Caring for Your Thermapen

ByMartin Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Super-Fast® Thermapen® is a professional temperature tool that requires a bit of cleaning and care to keep it operating at peak performance. For best results, follow these tips to increase the useful life of your Thermapen:

1 – Never leave the Thermapen inside an oven, grill, smoker, or microwave while cooking. Do not leave it under heat lamps, or on a hot surface like a grill hood. When checking temperatures above a grill or fire, be careful that the Thermapen body does not get too hot.

2 – Never put the Thermapen probe on a hot coal or into an open flame as temperatures above 572°F (300°C) can cause internal damage to the probe. Also, use care closing the Thermapen when the probe has been inserted into a hot food or liquid. The probe is metal and may be very hot to the touch.

3 – If you are likely to use the Thermapen in high-heat environments, consider fitting your Thermapen with a Silicone Boot. Silicone offers short-term protection from radiant or contact heat and will also cushion the thermometer from knocks and drops – even a drop to concrete. The boot fits snugly and can be removed for cleaning.

Rule of Thumb:

The Thermapen is very fast, so you can quickly measure temperatures and then move out of the hot zone. If the heat is too high for your hand (without a protective mitt) it is probably too hot for the Thermapen body.

4 – The Thermapen is splash-proof and will resist exposure to wet hands and splashes from cooking liquids, but the housing of your Thermapen should never be submerged in water or any other liquid. Do NOT put your Thermapen in the dishwasher.

5 – In harsh commercial environments we recommend using ThermoWorks’ Probe Wipes. Each wipe is pre-saturated with an effective cleaning solution that meets HACCP standards. Home users may find that a simple soap solution, or an anti-bacterial cleaner on a paper towel is more convenient.

The new Splash-Proof Thermapen features a smooth, almost seamless design with very few cracks or crevices where food can get caught and spoil. It is easy to wipe clean.Take special care to fully wipe clean the rotating hub at the top of the Thermapen housing and the probe retention groove at the bottom. These can be cleaned with the edge of a rag or probe wipe.

6 – As a general rule, avoid getting moisture, flour, or oil on the rotating hub. Although there is an O-ring seal inside the hub, oils and fine powders can work their way past the seal over time and accumulate in the housing, causing problems with the electrical components.

7 – Each time meat is tested the Thermapen probe may be exposed to harmful bacteria. Wipe the Thermapen probe clean every time it is exposed to uncooked meat – particularly before probing cooked food that is ready to eat. The same precautions that you use with a knife or a cutting board apply to a thermometer probe. ThermoWorks’ probe wipes, or spray cleaner and paper towels can effectively sanitize the Thermapen probe tip.

Rule of Thumb:

The Thermapen probe and body should also be wiped clean after each cooking session and before you put it away.

8 Comments

    1. Thanks for the question, Denise! When you open your Classic Thermapen’s battery cover, you’ll see a bank of four small switches near the batteries. To switch the display from °F to °C, toggle switch #1 (to the position closer to the batteries).

  2. Upon attempting to change the battery on our Thermopen One, the screw on the battery compartment is difficult to loosen. This screw apparently only comes out a certain amount and then you have to pull it to complete the cover removal. It would be helpful to add this info on your instruction sheet to save us customers some time.

  3. Our thermopen is a treasured kitchen tool, but . . . we now need to change the battery and are unable to open the back battery section. We’ve tried using a screwdriver, butter knife, quarter and a nickel. The plastic is now slightly marred, but it won’t budge a bit with gentle efforts or stronger force. (A design with a deeper ridge with stronger material would likely resolve it, but that won’t solve the problem for those of us who already purchased and used this model.)

    I may return the thermopen I recently purchased to mail to a dear sibling who will likely have an even harder time than us to open the battery cover and change it when necessary.

    Please tell us: how can we open the battery cover on the thermopen?

  4. has this question been addressed ? if not it would be helpful because i have ruined one Thermopen trying to replace the battery and had to purchase another one.

    1. Hi David –

      I’m afraid I don’t know which question is at issue—can you restate or copy it here? We definitely don’t want changing the battery to risk the whole Thermapen, and depending on what you’re dealing with, we may be able to help.

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