Food thermometers are a must-have for measuring the internal temperature and safe doneness of meat and egg products. They are also helpful when measuring the temperature of hot oil, cooking sugar for candy, and monitoring the temperature of your grill or oven. In this guide, you'll learn about the types of food thermometers and how to use one so you can choose the best food thermometer for your kitchen.

How to Choose the Best Food Thermometer

Step 1: Choose the Display Type

Digital: There are several types of digital food thermometers, all of which display their temperature reading on a small screen. Although some are called instant-read, accurate readings can sometimes take 20–30 seconds. Most digital thermometers are not oven-safe and should be inserted into the food after cooking. Some models feature a probe connected to a long wire, allowing the display to remain outside of the oven.

Dial: Dial (or analog) food thermometers are attached to a long metal probe and use a moving dial to display the internal temperature of the food. Many are oven-safe so you can leave them in the food while it's cooking, which is particularly useful for making a laborious meal like a Thanksgiving turkey. Dial food thermometers display a wide range of temperatures, making them ideal for more extreme temperature locations such as the freezer or grill.

Step 2: Select the Measuring Technology

Probe: Probe food thermometers have a long probe that is inserted into the food. The tip reads the internal temperature of its surroundings. The temperature display can be attached directly to the base of the needle-like probe or attached via a wire.

Infrared: These food thermometers use a laser pointer to measure the surface temperature of food or oil without coming into contact with them. Because they don't read internal temperature, infrared thermometers shouldn't be used to check meat or poultry doneness. They shouldn't be used with polished cookware either, as the cookware can reflect ambient kitchen radiation instead of emitting sufficient infrared radiation.

Step 3: Determine the Food Type

Meat: These thermometers are specifically designed to read the internal temperature of meat and can typically read from 140° to 220° F. For an accurate internal temperature reading, insert the probe into the center of the thickest part of the meat. Some instant-read thermometers have a smaller probe better suited for thinner cuts of meat like burgers, pork chops, and chicken.

Tip!

Read How to Use a Meat Thermometer for a closer look at using this tool.

Candy & Deep-Fry: Standard instant-read thermometers often don't have ranges large enough for the high temperatures of frying oil or boiling sugar. Specialized candy and deep-frying thermometers, often used interchangeably, can read higher temperatures ranging from 100° to 400° F, some even reaching up to 600° F. These are commonly designed to rest against or clip onto the side of a deep pot where the standard thermometer uses a standard mercury display to measure the temperature.

Step 4: Pick Your Cooking Method or Location

Grill: There are two types of grill thermometers – those that remain in the grill to measure its temperature and those that measure the internal temperature of grilled meats once taken out. The former are usually small dial thermometers that sit in or clip onto the inside of the grill to monitor its temperature while the latter can resemble any of the thermometers described above.

Oven: There are two types of oven thermometers: oven-safe thermometers, which remain inside the oven to monitor its temperature, and external thermometers, which remain on the exterior. An oven thermometer is a must-have if your oven doesn't display its own internal temperature. Even modern ovens can be slightly inaccurate when displaying their temperature, so an oven thermometer can ensure you're baking at the exact right temperature.

Step 5: Consider Additional Food Thermometer Features

Programmable: Programmable food thermometers often include features such as automatic shutoff, temperature minimum and maximum settings, alarms, and timers. When shopping for programmable food thermometers, review the Summary tab of the product description on-site to learn about their specific perks and added features.

Wireless: Despite their name, many food thermometers are not truly wireless, but they do allow you to move freely around your house while you cook. The probe reads the temperature of the food while it cooks in the oven, with probe wires connecting it to a device outside of the oven. That device sends those readings to a handheld receiver. Wireless food thermometers are exceptionally helpful if you want to do other tasks around the house while you cook (perfect for busy holiday preparations). They have a limited range, so they aren't optimal if you'd like to leave your house while cooking.

How to Use a Food Thermometer

Food thermometer usage varies depending on what type of food thermometer you are using. In this section, we'll break down how to use a few different types: probe, infrared, and candy/frying. These three types are the most different in design and use.

If you're using a display thermometer, its reading will pop up on its screen. To read a dial thermometer, note where the arrow is pointing. Some dial thermometers have degrees marked in Celsius and Fahrenheit, so be aware of the unit when taking measurements.

Different food thermometers require different usage. While digital thermometers display readings on a screen, dial thermometers display the measurement indicated by an arrow, noting whether it's in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Keep reading to find out how to use probe, infrared, and candy/frying thermometers.

How to Calibrate Your Cooking Thermometer

Regularly calibrate your thermometer (reset to standard) for accurate readings. Many thermometers, both digital and dial, have their own calibration button or settings which you can find in the user manual for the device. However, if your thermometer doesn't have a calibration function, use one of these two methods to calibrate your thermometer. Keep in mind that if your temperature registers within 2° F of the accurate temperature, you do not need to calibrate it.

Method 1: Ice Water

First, fill a glass with ice cubes and cold water. Stir the water and let it sit for 3 minutes. Then stir again. Insert your thermometer's probe or end into the glass, being careful not to let it touch the sides. The temperature should register the freezing point of water, 32° F (0° C). If your thermometer does not read the correct temperature, record the difference and offset your thermometer by that difference when using it to take measurements.

Method 2: Boiling Water

First, boil a pot of distilled water. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, insert your thermometer, being careful not to let it touch the sides or bottom of the pot. Do not take the pot off the heat. The temperature should register the boiling point of water, 212° F (100° C). If the temperature is inaccurate, offset your thermometer by the difference when measuring.

Tip!

When using a glass thermometer (including many candy/frying thermometers) keep the thermometer submerged in the water before you add ice or begin boiling. This prevents the glass from being shocked by a large, immediate temperature change, which can cause it to break.

How to Use a Food Thermometer

Once calibrated, your food thermometer is ready to use. Follow these steps to correctly use yours. For a rundown of the safe minimum temperatures for a variety of meats and other foods, check out the chart at the end of this guide.

Probe

Step 1: If your device is digital, ensure that it is on and registering the temperature of its surroundings before you insert it in food.
Step 2: Insert your thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the food you're cooking. If you're using an oven-safe thermometer, this can occur before the food is cooked. If not, do this step after the food has cooked for an appropriate amount of time.
Step 3: Read the temperature on the display or dial. Check the reading against the safe minimum cooking temperature (chart at the end of the guide) for that given food. If the food is not yet done, repeat step two after cooking for a bit longer.

Infrared

Step 1: Point the infrared thermometer at the food where you'd like to take a surface temperature. If you're trying to accurately measure the internal temperature of hot oil, you can take a ladleful of the hot liquid from the center of the pot and point your thermometer at that.
Step 2: Press the trigger button and hold it until a reading pops up on the thermometer. A laser pointer may appear and show you where you're pointing the thermometer.
Step 3: Record the temperature and repeat as necessary.

Candy/Frying

Step 1: Clip the thermometer to the side of the pot, ensuring that its tip is not touching the bottom of the pot. This can damage or break the thermometer.
Step 2: Fill the pot with the desired ingredients and turn on the heat. The tip of the thermometer should be submerged in the liquid.
Step 3: Monitor the thermometer's reading as you cook. Adjust the heat under the pot as necessary to keep the temperature from rising too high or modulating too much.

Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures

Keep this chart of minimum internal temperatures for safe eating from FoodSafety.gov handy as you cook.

Note that "rest time" in this chart refers to the amount of time you should let the food rest before you take its temperature. Again, be sure to insert your food thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the food. This location will be the coldest, so if it reads a safe temperature, you can be fairly certain that the rest of the food is up to a safe temperature as well.

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