This is the first in a series of posts I will try to do every Monday called “Must Have Monday” where I pick a product that every meat lover or meat cook should really have in their arsenal. Most of the products I recommend are ones I either own and use on a regular basis or ones I really, really want.
Disclosure: This post is monetized with affiliate links. If you buy something through them I earn a commission which helps support this site and lets me buy more meat so I can write about it.
Everyone who ever cooks meat needs a good thermometer and there are few products that have the same combination of quality, price, and value as the Thermopop. There are a number of other thermometers I could mention here (and I will hit a few of them in future Must Have Monday article) but if you only have one thermometer and don’t want to spend a lot of money I would definitely recommend the Thermopop.
I have owned my Thermopop for probably 5 years now and there is rarely a time I cook meat and leave my Thermopop in the drawer. It is always on my grilling table or on the counter near where I am working. I use it for everything from temping my briskets as they near the end of their cook to spot checking chicken breasts to make sure they are done to making sure the kids’ corn dogs aren’t too hot.
Why does everyone who cooks need a decent thermometer?
- Food safety – Under cooked food can be very dangerous. Especially chicken. If you use your Thermopop for nothing other than making sure your chicken is 160 degrees it will be a worthy investment.
- Prevent Ruined meat – Do you really want to chance your $100 prime rib to what it looks like? Cook it to 145 instead of 120 or 125 and you will have just wasted a good piece of meat. A thermometer will let you know what is going on in the middle of any piece of meat you are cooking.
- Takes the guesswork out of things – With your Thermopop you can check the temperatures of everything from a steak or a pork butt to a loaf of bread or some cinnamon rolls to a pan of leftover lasagna. You will know exactly what the temperature is of the food you are serving.
The Thermoworks ThermoPop is only available directly from Thermoworks. If you aren’t familiar with Thermoworks they are the industry leaders in all sorts of thermometers. Their accuracy, durability, ease of use, and functionality far surpass any other thermometers I have used.
Some of the great features of the Thermopop:
- Rotating display – push a button and the display rotates 90 degrees
- Very fast results – only takes 3-4 seconds to get your temperature reading
- Backlit display
- Temperature range from -58 to 572 degrees Fahrenheit
- Switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius.
- 9 different colors available
- Simple 2 button design
And the best part? The Thermopop is available from Thermoworks for only $34. You won’t find another product on the market for that price that is as good as the Thermopop.
At only $34 this thermometer is inexpensive enough to be in every kitchen. Buy a few of them and save them for wedding or birthday gifts.
Add all this together and you get a great first item for my Must Have Monday. Come back next Monday for another great Must Have Monday product.
