OXO Thermocouple Thermometer Review

This is a review of the OXO Thermocouple Thermometer. It is the premier digital meat thermometer in the lineup of Chef’s Precision thermometers from OXO Good Grips.

I’ve bought and reviewed every top meat thermometer over the last four years to determine the best meat thermometer for your money. I’ve tested and analyzed every aspect of this OXO Good Grips Thermocouple Thermometer to see how it stacks up.

Sneak Peek Summary-

• Best Feature- One of the fastest and most accurate thermometers outside the Thermapens.
• Worst Feature- The device’s body feels fragile.
• The Nitty Gritty- At a similar price point to the Thermapen ONE, the OXO Thermocouple Thermometer is accurate, but not as fast. The fragile body and lack of certain other features don’t justify its current price.

Although OXO Good Grips produces tons of highly-rated kitchen products and are a fantastic company, they are about halfway there on this one.

The accuracy and response time are great with this thermometer, however, its plastic body doesn’t seem like it would survive a drop on patio pavers.

There is also no way to calibrate it should it need it, which I view as insurance should anything go askew. (It doesn’t come with a certificate of calibration either.)

In this review, I will discuss the features, usability, accuracy, durability, and price to determine the value of this OXO thermometer. I’ll also show you some less expensive alternatives.

OXO Thermocouple Thermometer Overview

There are a lot of things to like about the OXO Good Grips Chef’s Precision Thermocouple Meat Thermometer. (Maybe not the length of its title)

It has many of the features you want to see from a top-of-the-line meat thermometer.

It’s water-resistant with an IP66 rating. The thermocouple probe is very fast and accurate with readings comparable to the Thermoworks Thermapen ONE, although not as fast.

There are thoughtful design touches such as the rotating dial that extends the probe without you touching the probe. The benefit being you don’t contaminate the probe with bacteria or vice-versa.

This intuitive design is no surprise coming from a company like OXO, whose products are based on the user experience.

It is then very surprising to me that they chose to enclose this very accurate thermocouple technology in what can best be described as a cheap plastic body.

The body is reminiscent of the ThermoPro TP18. I was critical of the same durability issues in my review of that thermometer as well.

You just expect more from a thermometer that sells anywhere from $87 to $104.

Now, this doesn’t mean it is a bad thermometer, it is very accurate with a great response time. A sturdier body with a few more features would make this a more enticing purchase.

What do you get for your money then? Glad you asked, here are the feature of this OXO instant read thermometer.

OXO Thermocouple Thermometer Features

Here are the highlighted features of this OXO instant read thermometer.

• Measurement range between -58 to 572°F (-50 to 300°C)
• Accuracy of +- 0.9°F (+-0.5 °C)
• 2 to 3-second response time
• IP 66 WaterProof  body(Protected against powerful water jets)
• 43 hours of AAA battery life (includes two)
• Automatic On/Off 

The thermometer will go into sleep mode after 3 minutes of inactivity. It will turn back on automatically when moved. After 10 minutes of inactivity the thermometer will turn off completely and you will need to fold the probe back in and then out to turn it back on.

• 180° rotating display

The display will rotate around (upside down) when moving the thermometer from your right hand to your left hand.

• 240° rotating probe

Another nice feature is the probe itself will extend another 60° past the normal range of most meat thermometers. This affords lefthanded people the same user experience as right-handers.

Usability

OXO Good Grips prides itself on its user-friendly products. There are many design aspects in this thermometer that are indeed user-friendly.

The display is fantastic with large backlit digits that are bright and stay illuminated for the entire time it’s in use.

The display will only rotate 180°, which is perfectly acceptable. Other thermometers in the $100 price range feature 360° display capabilities.

This can be construed as nit-picking and I probably agree with you, but still, there is that disparity and I thought I’d mention it.

The body is easy to grip, yet doesn’t have a rubber gasket seal that many thermometers use to join the front and back panels of the thermometer together.

This seal does double duty in that it actually helps you grip the thermometer with wet or greasy hands. Ironically this OXO Good Grips thermometer has no added grips and could prove slippery with chicken grease on your hands.

One other usability feature that needs to be noted is that there is no way to calibrate this thermometer should it become inaccurate over time. For a $100 thermometer, this scares the heck out of me.

Still, this thermometer performs remarkably well despite my gripes with the body, lack of calibration capabilities, and lack of a 360° rotating display.

You buy a thermometer for its accuracy and this one is definitely that.

Accuracy

There is no disputing that this thermometer is incredibly accurate and fast. Is it as fast as the Thermoworks Thermapen ONE, the best instant read thermometer on the market?

No, but it’s not far behind.

I tested the OXO thermometer in a series of accuracy comparisons using a sous vide water bath.

