SuperFast Thermapen - professional food thermometer in red

Have used a couple of food thermometers and I think they are really useful (especially for BBQ) but the downside is always how long it takes to get a stable reading unless it is a design that allows you to leave the thing, say, in the meat joint in the oven and view it from outside. So the attraction here was the reported speed of response. True it is very fast although I would say it is more like 10 seconds to get a truly stable reading. Maybe in 4 seconds you get a pretty close approximation (and certainly will know if it is more than a minimum safe level like for pork or chicken). But if you were using it to judge if a steak is medium or medium rare then I would wait 10 seconds to get a precise reading. Other benefit of this one is the thin prong. All others I have used have a prong of about 4mm which is harder to insert and leaves a bigger hole for juices to escape from. This one has a fine pointed prong.

Good design as the prong folds inwards and serves as the on off mechanism. So no danger of stabbing yourself or leaving it on in the draw. So stores well unlike the ones with probes on strong metal wires/leads. No idea of battery life but can't see this being an issue. No backlight and so needs reasonable light to view it. Again not an issue unless a BBQ after dark and if it is too dark to see the display then it is probably too poorly lit to cook the food.

Does seem expensive for what it is (lists near £[]) but bought from a marketplace supplier offering a good price. But still felt expensive. There are clones of this type of device for £20 but I recall reading the reviews and finding that they did not do a quick enough response and that was really my rationale for the purchase.

I am an agency chef and I carry this food probe with me to work.This is the 4th eti thermapen food probe I have had. They are very fast easy to use and read. This one doesn't have a wrist strap which is a shame because in the past I have used the stap to suspend the probe when I've been boiling sugar. I consider these probes to be much better than most of the ones I find in the food premises I work in. The probe folds and fits easily into your pocket. my first got shut in an oven and melted,the second was stolen from me the 3rd recently died, not bad for over 20 years of working. They are a bit pricey but for the speed, accuracy and convenience, well worth it.

I first came across this device at the Nick Nairn cook school. It has a very fine probe tip so that the probe can be inserted into meat easily and without leaving a large hole. The thermometer also displays the temperature very quickly. If the thermometer is not used for a while it automatically switches off , hence saving battery power.

The thermometer is certainly not cheap, but, in my opinion, one is paying for quality. The supplied paperwork includes a calibration certificate and a booklet advising on how the thermometer can be used (including required internal meat temperatures for rare/medium/well-done steaks)