Thermapen, worth it?

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Our old grill cook had one, they read really fast, and he carried it around in his back pocket for six months without it breaking. That being said I didn't run out and buy one either.
 
I think they are a great investment if you are going to use it, i have had mine about a year now and the thing is tip top.
 
I've had one for about 6 years. I have had to send it back for repair twice. Once when I left it outside and it got rained on:beatinghead: the second it would not turn off even when shut. The repair costs were reasonable, and you can actually speak to someone who can tell you what will need to be done. The turn around was quick, so I would rate their customer service as excellent.

Join their email lists and periodically they will have open box or some other sale.

They are really fast, which is achieved with a slender probe, the trade-off being are not as tough as a slower probes.
 
I have one. All my grill cooks always want to borrow it but they don't by their own. I think they are worth it but wait for a sale for sure.
 
It's one of those things that you may not need all the time but when you do you're glad to have one. They sell for around $80 on open box sales which they have every few months. Mine is over 5 years and haven't even replaced the batteries.
 
I've been using one for about 10 years. Making sure my smoked pork shoulder has reached 190 degrees for pulled pork is a lot easier with the pen. It's also handy to check the temp when I'm roasting whole poultry.
 
We use a variety of their products at the BBQ, on the daily. Well worth the cost. Sign up for their emails, and they'll notify you of sales(and won't spam you, I only get one maybe two emails a month).
 
i use mine alot. Bread, candy, meat it works well. A 20 dollar instant read is just as good but slower.
 
WarrenB said:
Not my area of expertise but is this the same thing? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ETI-Super...pt=UK_Kitchen_Accessories&hash=item1c3e2a7fc8
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Yep, should be. Themapens are manufactured in the UK and exported to the US if i recall correctly. They are usually (and rather uncommonly for products) cheaper in the EU than in the US.
And they are brilliant. I had my first for a year, it developed a crack in the plastic and was promptly exchanged for a new one. This has been running for two years and is still going strong.
 
rahimlee54 said:
i use mine alot. Bread, candy, meat it works well. A 20 dollar instant read is just as good but slower.
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They have some cheaper ones now too like the Thermopop. Not as fast as the Thermapen and probably not as robust but whole lot cheaper.
 
You've got several endorsements already but I'll add mine to the list. Luv em. Just ordered a back lit one for after dark grilling. Now have 3.
 
Absolutely. They are more than you want to spend for a thermometer, but once you get one you don't want to be without. The oven thermometer/timer is really handy as well. Make a very good pair.
 
Just today I put mine to an unusual use that seems worth describing here. I needed to top off the water bath in my Sous Vide. I used the thermapen to adjust the tap water to the exact temp of my bath and draw a pitcher full. The thermapen almost adjusted faster than the tap itself!

But yes...buy one on sale like everyone else recommended.
 
I really want a thermapen. I currently have a Rosele "instant," which takes about 5 seconds to come to temp, and which I got for free due to a gift card. It's good enough, but that 5 seconds is sometimes really irritating.
 
Everyone here has 1, HIGHLY worth it. It's a great tool....when you use it alot, you can even start to use the needle probe and feel what you're temping. It's light years better than cake testers, feel, etc. Get the silicone boot for it to keep the grime off.

The understanding of actually knowing what something is currently at, what it rested to, etc. is key to consistency.
 
we require new cooks to have one. Its such a part of how we cook, hold, prep, etc. There is no ambiguity...what did it temp to? come down a degree...

When we started using them about 10 years ago, I NEVER saw another one in other kitchens....now they're everywhere.....
 
I've had my red one for about ten years works like a dream. I also have several K type probes from them. I did have a problem with my Sous Vide needle wire coming loose at the probe end. Sent it back and they replaced it. Great company. Great products
 
I was opposed to spending that much on a thermometer, but now that I have it, I'd be hard pressed to live without it. Some misc. simple things I use it for: brewing coffee in chemex - is water temp JUST right? Cooking breakfast sausage. (I always used to overdo it for some reason.) Cooking any form of sausage. (I always used to overdo it for some reason.) Cooking massive cuts of beef (think one bone prime rib for 2). (I often would underdo it.) Cooking stock - keeping the temp dialed in for maximum extraction of gelatin. Taking temp of resting roasted meats, e.g. turkey, pork, etc. - following the post-oven spike. Cooking cheapo frozen foods - when it says nuke to 165, does it really ever hit it? Taking temp of fry oil. (Shocker, my oil thermometer was a few degrees off and mercury is much less instant.) Cooking for kids - making sure not TOO hot. Taking temp of tap water, etc. Lots of opportunities to use it, even in a home kitchen.

Do you NEED it? No. Will you be a better cook using it? Unquestionably.
 
Ice cream base: If chilled to 40F or below it will set up in fine in non compressor types, 40 -45 is iffy. 50+ it ain't gonna happen.

As noted above the ease of insertion will tell you as much about the readiness of pork shoulder, brisket, etc as the displayed temp.
 
panda said:
do i want one? absolutely
would i pay more than $40 for a thermometer? nope.
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That was how I felt about having a proper smoker, until i was gifted one. I dropped the $$ for the replacement w/o hesitation.

Same with the thermapen. For me anyway.
 
I've had one for 5+ years and a second for 3+ years. They get used all the time at home when roasting meats, baking, etc. They have held up well (wife is not always the most careful person in the kitchen). Also got an infrared from them about 2 years ago; useful for checking pan temps and proving to the wife the countertop is not 20 degrees colder than the indoor temp.
 
FYI they're running an open box special right now
 
Once you've experienced a Thermapen, its hard to use anything else. It's an indispensable item in my kitchen. Ironic on a forum, where hundreds of dollars are spent on knives, that people would consider an $80 thermometer too expensive.

Jay
 
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