Don't settle for dry turkey again this Christmas. Sure, gravy covers all sins, but the best meat thermometers take all of the guesswork out of cooking. Whether you’re hosting for the holidays or you just want to make sure your air fried chicken is cooked through, the precision of these essential kitchen gadgets means you get consistent results every time.
You have a variety of formats to choose from. There are cheap and cheerful analogue dials, which have been around forever and can survive the heat of an oven, as well as faster and more accurate battery-powered meat thermometer probes that are popular with professional kitchens.
To help you find the right meat thermometer in time for your special guests, I’ve been piercing, probing and roasting big birds to bring you the most accurate and reliable meat thermometers on the market.
The best meat thermometers for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Thermapen one thermometer: £63, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Eti meat dial roasting thermometer: £5.99, Souschef.co.uk
- Best for barbecues – Weber connect smart grilling hub: £72.67, Amazon.co.uk
- Best in-oven thermometer – Lakeland digital meat thermometer with oven probe: £27.99, Lakeland.co.uk
- Best for a roast – ProCook fork meat thermometer: £11, Procook.co.uk
How I tested
I tested a range of meat thermometers, with different levels of functionality and tech. I cooked up a selection of dishes, featuring different meats and using a range of cooking methods. From a one-tray Cypriot chicken dish – where the trick is to ensure the chicken is cooked without the rice going overcooked and stodgy – to a large topside of beef on the barbecue, some air fried chicken and a low and slow pork braise, I’ve put the thermometers through their paces to find the best of the bunch.
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Thermapen one thermometer
Best: Overall
Temperature range: -49.9C to 299C
Guarantee: Five years
Why we love it
- Fast and accurate
- Versatile
Take note
- Limited functionality
- No temperature guidance
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.
Buy now £63, Thermapen.co.uk
Eti meat dial roasting thermometer
Best: Budget buy
Temperature range: 0C to 120C
Guarantee: N/A
Why we love it
- Purse-friendly
- Easy-to-read dial
Take note
- Slow to get a reading
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.
Buy now £5.99, Souschef.co.uk
Weber connect smart grilling hub
Best: For barbecues
Temperature range: -30C to 300C
Guarantee: N/A
Why we love it
- Brilliant app
- Great quality
Take note
- The recipes on the app are limited
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.
Buy now £72.72, Amazon.co.uk
Eti dot digital oven thermometer
Best: For a sleek display
Temperature range: -50C to 300C
Guarantee: One year
Why we love it
- Can be used up to 300C
Take note
- Limited functionality
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.
Buy now £37.99, Amazon.co.uk
Lakeland digital meat thermometer with oven probe
Best: In-oven thermometer
Temperature range: -20C to 250C
Guarantee: Three years
Why we love it
- Clear readout
Take note
- Probe can’t be submerged, so take care when making saucier dishes and when washing up
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.
Buy now £27.99, Lakeland.co.uk
ProCook fork meat thermometer
Best: For a roast
Temperature range: -5C to 250C
Guarantee: One year
Why we love it
- Multi-use
Take note
- Buttons get in the way when serving
- Not the sturdiest build
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.
Buy now £11, Procook.co.uk
Meater pro duo
Best: Multi-probe thermometer
Temperature range: Max internal temperature 105C; max ambient temperature 550C
Guarantee: Two years
Why we love it
- Built to last
- Brilliant functionality
- You can input your cut of meat, rather than merely the type of meat
Take note
- Expensive
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.
Buy now £189, Amazon.co.uk
Witt cookperfect wireless thermometer
Best: Bluetooth thermometer
Temperature range: Up to 300C
Guarantee: N/A
Why we love it
- Good quality
- Precise probe for a range of cooking methods
- Good battery
Take note
- The app could be improved
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.
Buy now £109, Amazon.co.uk
Your questions on meat thermometers answered
What is the best meat thermometer?
The Thermapen cinches the top spot, as it is the most versatile and practical thermometer around and will make itself useful in anyone’s kitchen. The cool bright colours mean it won’t get lost in the utensil drawer, and it’s something of a relief not to have to go through any techy setup before you use it.
Meanwhile, the Meater pro duo is the most advanced and most impressive probe I’ve come across – it is hard to beat if you have a couple of hundred pounds to spend. If you’re set on in-oven technology, though, either the Lakeland probe or Eti dot will do perfectly well for precision cooking without the hefty price tag.
How I tested the best meat thermometers
I tested and reviewed each thermometer using the same set of criteria, considering everything from speed and accuracy to ease of use and build quality.
Is there a difference between a meat thermometer and a cooking thermometer?
A meat thermometer is a type of cooking thermometer, but there are others designed for different types of cooking. A baking thermometer is more accurate at lower temperatures, giving you a decimal place of degrees to work with, and tends to use a thinner probe to avoid leaving holes in your cake.
Where is the best place to put a meat thermometer?
For turkeys and other large roasts, stick the probe in the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bone and fat, to get the most accurate reading. You want the meat probe to touch as much of the meat as possible, so sausages and burgers should be probed from the side to the centre.
Do professional chefs use meat thermometers?
Gordon Ramsay infamously banned meat thermometers from his TV show Hell's Kitchen, claiming that piercing a steak with a probe allows the juices to escape, but the potty-mouthed celebrity is at odds with most professional chefs. A meat thermometer is essential in restaurant kitchens to ensure food safety and quality.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Joanne Gould is a food writer who has reviewed all manner of kitchen essentials for IndyBest, from mixers and blenders to the best recipe boxes, coffee machines and more. For each of her reviews, Joanne provides her honest opinions and will only recommend products she would happily use in her own home.
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