Review by doctorsirena:

This thermometer works fine for all my kitchen tasks. I wanted one thermometer to use for everything – yeast, yogurt, candy, meat, and this does the job. Pluses: seems to be accurate, waterproof (easy to wash), auto shut-off, wide temperature range, small for easy storage. Minuses: it does take several seconds to read the final temp, the on-off button is kind of small, cannot be left in the oven (in a turkey, for example). Overall, I give it 5 stars.

Review by Mary Jo Sminkey:

I love this little thermometer. It reaches a reading within 10 seconds or so, and is accurate over a great temperature range. I use it for all kinds of things…checking my water to proof yeast, meat temperatures, candy, chocolate, and even to check the ambient temperature. It has a nice protective cover and is small and easy to store. I simply could not cook without this little helper beside me.

UPDATE: I’ve had this thermometer for almost 2 years now and it is still going strong! Seems to be very durable and has great battery life.

Review by B. Hinton:

Just a quick note, this is an almost instant read thermometer. On average, it takes between 2-4 seconds for a final accurate reading. However, DO NOT TURN IT ON UNTIL YOU HAVE IT INSERTED. I read plenty of reviews stating it takes 30 seconds to record. If you turn it on, it will start at the temperature of the room and crawl up slowly (usually only a few degrees at time). This will be quite frustrating and useless.

Remember, insert it, then turn it on…and BINGO, you are in business.

Review by Barbara:

After reading customer reviews on other digital thermometers and realizing that ALL thermometers are not created equally, I ordered this Taylor digital. It more than met my needs and overcame the drawbacks of others: It is small enough to fit easily into a drawer and can be carried in a shirt pocket; it is extremely easy to clean; since the digital readout is on the flat “head”, the temperature is VERY easy to read without having to bend over or read it upside down; it has an ON/OFF button to save the battery and it comes with an extra battery included. Although the description says “instant-read”, you do have to watch the read-out climb (quickly) to the current temperature. I’ll never have tough, over-cooked meat again.

Review by Daniel L Edelen:

Having burned out, drenched, accidentally kinked, and destroyed enough Polder probes to fill an oven, I finally threw in the towel and went elsewhere for a digital probe thermometer. CDN’s Proaccurate may finally be the end of my search for a worthy successor.

Digital probe thermometers are a godsend for cooks who like to set it and forget it when cooking. You want that steak done to exactly 145 degrees? The probe thermometer will tell you. Just stick it in the meat, set the finished temp, and let the beep tell you when it’s exactly medium rare. When it works, this kind of thermometer is indispensable.

Therein lies the rub, though. “When it works….” Most of the digital probe thermometers on the market suffer from the same chink in the armor–their probes are flimsy. Not only are the wires inside the probe itself thin when compared with the braided metal housing that holds them, but they can’t take the heat, either. Most probes top out at a little over 380 degrees. You run the risk of burning it out when checking oil temperatures, something every probe should be able to do. And if your oven cycles its heat on and off, you could have it set for 350 but it may vary between 300 and 400 while cooking for twenty minutes or more. The result is a cooked probe.

But not with the CDN Proaccurate. The probe cord itself is significantly thicker (fifty percent or more, from my guess) and the temperature tops out almost a hundred degrees higher than the other guys at 482. Plus, unlike the other guys, this unit carries a full five year warranty–including the probe. You can’t find that in any other digital probe thermometer I’ve seen.

