Don't ever take your hand off the head of the thermometer, it only takes a second or two to get a good reading. That way you won't melt it..lol I just use time / temperature, sometimes I throw in a spot check when I think it's time to take it out and I'm always right on the money.
Melted the plastic cover again dammit. You'd think they could make one with a glass cover.
Get one of the kind that has a probe you stick in the bird, and a unit with the readout that stays out of the oven. They're magnetic; you can stick it to anything made of metal.