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See why.The Best Kitchen Timers
A kitchen timer helps guarantee success in the kitchen—but only if it’s reliable and easy to use.
By Published June 30, 2021
Top Picks
What You Need To Know
The best kitchen timers are simple and easy to read and hear, with clearly labeled buttons, big digital screens, and alerts that are audible and/or visible from across the room. They often have extra features (such as stopwatch functions and memory settings) or adjustable settings to increase their usefulness. We especially like two models. The ThermoWorks Extra Big & Loud Timer is our top pick for cooks who want to track only one thing at a time. For cooks who want the ability to track multiple things with one timer, we recommend the OXO Good Grips Triple Timer.
What You Need to Know
You can use the timers on your smartphone, smart speaker, oven, or microwave—but there are good reasons to have a dedicated kitchen timer. Unlike most of the alternatives, a timer can be carried into another room so that it’s always visible and within earshot. A kitchen timer is also often easier to set than the timers on appliances, and you don’t have to worry about dirtying your phone with food.
We prefer digital models to old-fashioned dial-face timers because they tend to be more precise, easier to set, and easier to read. The simplest digital models track a single set time and beep when that time is up. Most are considerably more complex. Many are “multiple-event,” which means they can track multiple times simultaneously. Most can count up (like a stopwatch) in addition to down. It’s also common for timers to have adjustable volume settings (sometimes including a silent setting) and flashing lights so that there’s a visual alert, too.
What to Look For
- Accuracy: Fortunately, you don’t have to look very hard to find an accurate timer. Every model we tested was accurate.
- Tilted Display with Large Digits: Timers with tilted displays were the easiest to read; the best models were wedge-shaped or had kickstands. We also preferred screens with big, easy-to-read digits.
- Clear Differentiation Between Events: When using a multiple-event timer, you don’t want to accidentally clear an active event while adjusting another. The screens of the dual, triple, and quad timers we tested displayed each of their events simultaneously. (Previous models we tested required scrolling, which we found untenable.) One model featured separate “set” and “start/stop” buttons for each event. Many of the multiple-event timers also had unique patterns of beeps and/or visual alerts and indications on their screens that helped us differentiate between the events.
- Adjustable Volume Levels: Many models had two or more volume settings, so you can accommodate your personal preferences or adjust to different noise levels in your kitchen. Some could be set to sil...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
The big digital screen and clearly labeled buttons made it easy to read and use this simple, intuitive timer. The digits on its screen were some of the largest in our lineup, and the entire screen flashes when the timer goes off. Splash-resistant and sturdy, this timer looked as good as new at the end of testing. The timer has a wide base and can be tilted up on a kickstand so that it is easy to read from above. It also has magnets and can be positioned on a refrigerator or other magnetic surface.
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This compact triple-event timer is accurate and easy to use. The screen displays all three events at once (no scrolling required). It’s easy to set and adjust the individual events because each one has its own button, and a pair of horizontal bars on the screen brackets the event being modified. We like that each event makes a unique sound—one beep for the first event, two beeps for the second event, and three beeps for the third event—and that the volume is adjustable. Our only quibble is that the digits on the screen are slightly smaller than ideal.
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This big, sturdy quadruple timer has a tilted display with big digits and sports an impressive number of extra features. In addition to having dedicated “set” and “start/stop” buttons, each of its four set times has its own flashing light and a unique beep pattern. You can even record custom voice memos such as ”check the chicken” or “rotate the cookies.” This timer takes some getting used to because it has so many buttons and settings, so we appreciated that the instructions for recording and clearing the voice memos are printed on the bottom of the timer. It’s a great option for busy cooks who routinely prepare multiple dishes at once.
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
With a full keypad and a screen with big digits, this timer is simple and easy to use. It beeps and a red light flashes when the time is up, but the light was small and easy to miss from across the room. It has four memory settings, which are useful when preparing recipes that you make frequently. It has an interval timer feature, which can be handy for workouts, studying, and other activities that require timing events of multiple lengths back-to-back. When the timer isn’t in use, you can toggle over to a clock setting.
Recommended
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
We liked using this small, streamlined, accurate timer. It took longer to program than timers with full keypads because we had to hold down hour, minute, and/or seconds buttons and scroll instead of simply punching in a time. When it’s not in use as a timer, it can be used as a clock. It’s marketed as impact-resistant and has a rubber bumper meant to protect it from falls, but that didn’t help it in our durability tests: Its kickstand popped out on one side and then became very difficult to pull out or push back into place.
Recommended with reservations
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
Although the timer itself is fairly compact, its digital screen is large, and its digits are easy to read. It lacks a full keypad, so users must press down the hour, minute, and/or seconds buttons and scroll up until they reach the target time. When the time is up, the entire screen flashes. In silent mode, the “start/stop” button illuminates in bright blue and flashes, which is easy to spot from across a room. It’s missing a very useful feature: the ability to report the elapsed time after the timer goes off. Other than that, it was a very good timer.
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 1.5 stars out of 3.
With a fairly large screen that displays both of its events simultaneously, this model was very easy to read. There’s always a light flashing when the timer is in use, which some cooks might find distracting. When the time is up, the flashing light changes from green to red. Although the timer was intuitive and fairly easy to use, it took longer to set than our favorite models because we had to hold down the hour, minute, and/or seconds buttons until the digits scrolled up to the target time. It has a tiny kickstand that broke off during our durability tests, making this slightly tippy timer even easier to knock over.
Not Recommended
- Accuracy: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 0.5 stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This compact dual timer has a fatal flaw: There is no seconds button, so it can be set for only full hours and minutes. We often need to set a timer for 30 seconds or 45 seconds, and we have no use for a timer that doesn’t allow us to do that. This is unfortunate because the timer was accurate; its buttons were clearly labeled; and we liked that its clock setting displayed not just the time but the day, month, and year as well.
- Accuracy: NaN stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: NaN stars out of 3.
- Display and Alerts: NaN stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: NaN stars out of 3.
Most of the buttons on this triple timer were tiny (about the size of a lentil), and it was nearly impossible to figure out their functions. It took one user more than 90 seconds to successfully set a time—and that was with help from another person. Once we got the times going and needed to stop or modify one, we were never confident that we weren’t going to accidentally clear the wrong one. The screen was also fairly compact, which meant that the digits were a little small. Finally, one of the hinges on the kickstand broke in our durability tests.
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Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Kate Shannon
Kate is a deputy editor for ATK Reviews. She's a culinary school graduate and former line cook and cheesemonger.
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