Yes.

No. I bought one but ended up continuing my practice of looking at the meat and then taking my chances.

That’s what I call it when my SO gives me a BJ when she has a fever.

Yes, I have several of various types and use them extensively.

They are not necessary to cook, they are necessary to cook consistently.

Yep, I am absolutely crap when it comes to judging the doneness of meat. I’ll often over or under cook without one.

It also It makes things a lot less stressful when I cook. Rather than constantly going to the kitchen and checking if the roast (or whatever) is ready I just have a wireless thermometer I can look at while I play video games, read or something.

Pretty much only for poultry.

for brisket and pork shoulder in the smoking chamber, or turkey in the oven, but never when cooking any meat on a skillet or in a crockpot

Yes. Especially for chicken breasts. It’s easy enough to know for sure they’re done, but they’re much easier to eat as soon as they hit 155F. My immune system has never questioned my chicken, but my taste buds are very thankful for the meat thermometer.

Sometimes. Probably should more often, but when you cook something enough times to know when it’s done, it makes it a bit redundant.

Yep. I use an instant-read thermometer wherever I’m cooking whole pieces of meat. If I’ve cut it intobite-sized pieces, I do not. I don’t cook beef at home anymore, but would only use it for things like roasts.

I use for chicken and fish. As others have stated, it’s as much to prevent overcooking as to ensure doneness. Especially with uneven sized filets it helps to know which ones to remove to rest and which to leave in a little longer.

I was so confused for a moment

Depends on what I’m cooking, but always for chicken breasts. Roasting at a high temperature works great (it’s not the only way), but can mean the overcooking time is pretty small. It’s an easy way to respect the bird and get the best results possible.

Thighs on the other hand, I just go by eye, you really have to try hard to overcook those.

Might be worth noting that using a thermometer well does require some amount of skill and experience, you need to insert it into the right location for the data to be repeatable. Easier to learn than cooking by eye, though.

I am a bit late to the party. Yes, I have a meat thermometer. No, I do not use it for meat, poultry or other animal matter. I do not cook meat that often and when I do, I usually know how to properly cook it without using a thermometer from experience. It’s not that difficult unless you roast entire birds or anything.

I occasionally use it for measuring temperatures when brewing beer. I have a digital thermometer with a wide range (-40C to +200C-ish) and use it to check the temperature of the wort when pitching the yeast.

Absolutely, and not just for meats. Anything that has a temperature requirement for best cooking method.

An instant-read thermometer is a game changer to make sure fish, meat, and anything else that needs it is properly cooked, and just as importantly, not over-cooked.