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Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.

Predictive cooking thermometer

A multi-sensor probe that finds the center of a roast and predicts finish time

Instead of one sensor at the tip, this kind of wireless probe carries a row of them along its length. Reading the whole gradient from surface to core lets the software work out where the center actually sits. Nobody fishes for the coldest point. It then estimates how much longer the roast or the brisket needs, which is the part people care about, because it means walking away. Expect to pay several times what an instant-read costs. Keep the instant-read for quick checks.

Who backs it

Sorted by strength of stance

  • Chef and food writer · The Food Lab

    Cooked with every version of the Combustion Inc. probe since the first one, and reports that its founder credits him as the heaviest tester it has had. What he values is that seven sensors work out where the center of the roast sits, so he is not hunting for it. The other thing he values is the prediction of how much longer the meat needs.

    Source: kenjilopezalt.com: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

    as founder Chris Young has said, there is nobody in the world who has tested it as thoroughly as I have through years of use in my home kitchen, including every single model since the first one.

    kenjilopezalt.com: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide (opens in a new tab)

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Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.