A $99 Thermometer? Why the Thermapen Is Worth It

There is one tool in the kitchen that I simply can’t do without. Now, I really don’t believe that you must buy a bunch of pricey tools in order to cook well, so recommending a $99 thermometer may seem out of touch. But honestly: this incredibly useful, incredibly fast and accurate thermometer is a game-changer, whether you’re a new cook or an experienced one. There’s no substitution for knowing exactly what temperature your food is at, and doing it fast. That is where the Thermapen absolutely excels and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The Thermapen next to a traditional probe thermometer. The Thermapen is significantly larger, but folds back up and is easy to fit in a drawer.

So, what is a Thermapen and why is it so great? A Thermapen is a different kind of thermometer; it uses a different technology to read temperatures. Unlike cheaper, more traditional thermometers (which use thermistor sensors) the Thermapen uses what’s called a thermocouple sensor. These are used in professional kitchens and other places where getting faster, more accurate temperature readouts is very important. The Thermapen condenses this technology into a relatively small thermometer probe.

What’s the difference between this and an “instant-read” thermometer? Well, an “instant-read” thermometer is never actually instant; the display updates instantly, but it takes 20 to 30 seconds to get an accurate reading of the temperature. This is eons, in cooking time, when the oven or grill is open, and heat is escaping. The Thermapen truly does give an instant read. It also has a much thinner probe; you don’t have to put a huge hole in your bread loaf or steak. It also doesn’t need to be very far inside a piece of meat or pan of hot sugar to get a read.

This flexibility and truly instant read-out make the Thermapen the ideal kitchen thermometer. The only drawback is the price.

Here’s the thing, though. I have gone through at least a half dozen thermometers in my adult cooking life. They seem to break frequently — candy thermometers in particular. I have been using the Thermapen now for years. It is built like a tank, and the batteries are easy to swap out. It’s not fussy or overly-complicated (unfold the probe to turn it on; fold back to turn off. It turns off automatically after a certain amount of time, too). You can use it for very, very hot things (sugar, for instance), as well as moderately-hot foods like meat. You can use it to test the temperature of your oven or your grill. And it has all the advantages listed above.

It might seem surprising to recommend spending so much on a thermometer when you can buy cheap dial thermometers at the grocery store for $9.99. But given that they usually need to be supplemented by a candy thermometer (if you work with hot sugar), and their frequent breakage, I would argue that it’s worth it to invest in a Thermapen up-front,

If, though, you rarely take temperatures in your cooking, and you never work with hot sugar, well, perhaps an inexpensive thermometer is a better choice. It really depends on how much you cook, and how often you use a thermometer. If it’s a daily or even weekly tool for you, I would personally recommend one of these great little gadgets. After all, shouldn’t we invest in the tools we use the most?

Buy it: Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen, $99 at Thermoworks

Do you use a Thermapen? Do you love it like I do?

Related: Super-Speedy, Super-Accurate: Is the Thermapen Worth It?

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufactureror an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.

(Images: Faith Durand)