Equipment Reviews: Remote Probe Thermometers
Equipment Reviews: Remote Probe Thermometers
Our winning clip-on probe thermometer, the ChefAlarm by ThermoWorks, helps with this problem. It features a probe that is connected by a thin wire to a base that sits outside the grill or oven. The probe is inserted into the food you’re cooking and the base displays the temperature readout, allowing you to monitor temperature without opening the oven door or lifting the grill lid.
Buy our winning thermometer: http://cooks.io/3i6xM4k
Read the review: https://cooks.io/38BaQXD
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Thanks for the info! I bought the winner and am excited to use it at home. Bread in our miserable oven has been ridiculous to try to bake.
Why 1000 feet? That seems pretty excessive.
The review completely ignored the huge difference in convenience between those products with cabled sensors, versus those with wireless sensors. I use the MEATER+, which has a wireless probe and was trivially easy to pair.
While I find you bashed the Meater more than it deserves (and it also monitors the oven temp, which is great), you missed that it can only be used to measure internal temp up to 93°C, which means it can’t be used for bread baking.
I own and love the ThermoWorks Smoke. That said, I have one major criticism. Every time the alarms go off they ring on both the base and the probe. The problem is that I have to physically touch both units to silence both alarms. That means that if I leave the remote sitting on the coffee table or kitchen counter as I am tending to the pit and opening doors, I end up with an undeniably loud alarm blaring continuously throughout the house until I can make my way back inside. Ironically, this usually happens in the middle of the night when the rest of the family is sleeping. It would be so much better is silencing the alarm at the base would silence both alarms and vise versa. Thumbs up if you can relate!
Great timing. Our remote thermometer just died.
With the pager style, you guys can go outside to check out what’s going on at the dry dock or look at incoming ships. 🙂
The people behind Lisa should be wearing some masks!
My recteq smoker has built in temperature probes that can be calibrated and it uses my WiFi with great results. I have used the redi-check from Maverick with a very confusing set up. Didn’t like it.
Don’t want to seem rude, but these reviews where it is just Lisa are the best. Great information!!!
next: rice cooker!!
I love how sous vide can target a perfect temperature every time.
Kitchen timers! Especially durability, we find most dont survive in a busy bakery
Why didn’t you also mention the one that was the worst one in this test, just so we have a reference? . . . .
They need to make one with cellular technology or some other technology that would allow you to know your temperature from anywhere, even when you’re not home just like you can change your home temperature or check your cameras. Of course, they could make the wi-fi capabilities connect to more than just the base and you get the same thing.
One thing that is failed to mention, I found that A LOT of the probes that rely on a phone have VERY sketchy apps. Why would a temperature probe app need access to my phone contacts?
You really were a bit dishonest about the Meater+. It can connect via Wi-Fi if you read the manual. Target temperature is not fixed. And the dual probe means it can not only monitor the meat but the temperature of the oven or smoker giving you an accurate idea of when the food *will be* done and how long to let it rest.
The recommended item is $100. I would like to see value based recommendation too. A best at $50 range recommendation. Thank you.
Great review Lisa !
Fireboard is great. I can even check the temp using Alexa when I can’t check the unit/phone.
you complained about a pairing problem then immediately cut to phone pairing process which clearly shows how the probe should be located
(Portable induction cooktop) we need a review on this product. how well do they work? who’s the best?
Should have tested the fire board 2. I have one and it works brilliantly. WiFi enabled and it can also run a bbq fan
I feel like you missed some pretty good options. Fireboard is Wi-Fi and I feel like that overcomes a lot of the Bluetooth connection challenges you have with a lot of these.
Wireless probes and remote wired probes should of been separated and had there own comparison. And you should of included the Fireboard wired remote thermometer.
I’m so glad Lisa’s back. The infomercial-style reviews were killing me. I’m super happy to see the detailed reviews with: a variety of use cases considered, testing methodology provided, all models addressed (not just the winner).
Thank you
You have to be smarter that the equipment you are testing, I have most of those and have had none of those problems.
