Let’s be honest. The biggest cooking faux pas is to serve raw meat, followed by shoe leather meat. Unless you’re an experienced cook and are comfortable using the “touch” method of determining doneness, an instant-read meat thermometer is a must-have in the kitchen.
As far as meat thermometers go, we’ve been lucky or lucky over the years. So we have a love-hate relationship. But everyone needs one in their kitchen arsenal, and when Typhur asked us to test their new Typhur InstaProbe meat thermometer, we jumped at the chance. Anything that helps us and YOU, our valued readers, in the kitchen is worth the effort.
After playing around with it for a few weeks we highly recommend this brand and thermometer. Here’s why:
5 reasons we love the Typhur InstaProbe
1. Precise
A meat thermometer may come with the latest bells and whistles, but if it’s not accurate, it defeats its purpose. To confirm accuracy, we ran two tests: an ice bath and boiling water. The ice bath should be at 32°F while the boiling water should be at 212°F.
The Typhur Instaprobe is NIST certified at ±0.5°F. As you can see from the photos, the temperature during the ice bath test was 32.4°F, within the certified accuracy range. The boiling water test returned a temperature of 211.5°F, also within the certified accuracy range.
We LOVE the fact that the temperature reading doesn’t round up! 164.1°F is very different from 164.9°F. Sure, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it does affect carryover temperature. That 0.9°F could well add up to +/- 2-3°F either way.
Also, when you are tempering a delicate ingredient like chocolate or even wax to make candles, the temperature needs to be accurate. That extra decimal is the key to ultimate success.
2. Fast
The second “must-have” feature is the speed of reading. When smoking, the ambient temperature drops the more the longer the lid is open to measure the temperature of the meat. The Typhur Instaprobe measures in 0.75 seconds, the industry leader. So not only did we find it to be as accurate as claimed, but also as fast as claimed.
Now that the two “must have” features passed with flying colors, we looked at the “nice to have” features.
3. OLED display
The older we get, the more we appreciate a big and bright display! Not only were we able to read the display well in the bright sun (and moonlight!), it works for both left- and right-handed users. Left-handers no longer have to read the temperature upside down. We checked our existing instant-read meat thermometer and found it didn’t adjust when turned over.
4. Water resistance class
For those who grill/smoke, move around the kitchen quickly or tend to “forget” to bring their thermometer inside after use, we have good news; This thermometer is waterproof to IP67! This number didn’t tell us much when we read it, so we examined it:
IP67 is one of the highest protection classes in terms of environmental protection. In short, the Typhur InstaProbe protects against liquids (making washing easier) and protects against dust and other airborne particles (hello, smoker’s smoke!)
As a year-round outdoor stove, this rating is critical to longevity. Perhaps this is contributing to our other instant-read temperature gauges dying out fast?
5. Built-in magnet
The magnet isn’t a “must have” feature, but it’s certainly an appreciated and commonly used feature. We personally attach it to the side of our smoker or in front of our grill so we always know where to find it while cooking. For storage, we keep it on the side of the fridge – out of sight and without taking up valuable drawer space.
pricing
If you are looking for a cheap thermometer that will break within a month, then this is it. Unfortunately we bought a couple of “high end” thermometers that didn’t deliver as promised and/or broke far too quickly to justify the price. With its fast response and accurate readings, the Typhur InstaProbe offers excellent value for money, even at the price of $109. With digital thermometers, you get what you pay for.
The price includes the device, 2 AAA batteries, a 12-month hassle-free warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Used
When we buy a high-end thermometer, we want to get the best bang for our buck; Use is not limited to the kitchen. Here are some ways we use our instant read thermometer around the home and kitchen:
- grilling
- Sous vide (water temperature accuracy)
- candy making
- candle making
- frying
The Typhur InstaProbe Meat Thermometer makes cooking a breeze, even when you’re preparing an expensive cut of meat. Here are a few recipes that require a killer thermometer to prepare:
Tender and juicy Smoked Tri Tip, seared upside down to create a deep brown crust. This smoked tri-tip recipe starts with a flavorful, California-inspired tri-tip rub and is cooked slow and slow on the grill.
In the popular 3-2-1 method, ribs are coated in BBQ rub and sauce and smoked until they fall tenderly off the bone.
Learn how to smoke a London Broil to rival even the most tender steaks. When smoked London Broil is cooked at a low temperature and slowly, the result is tender and juicy slices of beef with a strong smoky flavor.
Alternate it by grilling a bavette steak, an incredibly rich cut of beef. Beef Bavette has a beef flavor, takes on any dry rub or marinade like a boss, and is perfect for any recipe that calls for steak.
If you are looking for a new instant read digital thermometer or are looking for a great gift idea for the chef in your life, the Typhur InstaProbe should be at the top of your wish list. It gets two big thumbs up from the foodie and wine kitchen.
Disclosure: I worked with Typhur (Typhur powered by Cooking Science) for this review; However, all opinions expressed here are my own.