John, while I don’t actually know the answer to your question, the encasement material is plastic, so I’d be scared to expose it to high heat for extended periods of time.
John - the Thermapen isn’t designed to be left in the meat while cooking. You use it to check-in on temp periodically - which is the issue I have with this type of temperature monitoring, multiple pokes in the meat which is going to lead to juice loss.
I prefer a probe option like this:
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/handheld/therma_q.html?
You set the probe in the meat and then run the lead out side the BBQ. You only have to skewer the meat once and you always know what temperature the meat is at. The one above is designed for two probes - one for meat temp and one for accurate air temp at grill level.
While not as precise as the Thermapen, their “Dot” thermometer is wellpriced, easy to use, and quite accurate. You can use several of the probes, the one that comes with it is suitable for leaving in a roast on grill. The difference in precision (I think 1 degree C vs. .4 degree C) is not meaningful at my cooking skill level.
The BEST news is that the new MK4 has an auto rotate display so those of us using our left hand can read the #'s correctly.
Special Serious Eats sale until 11/1 - $69.00 http://thermoworks.com/specials/serious-eats-classic-deal-of-the-day.php?tw=SERIOUSEATS
Thermapen Mk4 is $79.20 for the weekend
Classic Thermapen is $69 for the weekend
I keep fighting off the temptation to buy one of these things. Even at $80 it’s a stretch IMHO. But… I grill a lot after dark and the idea of a backlight in this new model IS appealing. Do any of the less-pricey competitors have that feature?
15% off again right now
Like a lot of you, I keep company with several professional and a few “they could be professional” chefs and everyone of them uses the Thermapen. I followed their lead. My luck with the el cheapos wasn’t very good. Inaccurate, took too long to register.
Yes, i have about 4 cheap thermometers, and they are SO inconsistent. I finally had to take the plunge here, looking forward to trying it out!
Thanks, finally pushed me over the edge.
I’m very glad that I finally spent the $$. It’s been worth it in savings on batteries alone (my prior instant read did not turn itself off automatically and I seem to have been chronically incapable of remembering to do so - perhaps CWI).
I also bought one last year based on this thread and have been very happy with it. I don’t use it that often but it’s great when I need it.
The new version is better, my old one still works but the batteries got wet and corroded. The new version is faster
Code?
Why Thermapen over Chef Alarm? Seems like the latter is more functional, and cheaper…
For those wondering about the code, it’s the Classic Thermapen that’s ‘on sale’ for that discount already
different uses, chef alarm is for leaving the probe in for roasting, smoking, etc.
Too late.
Hmm - Serious Eats is now hawking a competitor’s instant read. Apparently its as good or better and cheaper ($54 before Serious Eats discount). This link to the Serious Eats article - http://www.seriouseats.com/sponsored/2016/05/your-kitchen-sidekick-lavatools-javelin-pro-duo.html
Or go direct to web site - Ultra Fast Meat Thermometer - Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo | Lavatools | Makers of Quality Kitchen Thermometers. Serious Eats discount code for 18% off - SRSLYTHKU
I have no experience with the tool.
I saw that on Amazon when I was looking at the Themapen. Amazon has it for the same price, but no discount - so that is a good deal. Some of the Amazon reviews called it cheaply made, and that scared me off it. Who knows, reviews can be so hard to wade through.