It was up to the task as it displayed similar readings to other highly accurate thermometers time and again.

This is great, but there are a few things I expect out of an instant-read thermometer in this price range.

One of them is the ability to calibrate it if needed. Even the most accurate thermometer on the market, the Thermapen ONE, comes with this feature.

The other thing I would like to see is a NIST-traceable calibration certificate, which is standard with many top thermometers.

The OXO thermocouple meat thermometer is fast and accurate, a calibration button and documentation would place it higher in my rankings.

Durability

As I mentioned previously, I have some legitimate concerns over the flimsy feel of this thermometer’s body. This is surprising considering the many quality products produced by the OXO Good Grips company.

No, I haven’t dropped this thermometer on the ground to test this theory, but I’ve reviewed enough thermometers to know which ones will survive a fall.

I’m not sure if this thermometer survives a fall. Durability is tested over time, and I could be wrong.

I will update you if my theory is tested.

Some points in its favor are the IP66 waterproof rating. This means the thermometer can be rinsed off under a faucet, although I wouldn’t ever do that with any thermometer.

You can clean a thermometer using some paper towels and a bleach water solution.

Although it isn’t fair to rate a thermometer on its perceived survivability of future accidents, I still can’t rate this thermometer as durable.

A stronger polymer body and perhaps a rubber seal around the outside would change my mind.

Price

The current price range for the OXO Good Grips Thermocouple Thermometer is between $87 and $104.

That’s a lot of cheddar. For that money, you could also purchase a Thermoworks Thermapen ONE.

Although I think this OXO thermometer’s thermocouple technology does necessitate a premium over the standard meat thermometer, its fragile-seeming body and lack of user calibration bring the price down in my mind.

I would judge this thermometer to be a great buy in the $50 price range (at most) because of its detractors.

A sturdier body, calibration certificate, calibration capabilities, and a 360° rotating screen would be some features that would justify its current price tag.

OXO Thermocouple Thermometer vs Thermapen ONE

A head-to-head comparison is inevitable when a meat thermometer is in the same price range as the best-in-class Thermoworks Thermapen ONE.

Here are the key differences between the OXO Thermocouple Thermometer and the Thermoworks Thermapen ONE:

• The Thermapen ONE has a reported one-second response time, the OXO Thermocouple Thermometer has a 2 to 3-second reported response time.
• The Thermapen ONE has a 360° auto-rotating screen, the OXO thermometer has a 180° rotating screen.
• There is a slight difference in waterproof rating, the Thermapen ONE is rated IP67 waterproof to the IP66 waterproof rating of the OXO Thermocouple Thermometer.
• You can calibrate the Thermapen ONE while the OXO Thermocouple Thermometer offers no calibration.
• The OXO Thermocouple Thermometer has a 240° rotating probe to the 180° rotation of the Thermapen ONE probe.
• The Thermapen ONE comes with a NIST-traceable certificate of calibration. OXO does not include a calibration certificate with their thermometer.
• The Thermapen ONE has an estimated battery life of up to 2,000 hours. The OXO thermocouple thermometer has an estimated battery life of 43 hours.
• Thermoworks provides a five-year warranty against defects in components and workmanship for the Thermapen ONE. OXO provides a two-year warranty in case of defects in materials or workmanship.
• Thermoworks is a thermometer company with some of the best customer service you’ll find. While OXO is a quality company, they do not specialize in meat thermometers. There are a total of three digital thermometers in their lineup of products. (As of October 2022)

Alternatives

If you don’t want to pay a premium price for a meat thermometer but want one that does a fairly good impression of one, here are a few that I’ve reviewed and recommended.

The InkBird IHT-1s is fast and accurate with a durable IP67 waterproof rating. See my review of the Inkbird IHT-1s here.

The ThermoPro TP19H is rated IP65 waterproof with good accuracy and response time. You can calibrate it and it features a 180° rotating screen. See the ThermoPro TP19H review.

And of course, any of Thermoworks’ lower-priced thermometers are great values. The Thermoworks ThermoPop 2, DASH, and Executive thermometers are great thermometers.

Thermomeat’s Verdict

There are a lot of things to like about the OXO Good Grips Chef’s Precision Thermocouple Meat Thermometer, but not enough to justify its current price.

Its fantastic accuracy and response time surprised me in tests, tracking closely to the Thermapen ONE.

The body doesn’t seem durable and there is no way to calibrate this thermometer. There isn’t a calibration certificate either.

Another drawback is the display only rotates 180° compared to the 360° of the other instant-read meat thermometers in the $100 price range.

The market at this elevated price point is extremely competitive and there are expectations of certain features when you’re shelling out all that cash.

To be the best you gotta beat the best. With a few more design tweaks OXO could be in the conversation.

Right now, as I said earlier, they’re about halfway there.