Best meat thermometer 2020: smart meat thermometers for every budget - T3 (US)

fijars.blogspot.com

The best smart thermometers come into their own in summer. After all, slapping meat on the barbie while enjoying a tinny is a perennial summer rite. The best meat thermometer could save you from bad meals and might even save your life. And even if you're not a meat eater, the best cooking thermometer can still perform the first of those two functions.

Enter the smart thermometer: wired or Bluetooth-equipped temperature monitoring gadgets that you can pair with your smartphone or tablet and ensure that the grub you’re cooking up is grilled, roasted or baked to perfection.

Yes, smart thermometers aren’t just for barbies – you can use them when cooking in your kitchen, too. Heck, you can even use them when making cold foods, such as ice-cream. It's all in the temperature monitoring, you see.

How to buy the best meat thermometer for you

All smart thermometers use probes – long, needle-like devices that can be used to measure the temperature both inside and outside whatever it is that you’re cooking. Most smart thermometers come equipped with two probes, enabling you to either monitor two separate food items (handy if you’re grilling a steak for you and a mate), or to measure both the core temperature of the food, and the ambient temperature.

Each probe connects to the thermometer using a dedicated port, with the most expensive models coming with up to four or even six ports – although you’ll usually have to pay extra for the probes.

One of the best things about smart thermometers is that they take some of the guesswork out of cooking. Download the appropriate app for your smartphone or tablet and you’ll be able to choose from presets that include food type, temperature and cooking time – and whether you’d like your food rare, medium or well-done – with alarms alerting you when the food is up to temperature or the cooking time is up. Most apps also enable you to choose from these settings manually, too, and some even include recipes to inspire you.

Anything else? Many smart thermometers include grill or pan clips to ensure that the probes stay in the right position when you’re cooking, and some include magnets that enable you to securely attach it to the outside of your oven, cooker or barbecue.

Others also include separate displays – enabling you to keep tabs on your food without having to have your phone or tablet on you – handy if you’ve left it indoors, it’s wet out, or if your phone or tablet has simply run out of juice.

That cover’s it. Now lets take a look at your smart thermometer options…

Our pick of the best meat thermometers to buy today

1. Salter Cook Bluetooth Cooking Thermometer 593 WHCR

Stylish kitchen thermometer with two probes and Bluetooth connectivity

Specifications

No. of probes: 2

Power supply: 1x CR2032 battery

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0

Voltage: not stated

Dimensions: 16x16cm

Weight: not stated

Reasons to buy

+Stylish, compact design+Easy-to-use app with built-in recipes+Two stainless steel probes+Bluetooth connectivity

Reasons to avoid

-No built-in display-Limited number of probe ports

Salter is a well-known kitchenware brand with a long-established history of meeting cook’s needs. This Bluetooth thermometer is no exception. Its stylish and compact white ABS plastic body looks every inch the kitchen accessory, and includes two separate ports for connecting the stainless probes supplied – one for food temperature; and one for ambient oven temperature. Designed for temperatures ranging from -25 to 250-degrees C, it also includes a magnet on the back so you can easily attach it to your oven, cooker or barbecue.

Team the Salter Cook with your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth and you’ll soon see how well thought out this device is. The free Salter Cook app (for iOS and Android) is slick, easy to use and comes with a range of built-in recipes with easy-to-follow instructions and colourful pictures to inspire you. And you can easily add recipes from BBC Good Food, All Recipes and the Food Network, or manually enter your own.

Choose a recipe, and the app will automatically set the right temperature and cooking time for you, with LED lights by each port on the thermometer also lighting up when the food or your oven reaches the right level. The Salter Cook app also includes separate temperature and timer options. And if you team it with the Salter Cook scale (available separately) you’ll also be able to use it to weigh your ingredients.