Even after years of preparing steak, fish or even chicken, do you still find yourself having to cut into your protein to make sure it’s cooked just right or well enough? Personally, even though I’ve used a typical thermometer, I think it’s due to a combination of its inaccuracy and perhaps some of my ineptness as a grillmaster.
Wading through the sea of gadgets a good solution is Thermapen ONE by ThermoWorks. It’s an easy-to-use stand-alone hand-held thermometer, high-tech on the inside but quick, simple, accurate and compact on the outside.
One Second Readings
Thermapen ONE is a follow up to the Utah-based company’s highly successful Thermapen MK4. While looking virtually the same, It’s faster, even more accurate and with a longer five-year warranty period. While it may seem counter-intuitive that the ONE designation comes after four, the ONE refers to the speed at which it will give you a reading, one second and with accuracy within 0.3°C (0.5°F). For comparison, the MK4 gives you an accuracy within 0.4°C (0.7°F) but it requires two to three seconds for a measurement.
Now a second or two may not seem like much, but for example, if you’re trying to ensure proper cooking for multiple burgers using a single thermometer, every second counts. It can also save your skin if you’re reaching into a 450 degree oven.
At first glance, Themapen ONE resembles an oversized pocket knife, measuring 6.1-inches W x 1.7-inches H x 0.74-inches deep and weighing a mere 0.25 lb. (115 g). The hidden 4.9-inch coated probe with a narrowing tip folds out and can extend straight out, up to 180 degrees. The 1/8-inch (3mm) tip on the probe shaft houses a micro-thermocouple sensor which is actually what measure the temperature.
It has a waterproof body, a large easy-to-view 6.1-inch x 1.7-inch rotating LCD display with an adjustable built-in backlight light sensor that adjusts to the ambient lighting so you can see it on a bright day or at night when its dark.
Button-free Design
The beauty of the design is it has no buttons or switches. Simply fold out the hinged probe and it turns on, close it and it shuts off. It also motion-sensing, falling into sleep mode after an idle period and waking up when it senses movement when picking it up. It’s a great way to save battery power.
You can also personalize certain features accessible from the battery compartment at the rear. You will need a Philips screwdriver to access it.
The display can be configured to either a 180-degree 2-way or 360-degree 4-way rotation so you don’t have to kink your neck when trying to see the temperature. You can also toggle between Celsius or Fahrenheit temperature scales, set the readings to show increments of either 1/10th or one degree and set the sleep function to engage from 10 seconds up to 180.
The battery, a single 1.5V AAA, comes preinstalled and is rated to last up to 2000 hours. Results will of course will depend on use and how often the backlighting kicks in. There is a low-battery indicator and the unit is smart enough to automatically reduce backlighting to preserve battery power that when the battery is low.
After using it for a few weeks, I found myself getting better at testing for doneness. I haven’t tried it on fish, but I’m getting better at steak and chicken – but it’s still a work in progress. Me, not the thermometer. I’m also finding that I’m using it a lot more in the kitchen rather than just on the barbecue grill.
Thermapen ONE can also measure other thing like the temperature inside your fridge, your child’s bathwater and even monitor the temperature of your steamed milk as you make that perfect café latte.
Thermapen ONE comes with a 20-page guidebook, operating instructions and a unique calibration certificate as each one is precalibrated at the factory by hand. It comes in 10 colours and retails for $105 U.S. and available directly from ThermoWorks. They’re made in the U.K. but ship from the U.S. For Canadians, the company offers a special FedEx shipping rate of $9.99 which includes prepaid duty & taxes so it comes right to your door.
Thermapen ONE can measure a temperature range from -58°F to 572°F (-49.9°C to 298.9°C) but they’re not designed to left inside your barbecue or smoker. If that’s what you’re looking for or perhaps an app-enabled remote-monitoring wireless solution, pleased check out our review of MEATER by Apption Labs.
A syndicated version of the article also appears at Troy Media and its 32 affiliated syndicated sites.
Greg Gazin, also known as the Gadget Guy and Gadget Greg, is a syndicated veteran tech columnist, communication, leadership and technology speaker, facilitator at Crestcom International, blogger, podcaster and author. Reach him @gadgetgreg or at GadgetGuy.ca.
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