I use the InkBird BBQ Go bluetooth unit with 4 probes and I absolutely love it. Accuracy is great (validated with my thermaworks pen) and setting custom alarms is so super simple. I have some set for when it’s time to wrap my brisket, or pull steaks out of the oven when reverse searing, etc. Who needs 300 yards of range? I can leave the house, come back, and it automatically reconnects.
2:46 haha it literally shows right there on the screen
The NutriChef is now about $75. Not nearly as good a deal
I love Lisa! No nonsene lady!
One thing I like about about the app-enabled thermometers is that you can see a graph of temperature over time. This lets me monitor the temperature swings of my grill so I can adjust accordingly. What I don’t like is that the graph resets if you lose bluetooth connection. I have been looking for a wifi solution, but haven’t found a device that didn’t have it’s fair share of issues.
Awesome review! Yup, the Smoke by Thermoworks is top notch. It’s super accurate and dependable. My buddy and I switched over to the Smoke after having too much trouble with $35 Maverick remotes from Home Depot. If you smoke (BBQ) in your backyard, or bake large pieces of meat such as pork butts, brisket, whole turkey and prime rib, you can’t go wrong with the Smoke by Thermoworks. You have to buy them at the official Thermoworks website if you want a warranty.
What about the temperature resistance of the cables? I tried one of the cabled models on my charcoal grill, only to have it fail after a few minutes (shorted). Being an engineering sort, I pushed the braid aside to examine the cable. Yup, it was melted, and the reason was stamped on the cable itself. The insulation was rated at a mere 105C. (220 F)
While that won’t be a problem with the bit that is in the food, the 6 inches or so between food, and the edge of the grill will be sitting at at least double that temperature. (especially if you use lump charcoal) I checked several different brands, and they all seemed to use the same supplier for the probes, when marked, it was the same 105C. I replaced the wire with some that was UL 94V0 rated for 260C (500F) Its held up so far, but should it fail I will order some TGGT wire rated to 450C (840 F) (at $3/ft I don’t keep it around)
I’ve owned the ThermoWorks Smoke for a few years now and generally use the pager remote when I’m just working around the house during a long cook. Lisa’s right; pairing the Smoke Bridge was not a great experience and was not reliable after getting it paired. However, within the past year or so, ThermoWorks has updated their app and the firmware on the gateway making the whole system a lot friendlier and more reliable.
I so totally disagree with you! yes Thermoworks products are spot on(I own and have used the Smoke,thermopen)BUT those cables for OUTDOOR COOKING are a pain!The Meaters(BLOCK) is fantastic.Besides reading spot on internal temps(no difference then Thermoworks products)It also reads ambient temps of your Grill(oven).And the setting up of Wifi was easy,you just need to place the block(acts as a signal booster)at a midway point.So I’m disappointed with ATK’s review or are with going to have that OXO and Thermoworks conversation now
Of course you choose Thermoworks, but not necessarily because it’s the best. I’ve had my Maverick a couple of years now. It’s good to about 500 feet ( I’ll never be that far from my smokers but it’s nice knowing it will reach through a few walls) And you can use multiple units by simply pairing the units separately giving you ability to monitor multiple cookers and the meats in each of those cookers. I am considering getting one of the Thermoworks though because they can be hooked up to a small fan that connects to most smokers and thereby gives you the ability control the temperature in the cooker. That is something you folks should have mentioned. One thing to monitor temperature. Totally out of this world to monitor AND control cook chamber temperature. But I still love you guys. Here’s to BBQ love.🔥🔥🔥🌡
Thermoworks ‘smokes’ the competition!
The Test Kitchen continues to suggest to the home cook that hundreds and hundreds of dollars are advised for even the simplest cooking activities. You really shouldn’t imply that great cooking needs such expense, as good cooks follow good practices, not get wrapped up in overspending, especially for gadgets that will likely fall out of use.
If you’re candy-making or deep frying, why in the world would you want and/or need to be remote? You have to be right there!
The meater plus will do WiFi as well, I use it to check my smoker from the other end of the city!
Which was the one giving inaccurate readings?
