5 hours ago
1
When cooking meat, reaching the right internal temperature is key for both food safety and maximum flavor. Whether you're grilling, smoking brisket or even baking chicken, a reliable meat thermometer can make the task at hand easier.
The first time I saw the Meater 2 Plus, now called the Meater Pro, I knew I had to use it. Whether it's a rack of ribs or a spatchcock chicken, I do a lot of cooking in the backyard, but it takes a long time to cook. You really want to cook slowly and evenly on a grill to keep the juices in.
Pros
- Capable of being deep fried
- Excellent connection
- A single AAA battery to charge
Cons
- Bamboo case can get grimy quickly
I've used a digital food thermometer plenty of times, but often, when I need to use them, the battery is dead. When it works, the display is hard to read and takes around 5-10 seconds to get accurate temperature readings. The ThermoPro Lightning solves those issues and more.
Pros
- Instant heat reading
- Auto shut off to conserve battery
The Typhur Sync has been a go-to leave in thermometer of mine for a while now. I like how solid the case is and how easy the LED display is to read. While the app works fine, and having it connected to the phone is great, the display makes it perfect for those quick steak and chicken cooks on a griddle rather than a slow roast. I especially like the flared base of the probe, too. It makes it much easier to pull out when your hands are greasy.
Pros
- Great display
- Good looking
- Accurate
Without a meat thermometer in the kitchen, I feel helpless, so when I discovered one that was accurate, easy to use and affordable, it made cooking dinner a breeze.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- Available in multiple colors
- Large reading
- Best Meat Thermometers of 2026 to Help Kick Off Grilling Season
- What's the best meat thermometer?
- Best meat thermometers
- Best overall meat thermometer
- Best instant-read meat thermometer
- Best dual thermometer
- Best budget meat thermometer
- How we test meat thermometers at CNET
From instant-read thermometers to one with wireless probes, our cooking experts found the best meat thermometers for every cook. Here are our favorites in every category.
What's the best meat thermometer?
Throughout our testing, the Meater Pro came out on top. Like all of our picks on this list, it's accurate, but the added benefit of the wide temperature range with a 1,000-degree maximum temperature makes it the most well-rounded probe overall.
Best meat thermometers
Pros
- Capable of being deep fried
- Excellent connection
- A single AAA battery to charge
Cons
- Bamboo case can get grimy quickly
The first time I saw the Meater 2 Plus, now called the Meater Pro, I knew I had to use it. Whether it's a rack of ribs or a spatchcock chicken, I do a lot of cooking in the backyard, but it takes a long time to cook. You really want to cook slowly and evenly on a grill to keep the juices in.
The Meater Pro, being one of the wireless probe thermometers that we tested, lets me put the temperature probe into the meat, close the grill lid and maintain a connection to my phone. Not only is the connection tremendous, but if you tell the app what meat you're cooking, it can work out the resting time, too, giving you a perfect piece of meat every time. The update to the Meater Pro means it can be much closer to the heat, and you can even deep fry a turkey.
Read more about it here: Our Meater 2 Plus hands-on
Pros
- Instant heat reading
- Auto shut off to conserve battery
I've used a digital food thermometer plenty of times, but often, when I need to use them, the battery is dead. When it works, the display is hard to read and takes around 5-10 seconds to get accurate temperature readings. The ThermoPro Lightning solves those issues and more.
Right from the top, the ThermoPro Lightning gives highly accurate thermometer readings of ±0.5°F in one second. This means your grill or oven lid is open for less time, reducing heat loss. It also means that you can make better decisions about when your food will be ready based on reliable readings. The thin probe tip makes it easy to get into the meat where you want it as well.
As for solving the battery issue, the ThermoPro Lightning automatically shuts off after 90 seconds if you don't fold the probe closed. When you are using the probe, the large LED screen rotates based on how you're holding the probe to ensure you can always read the read-out without issues, even if you're left-handed. This instant-read meat probe is a must-have for any cook.
Pros
- Great display
- Good looking
- Accurate
The Typhur Sync has been a go-to leave in thermometer of mine for a while now. I like how solid the case is and how easy the LED display is to read. While the app works fine, and having it connected to the phone is great, the display makes it perfect for those quick steak and chicken cooks on a griddle rather than a slow roast. I especially like the flared base of the probe, too. It makes it much easier to pull out when your hands are greasy.
The Typhur Sync is a little pricey, but the dual probe setup and vivid display make it a great purchase if you cook meat every day.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- Available in multiple colors
- Large reading
Without a meat thermometer in the kitchen, I feel helpless, so when I discovered one that was accurate, easy to use and affordable, it made cooking dinner a breeze.
I like the size of this thermometer and found it to be more accurate than a different budget thermometer I previously used. I've had the battery-operated thermometer for more than two years and have never had to change the battery. According to ThermoWorks, it has 4,000 hours of battery life.
After 10 minutes of no use, the thermometer automatically shuts off, but that's about as far as the features go. For me, though, it's plenty.
-- Corin Cesaric-Epple, editor
Cooking your meat to the proper temps for tenderness, juiciness and safety is as important as how you season it.
Chris Wedel/CNETThe most important part of any thermometer testing is accuracy. We use a medical-grade thermometer as our baseline for accuracy and test the meat probe variance to that temperature.
Ice water testing
Testing the accuracy of a thermometer usually involves a cup, some ice cubes and water. Due to the nature of water it can be a liquid and a solid at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0C) so we can reliably get it to be that temperature. By filling a tall glass with ice cubes and adding water — chilled water so the ice doesn't melt — you can bring that water down to 32 degrees F.
We then insert both the medical-grade probe and the meat probe we are testing and stir it until the medical grade thermometer reads 32 degrees F. When that happens we record the temperature reading of the meat probe we are testing to see what, if any, variance there is.
Why don't we use heat?
You would think that using heat would make more sense. After all, these are probes for grilling meat, so high heat is more important, right? Unfortunately, heat is dependent on many factors, such as altitude and pressure, that we can't always control. The freezing point of water is always the same, though, wherever you are, so we can ensure accuracy independent of location.
Accuracy has really improved in the past few years, with most of the top brands claiming their sensors are within plus or minus 0.5F. This is generally pretty common for high-end meat probes and when compared to a dedicated thermocouple close to the claims.
Much of this will depend on your cooking setup and needs. Wired probes will generally have longer battery life and provide more real-time readings. You'll have to be content with wires coming from your grill, and if you have to run the wires under the lid, you risk heat and smoke loss from your grill. Wireless are more convenient and usually more expensive. You'll still get highly accurate readings and not have to worry about losses from a grill lid that isn't sealed shut.
