should be using a wireless instant read instead). The unit also seems to retain excellent accuracy, and doesnt need regular re-calibration.
* ERGONOMIC: I like how the probe is protected by having it fold and clip into the side of the unit, so it can fit securely into your pocket ... no protective tube to lose, or awkward clamshell case. It's fairly rugged, and doesnt mind being bumped around in the ol kitchen tools drawer. The unit also turns itself off after a few minutes, to protect the battery (12v type 23A ... it looks like a half-length AAA).
MINOR NITS:
* F/C: There's no switch to change between farenheit and celsius ... you have to buy one set to one scale or the other. It can't do both. There's also no calibration adjustment ... although I dont really miss it, because this unit seems to stay accurate, despite years of use.
* BETTER SWIVEL NEEDED: I really like the folding probe, but because it only folds along 1 plane, it can sometimes cause awkward hand and viewing angles. It would have been better if the swivel were redesigned to allow full XYZ (3D) rotation, instead of only XY (2D).
* PRICEY: At $85-90 USD, it's priced rather steep. However, I've gotten years of very satisfied use out of mine, the battery is changeable, and it's been worth the price. Still, I'd like to see the price come down.
* SIZE: Although fairly compact and fits neatly into a pocket, there's still plenty of room for further size reduction.
Highly recommended ... if your budget permits.
Kitchen and Housewares