I’ve recently been researching instant-read thermometers because I really want to cook more accurately for my family. Lately I’ve been getting mixed results — sometimes my meat gets overcooked, and sometimes it’s still a bit underdone, and the same happens with cakes and baked items.
While reading reviews from trusted sources like Serious Eats and The Spruce Eats, two models kept appearing again and again as top recommendations:
ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer
Alpha Grillers Meat Thermometer Digital
Both look great, but now I’m confused about which one would actually be more practical for everyday home cooking.
Most of the time I cook steak, chicken, and also do some baking — and my kitchen is usually pretty busy. So I’m looking for something accurate, fast, and easy to use.
Any advice or suggestions would really help. Thanks in advance!
Thank you for your advice .
As for the previous post, I had created one on the same topic back in November, but it got flagged by someone.
I appreciate your guidance!
Sometimes I also feel that on forums, people immediately suspect that the person on the other side is an AI.
But I’m here to learn and engage in conversation. If someone thinks I’m an AI, they should ask me first , I try to explain things as clearly as possible. Mistakes can happen, but I am truly human and just want to have a normal discussion here.
You are right in your approach, but we should follow the community rules. I try to stick to them, and it’s okay this much should be fine. Otherwise, participating on the forum wouldn’t be as enjoyable. Thanks for the advice!
CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
18
I’m a bit of a fan of this one called iProbe, it’s about $15 on Amazon. I have now bought 6 of these for me and family members.
And no, Jmat, I am not getting compensated for this review.
What I like - it’s cheap AF at $15, compared to better quality stuff like the ThermoPen (I do have the ThermoWorks 4-set leave-in thermometers and base/remote, and wouldn’t use anything else for leave-in roasts).
This iProbe is also super fast - temps up to about 140°F stabilize in less than 0.5 seconds, and up to about 205°F (like for pulled pork) in about 1 second.
What I don’t like about this iProbe - first, the swivel head is fairly stiff to move, and the plastic collar around the probe head has cracked on 2 of the 6 we’ve bought. One I could repair with superglue and the other one pulled out the wires too far and had to be tossed. So I recommend starting the opening rotation out at the knob end vs. grabbing by the end of the probe (too much torque). Design flaw - the probe collar up near the knob should be thicker and/or sturdier, or they need to work on making the motion smoother with less force needed to rotate it.
The other problem is the newest version of these iProbe thermometers is that they are rechargeable rather than 2xAAA batteries in the original design. The first several charging episodes only last about 3-4 days, which is a pain in the butt. After a couple of weeks, though, they start holding about 10 days of charge. Still, this is sub-optimal to me. I’d prefer a 2xAAA setup which lasts a year or more.
