Used this once for some steaks. Was difficult to read due to temps outside and wind factors. Not so much as to see the temp as it was to read the temp properly. Managed to cook the steaks properly after several reads and took inside to read again. Inside the reading was accurate.
These were two inch NY strips and I had several friends to feed and they all wanted certain amounts of doneness. All in all everyone was satisfied but I did have to cut into a few of the steaks to be certain of temps.
Another problem was I was cooking on a charcoal grill in cold temps with a bit of wind.. Testing me for sure.

Gone are the hit and miss days of "bake at 350 for two hours" and hope that your roasts are done correctly. Nowadays we use instant read thermometers to guage our cooking time. If we go to a friends house for a BBQ I often toss the thermometer into our bag as my husband is often asked to grill. We have also been known to toss ours into the suitcase when traveling to timeshares, etc.
This thermometer is one of THE BEST out there. The unit turns on when you extend the probe. Once the probe is inserted the temperature is displayed in large, easy to read (code, you can see it without your readers!) digital display. When you are done and fold in the probe, the unit turns off.
I highly recommend this thermometer- we have purchased several and our friends have also purchased as well. I usually order in yellow- it is not our kitchen color but it is easy to find on a crowded counter and also to find when taking other places.

This review is a combined review for the PT12 model and the Pro, I purchases the PT12 back in 2015 because I wanted a accurate instant read thermometer but based on my use case I couldn't bring myself to spend the $100 on a Thermoworks (although I thought long about it...). This seemed like a good substitute for the price point so I went with it. I'm glad I did, as it quickly out performed the CDN device that I was using, as well as other thermometer gadgets around the house. After making sure that it was accurate (boiling water test) I found it to be much faster than those other devices, and more accurate, taking anywhere from 3-5 seconds to come within a degree or two of the food temp, and then another 5 seconds or so to to level out at the final temp. Not really instant, but good enough for my uses. And once the probe/sensor is "warmed up" (meaning its not starting from 60 degrees) subsequent checks go much faster (like when you're moving from burger to burger or steak to steak on the grill). The small size made it perfect for having in a pocket and the built in magnet makes it easy to store on the fridge or side of the grill. Overall I was so happy with this that I purchased a second one (one to keep by the grills, one for the kitchen), and was equally satisfied with that purchase. So much so, that when the original went missing for several months (it eventually turned up) I went to purchase a third one. By this point Lavatools had introduced their Pro model, so I went with that one. Again, happy I did, as this model was a worthwhile upgrade to the PT12's. Much faster return on food temps, providing a temp within 2 seconds and leveling out at 5. Much closer to what I would expect an instant read to perform. The large display, backlight and longer probe are great additions. It's certainly much beefier feeling than its little brother, but not so that its cumbersome or clumsy to use.
All in all I'm very pleased by these purchases and would highly recommend them for the products that they are, in this price point. And, of course, the Amazon experience in researching, purchasing and delivery of these was also great

Our unit worked great until it cracked where the thermometer meets the plastic. It fell apart and became useless. We sent a request to Lavatools for a replacement and they requested photos. We provided them photos and then never heard anything back until I left a negative review here.

Once I left a negative review, they contacted me via email and sent me a replacement. I'll upgrade the review from one star to three stars. I'd give a better review if they just honored their warranty without having to take, what I consider, drastic measures.

I just bought my first grill and from everything I read, I NEEDED a meat thermometer. Sure enough, I use this thing every time I grill, which is once to twice a week

Pros:
"¢ Easy to read numbers
"¢ Quick response - usually get an accurate read-out in seconds
"¢ Magnet keeps this in place on my grill

Cons
"¢ When you fold the prong back in to turn it off, meat juice can get on it. I just keep a paper towel or wipe nearby

Conclusion:
This thermometer has been fantastic! You learn how far to push it into the meat to get an accurate reading, but that'd be true for any thermometer. Once you get that down, you're golden. I highly recommend this thermometer for beginner grillers, like me.
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