Pros:

* Probe withstands highest heat I’ve seen offered–482 degrees F–and is far more hefty than competitors

* Meat selector settings (Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Pork, Veal) with doneness levels

* Accurate. Approved for Food Service Industry usage

* Twenty-four hour count down and up timer

* Large display

* Includes wall mount, magnetic attachment to metal surfaces, and is free-standing

* Good price point

* Five year warranty

* CDN was swift in answering e-mailed questions I had about the unit

Cons:

* No seconds displayed on timer

* Design won’t be confused with anything coming out of Europe

* Non-intuitive operation on a couple functions

* Plastic case is not heat-resistant

* Tiny indicator makes it hard to tell if the unit is running when using timer

* Alarm is not as loud as other units out there

* Probe still prone to water damage (no dishwasher)

* Hard to read times less than ten minutes due to shadow of case on digits near the right side

Overall, as a new user my review is positive. Time will tell concerning ruggedness, but I am hopeful given the clear difference in probes between the CDN and other units out there. This CDN model is almost worthy of five stars, but the lack of seconds on the timer is a bad design decision from my point of view. I know from experience with other units that watching those seconds roll by gave me some assurance from a distance that the timer was running.

So for all you Polder and Taylor users who are exasperated with probe failures on your thermometers, this CDN may be what you’ve been looking for.

Review by C. Miller:

After much research into these devices, I decided to purchase the CDN brand for my husband as a gift. I chose this brand since it had a higher temperature range than that of the other brands available. This one goes up to 482degrees. So far he seems to love this thermometer. It seems very accurate in reading the internal temp of the meats. He loves that it allows him to program what type of meat and for beef the taste(rare,m.rare,med,well). The cable connecting the device to the probe seems to be pretty strong–braided wire. I have seen other devices by other brands that the cables “burn out”. This was one of the deciding factors in purchasing the CDN brand. My husband loves the magnetic feature that allows him to stick it to the side of the oven! I am also excited to see the thermometer comes with a clip for candy making and frying. I havent had a chance to use it for this purpose yet, but it makes the device much more versatile & useful. The temperature display is quite large and easy to read…so it will work good for someone who cant read small print. I would actually give this product 4 &1/2 stars. The only reasons I would deduct half a star are: 1)the casing is plastic (cannot use on BBQ)and 2)the timer beeper isnt that loud (you cant hear it if upstairs or more than a room away, so you need to stay in earshot to hear the timer go off). All in all its a great product. I would recommend it. Buy it and you will never have dried out or undercooked meat again. Its well worth it! The chef in your life will thank you!

Review by Joshua Flack:

As a Chef I demand only the best products to work with, and this is by far the best pocket thermometer I have ever used! I love that it doesn’t take me 20 seconds standing over my roasts, steaks, burgers, etc. to get a fast, accurate reading, cause I honestly don’t have time for that in a busy kitchen.

At first glance:

The thermometer is exactly as described by the manufacturer. The response time on this thermometer is honestly the best I’ve had the pleasure of using… in fact I’m pretty well convinced that it even matches the speed of those very large ones with the attached probe on a wire (now granted if you pay 0+ dollars you can get one that will give you the fastest most accurate read but for the money, best deal here)

I especially love the finer pointed tip on this thermometer that goes quickly, and easily into any protein that I need, no matter how tough, or thin the product is I get a perfect reading fast, so I’m never tied up waiting 30 seconds to get an accurate read out of my regular dial thermometer which you have to make sure you keep calibrated correctly, or the cheaper digital thermometers that just take longer (and the fact they have a much larger tip that DOES NOT like to go into products easily)… for a few extra bucks, SERIOUSLY BUY THIS!

The extra temperature range of this thermometer is also quite handy, if even for some reason i have to check the temperature of my deep fryer its still capable of handling, extra kudos for that.

And yes, it is waterproof, I have tested it. (again, extra kudos for that too)

Downsides (i think definitely outweigh the sheer advantages this product has over the competition)

-The large read out is great, not entirely that necessary to be that large though, or so i thought, kinda gets knocked around a bit, but the shatter proof design of the product compensates.

-The sheath that the thermometer comes in holds it great, and at that would never ever slide out, problem with that design is the clip on the plastic holder doesn’t hold tight to any clothing that you clip it too.. i find it actually useless (in fact I’m using a sheath from a prior thermometer)

-I have experienced a couple quirky problems but those totally corrected themselves with the proper re-seating of the battery, the waterproof design is a little tricky to get right.

