From holiday roasts to homemade cakes, the precise cooking temperature is vital, as any seasoned cook will attest. Anyone who has ever pulled out a dish from the oven just in time according to the kitchen timer, only to find it undercooked and a culinary disaster, understands the importance of a reliable oven. However, accurate ovens are a scarce commodity, as a consensus amongst professional chefs suggests. According to Melissa Araujo, the owner and master chef of Alma Cafe in New Orleans, home ovens may misrepresent the actual temperature, and the disparity can be between 25 and 50 degrees. Herein lies immense frustration and a hit to your cooking confidence. The solution? Using an oven thermometer.

Having an oven thermometer at your disposal, be it an analog, infrared, or a digital one, gives you the power to measure the true heat in your oven, independent of the appliance's readings. Chef Araujo points to influences such as the placement of the in-built oven sensor, the calibration of the oven itself and differential spaces within the oven with differing heat levels as reasons behind the inaccuracy of an oven's generated temperature reading. Her go-to gadget is an oven thermometer like the KitchenAid dial thermometer; a piece of tool she regards as an essential for cooking done right. Rhyming with its affordability, this thermometer gives you readings that are accurate, is durable, and convenient with its ability to be strategically placed on different oven racks.

On the hunt for a digital upgrade? Chef Araujo suggests ThermoPro TempSpike, a digital thermometer which has multiple uses. Not only does it wirelessly monitor your oven's temperature, but it also helps you zero in on the food's internal temperature. Pair it with a smartphone app, and have accurate readings at your fingertips. Dennis Littley, a professional chef with four decades of experience, supports the use of a digital thermometer, particularly this model. According to him, it eradicates uncertainty, offering the convenience to ‘set it and forget it’.

Also popular amongst chefs is the infrared thermometer. Recipe developing expert, Scott Groth finds the Etekcity Lasergrip reliable and user friendly. He especially appreciates that it doesn't take up any oven space, which is a common issue with analog thermometers. This thermometer captures the temperature by simply scanning the oven, without the need to physically place it inside. Its utility, together with its popularity evident with 10,000 units being sold off the Amazon shelves last month, makes this an excellent option for maintaining temperature accuracy in your cooking process.