sit on or attach to an oven rack. this type of thermometer reads the temperature of the oven, not its contents. it's mostly used to make sure that the oven is heating properly and that the temperature gauge is reading correctly. for example, if the temperature on the dial of the oven reads 350° f (about 177° c) and the oven thermometer reads 370° f (about 188° c), this may indicate that the oven needs to be calibrated or is not working properly.
if you are searching for an oven thermometer to help determine the temperature of meat or other dishes, you most likely will be looking for a thermometer with 