So the downsides were the only reason this received a four star review and not a five, but its honestly the best thermometer I have ever used, and I’ve used them all.

I hope you find this review helpful in your search for a great product, I HIGHLY recommend this product to ANYONE, weather a professional in a busy kitchen to someone at home that enjoys cooking and hates the big ol’ metal ones that Gramma used for her turkeys, and wants to take the guess work out of cooking. This is a great product and I am Greatly satisfied with my purchase.

Thank You for reading.

Review by Pen Name:

This is the new version of the CDN Proaccurate Stainless Digital Thermometer, which is very well reviewed on Amazon. That model (DTQ450) has been discontinued and replaced with this model (DTQ450X). This is the first quick-read thermometer I’ve owned for cooking. If you don’t have a quick-read, I highly recommend it. Traditional thermometers can take up to a minute to read temperature. This CDN model provides a temperature reading within about 2-3 seconds. That is extremely convenient compared to a traditional thermometer. The form factor is fairly nice. The thermometer is small (6.5″ long), and the readout is not too big, maybe a little larger than a quarter. The buttons are easy to press and the readout is easy to view. The stem is made of stainless steel and it feels fairly solidly built. It can be switched between metric and English units as well.

When actually using the thermometer, don’t stick the entire stem into your food like I did for a week. It will give you an inaccurate reading. Just place the very tip of the stem in your food about 1/2″ in and it will read. The only possible problem I can see with this is that you might not be able to check the temperature in the very middle of your food if you have a thick piece of meat.

Length: 6.5″

Temperature range: -40 to 350F

Instant Read:

Review by Retired:

This wireless thermometer works extremely well and is easy

to set up – but you absolutely must follow the directions exactly.

Range is excellent – but just make sure that some large object such

as a metal shed or a large oak tree is not in line-of-sight between

any of the transmitters and the receiver.

I am using 3 of these temp sensors with the 915 MHz receiver. One

sensor came with the receiver, and I just purchased two more, since the

receiver can display up to three different temperatures from three

sensors. However be advised that if you carry one or more of these

sensors out of range and the receiver loses track of it, you absolutely

must take the batteries out of all three sensors and out of the

receiver and re-initialize all of them. This is not a difficult step,

since I did it several times while playing around with the sensors to

see how much range they had – which resulted in the receiver losing

track of one of them.

When you first see the instruction booklet that comes with the receiver,

it looks daunting, but not to worry, since only a tiny part of it is in

English, with all the rest in other languages. Once all the temp sensors are

initialized, then it takes only a few seconds to set the clock.

I read in other reviews that some buyers had problems getting their

receiver to respond to some sensors, but that is because the buyers failed

to properly re-initialize their units. Also be advised that if you buy

a display unit that receives transmissions at 915 MHz, then you absolutely

must buy sensors that also transmit at 915 MHz. Several of the sensors

that are sold by Amazon look alike, but not all of them use 915 MHz, so

carefully read the tech specs to make sure that both the transmitter and

the receiver operate at 915 MHz.

Review by W. Mills:

This is my second wireless thermometer system in our home. I wanted this one to be placed near my recliner so I could check the temp’s without going to the other room. This unit is very accurate and I had no issues with syncronizing the sensors. I also placed a sensor upstairs so I could monitor the guest bedrooms. This unit is a good value and works extremely well. The size of the display is large enough for easy viewing for my older eyes….

Review by Stephen Foster:

I’ve been using this item for ten years now, and wish I could find something more reliable. I’m now on my third unit, and fourth probe. I still use it almost daily, but I’ve found it to be just not very durable. Even worse: I can’t trust it.

The probes, always short-lived, can be damaged by heat greater than 350F. That is just too low – there are many times when hotter ovens are necessary. When a probe goes bad, there is no indication until an expensive roast gets carbonized. This, of course, always seems to happen when guests are present.

