Four of the best oven thermometers Reviewed tested hang inside an oven under a oven thermometer of chocolate muffins. We’ve all been there: You follow a recipe to the T, pop your masterpiece in the oven, and wait.
Thirty minutes later, it’s just barely done, even though the recipe cook time calls for 10 minutes. Or you leave your dish to slow roast for an hour as instructed, only to discover that it burned to a crisp 20 minutes ago. Not only is this incredibly annoying, but it’s also a telltale sign that your oven isn’t heating the way it should. Luckily, there’s a simple fix to playing Russian Roulette with your oven—a humble dial-face stainless-steel oven thermometer. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. What Should You Look for in An Oven Thermometer?
KT Thermo oven thermometer hangs inside an oven above baking muffins. KT Thermo makes one of the most accurate and easy to read oven thermometers we tested. Like the Goldilocks of oven thermometers, the KT Thermo is just right. The face is large and uncluttered enough to clearly read through a closed oven door. But the body is small enough to be unobtrusive, with a simple hook that snuggly locks it to a rack, and a base that’s just wide enough to allow it to sturdily perch on the grates.
F, meaning it begins registering at a cool room temperature, and stands up to even the most blistering, pizza-hot conditions. But if it somehow doesn’t meet expectations, know that the thermometer comes with a 30-day money back guarantee as well as a two-year warranty. A Cooper-Atkins oven thermometer hangs inside an oven above a baking loaf cake. This Cooper-Atkins oven thermometer gets our pick for best value. Especially considering that this thermometer doesn’t cut corners with design. The diminutively-sized dial is simply jam-packed with features, including Fahrenheit and Celsius marks that register temperature changes every 50 degrees.
Granted, that makes the face a bit cluttered and potentially difficult to read. But if you love baking on a budget, this is the thermometer for you. We put nine of the most popular oven thermometers to the test to help you decide which to buy. The Tester My name is Sarah Zorn, and I’m a professional food writer, cookbook author and recipe tester.
Meaning, accuracy is essential when it comes to developing dishes in my kitchen. And this product review was humbling because it revealed just how off my oven is! This guide was first written and tested by former Reviewed editor Jessica Teich. The Tests To test the products, we hung four thermometers at a time from a rack placed in the middle of an oven. We preheated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and let it hold for 5 minutes before turning the oven off. During this sequence, we recorded the temperatures of both the thermometers and the probe once per minute. We then repeated this process at a 450-degree setting.
Finally, we evaluated each thermometers’ performance during everyday use. Cooking food— most especially baking — is all about chemistry. And many of those essential chemical reactions are dependent on measuring the temperature correctly. If you’re following a recipe, it’s pretty much a given that your oven won’t operate in the same way as the oven of the person who developed the recipe in the first place.