Product Review: OXO Digital Instant Read Thermometer

OXO very kindly sent me their "Good Grips Instant Read Digital Thermometer" so I could give it an honest review. It is blister-packaged to a piece of cardboard, which I don't think is even necessary for display, but that is not the highest of my concerns.

[Photo, copyright OXO.com]
The product itself resembles the shape of a lollipop: the stick would be the metal probe and the candy head, the read-out screen. The probe is housed in a plastic casing with a knob you can turn so that the various temperatures for doneness are displayed, depending upon which type of meat you are cooking and whether you are using whole or ground meat. Helpful! Also helpful is the small button at the rear of the casing which allows you to choose between Fahrenheit or Celsius, depending on where you live. Nice touch. It is battery-operated.

I have purchased other products from their Good Grips line and found them to be accurate. The flat-panel screen on this particular item, while easy to read when you're looking at it head on, tends to reflect the light in my kitchen and can be less than simple to read when looking at it from an overhead angle. The digital numbers are large and bold, and I like that.

This thermometer does not necessarily provide an "instant" readout. You'll watch the numbers climb and slip back as you manipulate the device. For instance, I oven baked thinly-sliced diced chicken and inserted the metal probe to check for doneness. I was assured the meat was 165F. Yet when I plated them and checked again, the temperature had slipped (cool plate vs. warm pan). Back into the oven it went.

Something else I would like to see improved is the length of the probe itself and the weight of the display. This is not a "leave-in" type of thermometer. Due to high heat in my pans and cooking oil, I don't want to stand there waiting for the readout while my arm is exposed to the pan. Removing the food from the pan to check the temperature isn't always practical and waiting for the proper readout has led me to overcook certain ingredients. Not wonderful.

Because this is a battery-operated item, you cannot immerse it in water while cleaning.

To sum up, this product works well for a quick check on your meats. If the handling issues are addressed in future versions, I would try it again to see if it would become an oft-used item in my kitchen. Right now I alternate between this and my Leave-In Meat Thermometer (also from OXO).