I regret giving such an enthusiastic first review. I wish I could reduce the number of stars I awarded. However, most of what I wrote still applies, so here it is in full:

—————

This is the best of the corded remote thermometers. Take it as a given that it is fairly short-lived. Now, don’t hold that against it — it has a hard job to do, it does it very well, and (what none of the other reviewers seem to realize) it does come with a lifetime guarantee. If you take care to not expose the probe to temperatures above 350 F, it should last.

My first one lasted four years, and I was completely at a loss when it broke. Once you’ve cooked with a remote thermometer, you will not willingly go back to “guess-n-estimate,” or supposed “instant read” thermometers that actually take 15 seconds while the oven quickly cools down and your wrist-hairs start to singe and curl.

I used to be anxiously uncertain about making roast beef. Now, I bring it home, trim a little fat off, stick the probe in the center. Two minutes elapsed time, and I can kick back until it’s time to make the pan gravy. Perfect (let me emphasize that) PERFECT every time.

(Amazon used to stock the Maverick twin-probe cordless thermometer that monitors two temperatures and comes with a belt-clip pager. Ridiculous gadget overkill? Not if you have another life beside cooking, like (say) children. Hopefully they’ll stock it again.)

The buttons are well-made; the display is bright and clear; Setting time and/or temperature is a snap; battery life is about 1 1/2 years when left on all the time. I covered mine in olive oil/flour/fish sauce/raw ground beef/balsamic vinegar/whatever and it still worked (hint: the buttons are not water-resistant, so turn it upside down and wipe with a soapy sponge, then rinse the same way).

You can calibrate your unit by sticking the probe in melting ice (for 32 F) and briskly-boiling water (for 212 F), but both of mine were spot-on, so you might skip this step.

Uses you might not think of: Putting the probe in a big pot of water you’re boiling for pasta. You can relax, knowing you’ll be buzzed when it’s finally boiling.

Sticking the probe out of a closed window in the late Fall to warn you to harvest your last tomatoes.

Sticking the probe in the middle of a swordfish steak, setting it for 125-130 F, and knowing that you will get utterly PERFECT swordfish by the time it is served.

Sticking it in the middle of the largest meatball you are simmering in sauce — you will feel completely secure that they are safe to feed to your children.

When I’m cooking at a friend’s house, I bring my big shop apron, my knives, my pastry scraper, and this thermometer.

One last piece of advice: Stay away from the Polder models — very poor design, engineering, and quality control.

Review by Jeremy M. Hegarty:

Even when directions are followed rigorously, the probes on these guys are prone to melting down. I’ve purchased one from all the major distributors, and they all work the same. Taylor or somebody needs to sell a 10-pak of probes, instead of me buying a whole new unit every 4 months… They do work great though. I use an older gas oven that has trouble maintaining proper cooking temperature. The secondary dial that I’ve installed inside can read as much as 50 degrees different from the digital dial on the oven. Because of this, I prefer to probe and track the cooking temp of the food instead so that I can provide a perfectly cooked product. I also use this for making tea, as 212 is too hot for good tea, and 185 to 195 is a better temperature.Still, the probe does melt down as other have said. I typically get about 30 to 50 uses before I need to purchase another. The problem occurs mostly when the oven temp exceeds 350, as I lose most probes when baking breads. Still, I can’t live without it, I just wish Taylor would start selling a package of probes for my dozen `timers’ that I have sitting around the kitchen. It would be 5 stars if the probes didn’t die.

Review by Vyshtia:

I have this thermometer in black and it’s been great.

Important tip to note: Stick the metal tip into item, let it sit for a couple of seconds and then turn on the thermometer. Do this and you’ll get the instant read feature. If you turn it on first, the thermometer will show the temperature of the air, then you stick it into the item and the display will slowly move to the temperature of the item. This takes a bit of time. So be sure you stick it into your item FIRST, let the metal acclimate to the temperature of the item, and then turn it on. Then you’ll get the instant read each time.

