Push the tip into the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and gristle; for a burger or a thin chop, go in through the side until the tip reaches the center (USDA). Wait for the reading to settle, check big pieces in more than one spot, and compare it with the safe minimum: 165°F for all poultry, 160°F for ground meat, 145°F for steaks, chops and roasts, then a 3-minute rest (USDA). Only a thermometer made to stay in the oven should stay in while the food cooks.
How to use a meat thermometer, step by step
- Read its instructions first They say how deep the tip has to go. No instructions? Look for a dimple on the stem: it marks one end of the sensor. Dial thermometers go about 2 to 3 inches into the food (USDA).
- Put the tip in the thickest part Keep it away from bone, fat and gristle: in the wrong spot, the reading won’t reflect the inside of the food (USDA). Taylor’s leave-in dial goes 3/4 inch past the center.
- Go in from the side for thin food For a burger, sausage, pork chop or thin chicken breast, slide the probe in sideways until the tip reaches the center; a dial instant-read needs its whole 2- to 3-inch sensing area in the food. Moving the food onto a clean plate or spatula first saves your fingers (USDA).
- Wait for the number to stop moving USDA’s reading times: 2 to 5 seconds for a thermocouple, about 10 for a digital thermistor, 15 to 20 for a dial instant-read.
- Check more than one spot Pieces reach a safe temperature at different times, so check each one; in a large or odd-shaped roast, check several places (USDA).
- Compare it with the safe temperature, then rest the meat Steaks, chops and roasts of beef, pork, veal and lamb need 145°F and at least 3 minutes’ rest (USDA). The full chart is below.
- Wash it by hand Use hot, soapy water. Most thermometers shouldn’t go under water (USDA), and Taylor’s go neither in water nor in the dishwasher. Keep the probe in its sleeve: the tips are sharp (USDA).
Ground beef can turn brown before it reaches a safe temperature. A hamburger cooked to 160°F, measured with a thermometer, is safe whatever its color (USDA).
Where to put a meat thermometer
| Food | Where the tip goes |
|---|---|
| Whole turkey or chicken | The innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone. All three need 165°F. |
| Stuffing in the bird | The center of the stuffing, which also needs 165°F. USDA suggests baking it in a dish instead. |
| Chicken breasts, thighs, wings | The thickest part, away from the bone; thin pieces through the side. |
| Beef, pork or lamb roast | Midway into the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle. |
| Steaks and chops | The thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle; thin ones through the side. |
| Burgers and sausages | In through the side, to the center. |
| Egg dishes | The thickest part or the center of the dish, then a few more spots: 160°F. |
| Fish | The thickest part, or the center. |
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food Thermometers and Let’s Talk Turkey.
The holiday turkey
- Oven: set it no lower than 325°F (USDA). Roasting with the fan on? See convection bake vs bake first.
- Done: 165°F in the innermost thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast (USDA).
- Pop-up timer: check with a food thermometer anyway, in the same three places (USDA).
- Leave-in thermometer: put an oven-proof one in at the start, in the thickest part of the inner thigh. Once that reads 165°F, check the wing and the breast (USDA).
- Rest: let it stand 20 minutes before carving (USDA).
Still frozen? Plan the thaw with our turkey thawing calculator: about a day in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds (USDA).
Safe minimum internal temperatures
| Food | Safe minimum |
|---|---|
| All poultry: whole birds, breasts, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets, stuffing | 165°F |
| Ground beef, pork, veal and lamb | 160°F |
| Eggs and egg dishes | 160°F |
| Beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, chops and roasts | 145°F, then 3 minutes’ rest |
| Fresh or smoked ham, uncooked | 145°F, then 3 minutes’ rest |
| Fish and shellfish | 145°F |
| Casseroles | 165°F |
| Fully cooked ham, reheated | 140°F if packed in a USDA-inspected plant, otherwise 165°F |
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart. Cooking to a higher temperature is a matter of taste.
