Thermopop?

[daniels]

Ordered a Thermopop directly from Thermoworks yesterday. My Polder is just too slow.

Is the Thermopop a good choice for $15.99?

 

[TulsaJeff]

Yes.. it reads in 3-4 seconds which is a really good speed for that price.

 

[Marknmd]

If you don't have the budget for a 1-sec or 2-sec instant read, then yes, I'd say the Thermopop is a good choice. Good luck

Edit: Reminds me of my first instant read which I probably purchased something like 15 years ago? It was a Taylor which cost me around $30 and it was a 6-sec read which means it's really an 8-sec read. Still works I use it in the kitchen.

The advantage of the thermopop is you can keep it in your shirt pocket and take a read very fast because you don't have to fumble with opening it. I think that's one reason why they are popular in commercial kitchens.

 

[mr_whipple]

Absolutely. I have a Thermapen Mk4 and Thermapen ONE, and the POP is every bit as accurate, not to mention at a fraction of the price. IIRC I got my POP on a promotion when I bought the Thermapen ONE. Either way... I use all three, it just depends what my hand hits first in the drawer.

 

[SmokinAl]

The thin needle on the ThermoPop makes it a perfect choice for thin meats, and it really works well on ribs.
Al

 

[seenred]

Everything made by Thermoworks is a great product. Those Thermopops are maybe their best value for the money. I don't think you'll be disappointed in that purchase!

Red

 

[dr k]

If you want a 2 second read rechargeable instant read Inkbird that has all the same features as the lastest One Thermapen. Check out The IHT-1S https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Ther...fix=inkbird+thermometer+iht-20,aps,116&sr=8-5

Thermoworks doesn't make the Thermapen but they allude to it as a marketing arm in Utah. If not bought through them, then Thermoworks will not honor the warranty. Don't buy them at Ace hardware, Amazon like I've seen them in the past etc. There are no super fast, accurate instant read therms made in America !00% except maybe a couple slower Thermoworks branded therms. Thermapens are made by a family owned company in Worthing, UK Electronic Temperature Instruments, Ltd. I've reviewed many Instant read therms and the manufacturers and countries they are designed and ultimately assembled in, and have bought several to give away to family and friends to review. I have challenged Thermoworks with their You Tube Thermapen speed test videos that were slower and they took down their videos when the Lavatools basic Javelin PT12 $25 with lifetime guarantee a few years ago blew away the MK4 in speed before the ONE (latest and only one made now} came out almost 2 years ago. Thermoworks has a dedicated department for recalibrating since their older thermocouple versions needed re calibration after a year or two for $20 and didn't have a calibration function which all have now. I couldn't get a response from Thermoworks during my testing on why they have so many discounts on sales demos, cosmetic blemishes, open box returns, remans and other weird reasons to get too much money out of a previous used tool that all other manufacturers trash. I don't question Electronic Temperature Instruments, Ltd the manufacturer of the Thermapen. I question Thermoworks on the manipulation of the Thermapen.

 

[gmc2003]

Is anyone really concerned if it reads in two seconds or 5 seconds? The thinner stem probe I can see as being beneficial but a couple of seconds is just being nit-picky to me.

 

[Inscrutable]

Notwithstanding this last post, the devices I’ve had from Thermoworks have outperformed and outlasted the others I’ve had (only 2 or 3 other brands). Yesterday ordered a Signals with 30% off …

 

[TulsaJeff]

Is anyone really concerned if it reads in two seconds or 5 seconds? The thinner stem probe I can see as being beneficial but a couple of seconds is just being nit-picky to me.

It sort of depends on how you cook and what you're cooking. I'f I'm just cooking a brisket or pork butt, maybe a chicken, then a few seconds mehhh, no issue. If I'm doing 100 chicken wings then I want it to be as fast as possible since I want to get them in the pan and in the house and/or the lid closed as soon as possible.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Is anyone really concerned if it reads in two seconds or 5 seconds? The thinner stem probe I can see as being beneficial but a couple of seconds is just being nit-picky to me.

That's what she said!

 

[Marknmd]

Is anyone really concerned if it reads in two seconds or 5 seconds? The thinner stem probe I can see as being beneficial but a couple of seconds is just being nit-picky to me.

Thermoworks discusses this somewhere on their site in a video. As we know, the temperature of a hunk of meat will vary - it will be hotter near the surface and cooler near the center. The coolest part of the meat will usually be right in the middle, but not neccesarily. In many if not most cases, the purpose of the instant read is to find the thermal center which is the coolest part of the protein. To do that you have to take at least three readings since you're not going to stab perfectly into the thermal center on the first attempt - or if you did you wouldn't know it. It might even take four readings to find the cool center. So if you have a Taylor 6-sec read like I had ten years ago, that's at least 18 secs to find thermal center. OTOH, to find it with the newest Thermoworks, it's 3 secs to find thermal center.

Edit: Here it is



...and...

 

[gmc2003]

I guess for my level of expertise it doesn't matter. My hand speed would cause greater fluctuations in temp than the speed of the thermometer would. Especially after a few trips to the beer pole on a long cook. 18 seconds isn't going to ruin a brisket, or pork butt. If we're talking about a steak then only one jab is really needed and since the lid is off the loss of meat heat reduction would be minimal. It just seems like folks are overthinking too many details. Thermoworks is the maker of the thermometer so of course they're going to say it matters.

 

[Brokenhandle]

One of our hand held thermometer is a Weber, probably bought at WM for cheap but I'm pretty impressed with it... especially since it still works after being dropped into a pot of hot oil! It's not an instant read but is fast enough for me.

Ryan

 

[chopsaw]

I have some less expensive ones , and they work great . I just got a Thermapen one as a prize from a throw down . I love that thing .

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

I bought a Thermapen and never looked back. Seems to be the gold standard around these parts.