JamesH
TVWBB Fan
I know people on this forum love the Thermapen by Thermoworks, but it's not cheap. The company also has some low-cost thermometers that only take a few seconds longer: the RT600C and the RT301WA. Not much is written online about either thermometer for some reason. I went with the RT301WA because the display is easier to see when measuring on the grill (you don't have to cock your head or tilt the thermometer to read it).
Last weekend I went camping and got to use the RT301WA when grilling some chicken leg quarters and steaks. The RT301WA is a great size. It just over 6" in length and 2" in width. There's only two buttons: on/off and F/C. There's also a "penclip" style holder to protect the probe when not in use.
It is possible to calibrate the RT301WA, but out of the box it measured boiling water at 211.5, so I'm happy. When I was camping, the RT301WA read temperatures very quickly. Thermaworks advertises it as a six-second process, and that seemed pretty accurate to me in my testing. I had never used a thermometer before, and this thing really made a difference for me. I'm always leery of chicken because I have a tendency to overcook it, and I was able to make some nice, tender and juicy leg quarters. I ended up overcooking the steaks, but that was my fault for using too much charcoal and waiting too long to check the steaks on my new Smokey Joe Silver. They were still edible, and the fiancee liked them, so that's all that matters.
Here's how it looks in its packaging out of the box. The Jelly Bellies were a hit with the fiancee as well!
The RT301WA is only $22.95 right now on Amazon with $1.99 shipping.
Last weekend I went camping and got to use the RT301WA when grilling some chicken leg quarters and steaks. The RT301WA is a great size. It just over 6" in length and 2" in width. There's only two buttons: on/off and F/C. There's also a "penclip" style holder to protect the probe when not in use.
It is possible to calibrate the RT301WA, but out of the box it measured boiling water at 211.5, so I'm happy. When I was camping, the RT301WA read temperatures very quickly. Thermaworks advertises it as a six-second process, and that seemed pretty accurate to me in my testing. I had never used a thermometer before, and this thing really made a difference for me. I'm always leery of chicken because I have a tendency to overcook it, and I was able to make some nice, tender and juicy leg quarters. I ended up overcooking the steaks, but that was my fault for using too much charcoal and waiting too long to check the steaks on my new Smokey Joe Silver. They were still edible, and the fiancee liked them, so that's all that matters.
Here's how it looks in its packaging out of the box. The Jelly Bellies were a hit with the fiancee as well!
The RT301WA is only $22.95 right now on Amazon with $1.99 shipping.