Which was the one delayed by 25 seconds?
Which was the Bluetooth one that needed to be re-paired* completely whenever you went out of range?
It’s great that you did these tests but without naming those products how can people avoid them or make informed decisions?
You say 300ft (91m) in open air for the winner, but not what that distance is through wooden or concrete walls like you would have in normal household use moving room to room. You said you tested those things, but never used the results of such testing to any real end.
While the fact Bluetooth and WiFi are different things should be obvious to essentially everyone, you never actually expanded on that like you promised.
If you had it would have become clear that your comparison of WiFi to Bluetooth products based on distance from a cooking surface was unfair, and ultimately nonsensical.
A Bluetooth probe works via Bluetooth, which works line of sight between the source and the receiver. (Ad hoc)*
A wifi probe joins your WiFi network. Your proximity to the probe is irrelevant because the prove isn’t transmitting to the receiver. It’s transmitting to your wireless access point, which is then transmitting to your receiver.
That means your range for a WiFi probe is limited only* by the range of your own WiFi network, not the probe itself. Testing it’s range with a corporate network comprising many enterprise grade WAPs to extend the network over a huge area is not suitable for comparing to household use where most people will be using the dodgy WiFi connection the ISP provided gateway delivers.
It isn’t clear why you recommended the nurichef as your smartphone based alternative to the pager style one.
It was also hard to discern how much of your trouble with the smartphone based ones was genuine product flaws and how much of it was the clear technological illiteracy that exists in Americas Test Kitchen.
Overall this round-up seems unreliable and half baked, which is a shame because your round ups are usually the gold standard. As the kitchen increasingly joins the IoT, It might be time for Americas Test Kitchen to hire someone very technologically literate to help with round ups involving those kinds* of devices.
Edit: If you do, then the new thing to test on all IoT kitchenware is security. That’s a big factor in "smart" appliances because it ultimately doesn’t matter how well that WiFi thermometer or "smart" toaster performs if it represents an attack surface for a hacker to enter your network and cause havoc.
This review bashed the Meater+ more than it deserved. I have it and wouldn’t use anything else. I have checked the Turkey in the oven from miles away using an iPad as a bridge. I watched this review to see about accuracy which wasn’t specifically mentioned but will assume it was accurate. The Meater probe I know is accurate as I referenced with my MK4 but the ambient sensor I’m not sure about. Anyway if you aren’t a professional and looking for a convenient home solution, I would check out the Meater+. The app is pretty slick and no issues with range at home with just the block and my iPhone 11. Alerts are great and estimates how much cook time is left. I have been using it for about a year and take it everywhere I go for dinner. Even the battery issue you raised is not an issue since I clean my probe soon after use and store it back in the block that charges it automatically, it’s always been ready to go. Also the issue about setting a lower temperature than USDA is a non issue with Meater+, they actually typically recommend a lower temperature in the app with many meats and you can input whatever temperature you want. Only negative I have is the ambient sensor can’t go above 527F so I sear first then stick in the probe for the remainder of the cook.
Thermoworks>meater
I’ve had a Smoke since soon after it was released, and the Smoke Gateway since the week it was released. I’ve never had a single problem with it or the app, and it’s so nice to not be tied to the grill all through a low & slow cook.
I considered a Signals when it came out, but it has a sealed rechargeable battery rated for 16 hours of run time – *when new.* Rechargeable batteries lose capacity over time. Briskets can take every bit of 16 hours – so IMO that unit is under-designed.
The review really should have included Fireboard. But overall it’s a good review.
I trust no one but Lisa PERIOD
Pager’s gonna be making a comeback. Technology’s cyclical.
if i can’t monitor my roast and cheat on my wife with my neighbor, i don’t want it.
Nice review, but an update should discuss additional concerns. First, only the wireless thermometers will work on a rotisserie. Though not essential, a graphing function of the entire cook may be of interest to some users. Third, which models can control a temperature activated fan to maintain a constant temperature of a BBQ grill/smoker?
Has ATK ever done a review of microwaves? Not that I can find.
Where’s Dan?