I’ve washed this, I’ve dropped it, and it’s still going strong. It’s not a replacement for an oven thermometer or a probe thermometer, but it’s great at what it’s designed for – a quick and easy instant read thermometer.

Review by R. Havasy:

Since there’s no picture, here’s a little useful information:

Unlike most of the kitchen thermometers, this one is laid out with the display on the side rather than the top, more like a fever thermometer. For making tea this is a little inconvenient, but it’ll be nice for grill use since I usually stick the thermometer into burgers from the side.

Also, the cap which covers the probe conveniently snaps (securely) onto the other end of the case to extend the thermometer a few inches so you don’t burn your fingers. Nice touch!

Otherwise, it is as advertised and works quite well. I’m ordering another, in fact.

Review by Randall Nortman:

My two main gripes are that (1) the suction cup tends to work rather poorly at cold temperatures, which is something you’d think they would have considered for this particular device, and (2) that it can be very hard to read the digits at an angle or in the refrigerator lighting, and if you remove it to read it, it will quickly fog up and also start heating almost immediately, resulting in an inaccurate reading. The second point is really mostly a nitpick, as it would be hard to fix this without going to a more expensive backlit LCD display, but the first point is a fundamental flaw.

Review by Stanley Wu Jr.:

Recently purchased a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer and was curious

as to the temperature in each compartment. Moistened the suction cup

per instructions and affixed it to the freezer door’s interior, set at

the recommended mid-range temperature. Checked the temp the next morning and it registered 17 degrees fahrenheit. Had to take a plastic knife to

pry the suction cup off of interior freezer door. I next placed this

thermometer inside the refrigerator door, about chest level above the one-

gallon storage shelf for easy viewing. Again with refrigerator temp set at the recommended mid-range temperature, I returned to check on the temp the following morning and it registered from 38.7 to 41.5 degrees fahrenheit depending on late night door openings. Periodically repeated this phase of refrigerator testing for a month to confirm the absence of

sporadic readings. No problem with the suction cup dislodging from the

interior refrigerated surfaces. Great buy for the low cost ….. all is

needed is to replace the button cell lithium battery and you can regularly monitor the cooling capability of your refrigerator/freezer and additionally give you an early warning sign of when you need to purchase a newer, more reliable appliance.

Review by John B. Swetland:

I bought this thermometer to replace a five year old (same thermometer) I had in my car and the out side temp probe got damaged and needed replacing.

The first one work perfectly over a temperature range from over 100 deg F to below minus 20 deg F and the thermometer always worked. By far the best digital thermometer I’ve ever owned.

Review by Paul Colopy:

I have 3 of these in work and home windows. The’ve been reliable, accurate, and are easy to read. Recommended.

Review by JR:

I read the Cook’s Illustrated magazine review. They rated this number 1. I called Thermoworks to ask about the probes. They said they are NOT “sometimes defective”. But, over time heat and moisture can damage them. Or, if you let the cable rest against a heating element it will burn through the cable. So I got an extra probe. The price is fair. But still haven’t needed it. I also asked about Polder. They said it is actually the same thermometer internally and made by the same factory in China. But they said they are not associated in any way with Polder. I’ve had mine since last Thanksgiving and I use it at least once a week in the oven or on the BBQ. It’s easy to set and at this price I figured it was such a low risk. Since then I’ve decided its one of the best values in my kitchen. I also have the Thermapen – much higher price. Both work great.

Review by Craig:

I use the Thermapen thermometer made by this same company and I wanted another one that I could set to beep at a certain temperature in the oven when it hits a certain degree. I even used it on the grill to cook steaks. I just closed the lid on the wire and found that lots easier than just probing the meat all the time. It works fine and I’m very happy with it.I will be buying another one for a friend.