A magnetic stirrer (11) comprises a magnetic drive and a placement surface (17) for a laboratory vessel containing a substance to be stirred. The magnetic drive is designed to generate a magnetic field which varies such that a magnetic stirring element can be driven to produce a stirring motion in the laboratory vessel, in order to stir the substance. The magnetic stirrer (11) also comprises a heating device (15), which is designed to heat the placement surface in order to heat up the substance, and a display device (23), which is designed to display the current temperature of the placement surface.