Which thermometers can stay in the oven
Only the ones built for it. Some have plastic faces that melt near heat, so USDA says not to leave a thermometer in food while it cooks unless its maker says it is designed for that. Taylor’s leave-in dial, for example, is oven and grill safe.
| Type | Stays in? | Reads in | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oven-safe dial | Yes | 1–2 min if put in late | 2–2½ in, thick foods only |
| Oven cord probe | Yes | About 10 s | At least ½ in |
| Wireless or smart probe | Yes | Live | At least 1 in |
| Instant-read dial | No | 15–20 s | 2–2½ in |
| Digital thermistor | No | About 10 s | At least ½ in |
| Thermocouple | No | 2–5 s | ¼ in or more |
| Thermometer fork | No | 2–10 s | At least ¼ in |
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food Thermometers. Pop-up timers are reliable to within 1 to 2°F, but USDA still recommends a thermometer check.
How to check that it’s accurate
Most food thermometers read within 2 to 4°F (USDA). Check yours now and then, and after a drop: dial thermometers in particular can drift (ThermoWorks).
- Make a proper ice bath Fill a glass to the top with ice, then add water to about ½ inch below the top of the ice (ThermoWorks). A cup of water with a few cubes can be as much as 12°F too warm.
- Put the stem in at least 2 inches Keep it off the sides and bottom of the glass, stir, and wait at least 30 seconds (USDA).
- Read it in the water It should say 32°F (USDA). Within the maker’s stated accuracy is fine: don’t adjust it. ThermoWorks gives ±2°F for its ThermoPop and ±0.7°F for the Thermapen at this point.
- Adjust it the maker’s way Many dials have a calibration nut under the dial (USDA); on Taylor’s 5989 instant-read, the pocket sleeve doubles as the wrench. Oven cord probes and thermometer forks can’t be calibrated (USDA).
Boiling water checks higher temperatures: 212°F at sea level, but at least 2°F and up to 5°F lower at high altitude (USDA); in Denver water boils at about 202°F (ThermoWorks).
Questions people ask
Where do you put a meat thermometer in a turkey?
In three places: the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest part of the breast, without touching bone. All three should read 165°F (USDA). A leave-in thermometer goes in the thickest part of the inner thigh.
Can you leave a meat thermometer in the oven?
Only one made for it: an oven-safe dial, an oven cord probe or a wireless probe. Instant-read thermometers aren’t designed to stay in, and plastic faces can melt (USDA).
How do I calibrate a meat thermometer?
Hold the stem at least 2 inches into a glass packed with ice and water for 30 seconds: it should read 32°F. If it doesn’t, adjust it as its maker says, often with a nut under the dial (USDA).
How do I read a meat thermometer?
Wait until the number or needle stops moving: from 2 seconds for a thermocouple to 20 for a dial instant-read (USDA). On Taylor’s leave-in dial, the needle rests at the bottom and turns clockwise as the meat heats.
Can you use a meat thermometer for candy or oil?
Only if its scale goes high enough. Candy, jelly and deep-fry thermometers read 100 to 400°F (USDA); Taylor’s leave-in meat dial stops at 200°F and its instant-read dial at 220°F.
Can a meat thermometer go in the dishwasher?
Not Taylor’s: hand-wash only, and don’t put it under water. USDA says to wash thermometers by hand in hot, soapy water, or as the maker says.
Plain-English summary. Open the original instructions for the full procedure, and check that they cover your model before you start.
Sources
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Food Thermometers: why color isn’t a test; placement in meat, poultry, thin foods, egg dishes and fish; insertion depth and the dimple; the safe minimum temperature chart; care; ice-water and boiling-water calibration; thermometer types, reading times and which can stay in the food.
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Let’s Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey: oven at 325°F or higher; 165°F in the thigh, wing and breast; pop-up indicators; a leave-in thermometer in the inner thigh; 20 minutes’ standing; thawing a day for every 4 to 5 pounds.
- ThermoWorks, Check Your Thermometers!: a properly made ice bath; a cup of ice water up to 12°F too warm; accuracy specifications; boiling point by altitude; dial thermometers drifting after drops.
- Taylor, Leave-In Meat Thermometer 3504 instructions and product page: thickest part, 3/4 inch past the center, off bone, fat and gristle; oven and grill safe; 120 to 200°F; hand-wash only.
- Taylor, Instant Read Thermometer 5989: 0 to 220°F dial; the sleeve doubles as a recalibration wrench; hand-wash only.