Over the years,. I have purchased a lot of different thermometers, both digital and analog. Thermometers seldom are accurately calibrated over a wide range of temperatures. That is why there are freezer thermometers, outdoor thermometers, candy thermometers, oven thermometers and grilling thermometers. They are designed to be accurate over a narrow range of temperatures. You cannot expect a single thermometer to be accurate from 0 F to 600 F.
If I were a professional chef who cooked multiple dishes every day, I would send the money to get a Thermopworks Thermapen. However, it is somewhat pricey if you are only using it one day a week.
Currently, I am using two devices. One of them is the SmartPro ST49 that is currently on sale at Amazon for only $22.
The second is a ThermoPro TP620 Professional. It is $50.
Both of these thermometers give a stable reading within 2-3 seconds. Some thermometers that are sold as instant read take far longer. The 2-3 second read time is comparable to the Thermapen.
Both of these thermometers have a specified accuracy of less than 1 degree F. I have checked them against each other on numerous occasions and have always found them to agree within 1 degree. Thus, I am quite satisfied using either of these two devices. I do realize that by the time I purchased two thermometers, I spent nearly as much as a Thermapen, but by having two thermometers, I double the chances of being able to locate one of them when I need it. LOL.
I also purchased an analog grill thermometer and drilled a hole into the lid of my Ironwood to mount it. I mounted the thermometer so the tip of the probe is located slightly above the top rack on the grill.
While the Fireboard is wonderful for those who want to plot the temperature history of their cooks, there are less expensive alternatives as well. I suggest you get a device with four probes so you can monitor the ambient cook temperature and internal temperature on more than one protein. You also need to determine if you want to monitor the temperature in a cell phone app or on a remote receiving device. Some devices use WiFi, some use Bluetooth, some use another frequency. I like one that has remote monitoring without use of a cellphone app, but that is my preference and might not be yours.
