For those of us without a proper test lab there are two ways to check the accuracy of our cooking thermometers.
1/: Boiling Water. 2/: Ice Bath.
* Boiling water has two main drawbacks that change the boiling point of water; atmospheric pressure and elevation.
*Ice bath on the other hand is consistent (if done properly).
Ideally checking at two points makes one feel more confident . That's how Thermapens are tested and calibrated.
For comprehnsive test methods, "Thermoworks" is the place to go. For the boiling point of water; click" software" @ the top. Scroll down to "boiling point calculator". Fill in your zip for elevation and atmospheric pressure, then click calculate - simple. Just take elevation with a grain of salt as it is @ the weather station.. If you have a GPS, its reading will prove more accurate.
Under "service and support @ the top, go to the column on the left, select " super fast Thermapen 101, click "creating a properly made ice bath", or type the words into the search box.
Disclaimer: The only association I have with Thermoworks is customer related.