8 best meat thermometers for roasts, barbecues and more

Chefs love a Thermapen, and for good reason. There’s no time-consuming setup, no need to charge before use and no wires dipping in your food – it’s just a temperature probe. Housed in a colourful plastic case that is chunky enough not to be lost in a drawer, the probe pulls away from the main body and is ready to use.

The easy-to-read backlit display rotates, so you can always read the measurement, and the slim probe takes just one second to provide an accurate temperature reading. It’s good for testing if your meat is cooked, of course, but the speed and accuracy of this probe also suits bakers looking for precision. It can even be used when you want to safely reheat food.

No batteries, no charging, no setup, just insert this simple steel temperature probe into the thickest part of your meat, for an accurate reading. The dial has a guide for poultry, beef, pork and lamb, with a wider scale for how you prefer red meat cooked: it’s foolproof. Unusually for this type of thermometer, it can also be used inside the oven, which provides a faster and more accurate reading (sticking the probe into the meat takes a while for the temperature to stabilise otherwise). This is a handy tool to keep in your kitchen drawer.

This is a nifty piece of equipment that can be used on any gas or charcoal barbecue to help you master the grill. The plastic display unit houses up to four wired probes (one measures ambient temperature) that monitor your food’s temperature throughout the cook, using wifi. You can set up your own cook on the app or follow one of the preset recipes, which guide you through setting up the barbecue for direct or indirect cooking and alert you when it’s time to flip your meat, for example.

While some meat thermometers claim to be compatible with outdoor grilling, they usually can’t withstand temperatures of more than 250C but the Weber hub has no problem with temperatures in excess of 300C. It nails steaks with a well-charred exterior and blushing centre every time, and it means there’s no need to keep opening the lid of your barbecue to check the coals during low and slow cooks such as brisket.

This in-oven temperature probe has an interface that’s simple to operate. Turn it on then use the arrows to set your desired temperature – the ambient and internal temperatures are monitored during cooking, with an alarm sounding once the target is reached. It features a stainless-steel braided lead for in-oven use – the lead and the probe can withstand temperatures up to 300C. It would have been nice to see some pre-set temperature guides, or decimal points between whole degrees, which would be useful for working with sugar.

You can always rely on Lakeland for form and functionality at an affordable price, and this in-oven probe is what you’d expect from the kitchen expert. The backlit LED display is easy to read and operate, enabling you to set alarms for time or temperature, with recommended temperatures for a range of meats. The display unit can be magnetically attached to a cool-exterior oven or barbecue, or you can use the flip-out stand. This probe will withstand temperatures up to 250C, so you could use it on a controlled barbecue. It would have been nice to see decimals not just whole degrees but we’re nitpicking – it’s marketed as a meat thermometer and it has everything you need for this function.

ProCook’s handy carving fork doubles as a meat thermometer, enabling you to check your meat is cooked to your liking. The digital display is simple to use, with a range of meats and serving preferences to choose from, and the fork is comfortable to hold. It’s a good price and will always come in useful for large family gatherings, whether you’re cooking a turkey or sizeable joint of beef. The beeping buttons are a tad annoying when trying to use it as a carving fork, mind.

Meater launched the first wireless in-oven probe back in 2017 and the brand’s offering has only improved over time. This new pro duo model boasts two probes, and setup is easy once connected – just input your cut of meat and how you’d like it cooked, and the probe will look after everything else, including a recommended resting time. Each probe now has better temperature precision, thanks to five sensors, and can withstand a whopping 550C. The wifi and Cloud range is now unlimited, too. If you can afford it, this is the best you can buy for cooking exceptional meat every time.

This probe from Danish brand Witt is another high-performance wireless thermometer worth your time. Similar to the MEATER, with five sensors for advanced precision and in-app guidance, this probe can withstand temperatures up to 300C, making it suitable for a range of cooking types – air fryer, braise, barbecue and more – should you wish.

Choose your type of meat (though not cut) and your preferred level of doneness – which has a handy visual guide – and the app will estimate cook time and alert you when the target is reached. It’s a great probe that would benefit from more functionality in the app (better choice of types of meat, recipes, resting time), which will hopefully come in time.