ThermoWorks Pocket Thermometer Saves Meals from Over-Cooking

Instant-read thermometers remove the nervous guesswork from cooking meat—they're practically a modern kitchen necessity. The favorite of gear testing gurus Cook's Illustrated is a $96 Thermapen, but the $24 runner-up is pretty nice, too.

The ThermoWorks Super-Fast Waterproof Pocket Thermometer, model number RT600C, won over the Cook's crowd with its thin, easily inserted probing wand, simple controls, and convenient placement of the readout—on the side rather than the end, sparing home chefs from having to pull off strange hip bends and lean-backs to see their entree's status. It's not quite as fast as the Thermapen, but it gets the job done.

Cook's actually suggests that the RT600C might be tied with the CDN ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer ($16-$18), and it's a fair point—the ThermoWorks model lacks an automatic shutoff, and only reaches 302 degrees, eliminating its use as a frying oil gauge. Then again, Cook's describes the CDN model as feeling "awkward and cheaply made," with a top-mounted display. It's your call, but for what we're using a thermometer for 95 percent of the time, the ThermoWorks looks like the better bet.