The heat (and the meat) is on!
Meater Smart Thermometer From €109 , meater.com ★★★★☆
IT looks like a lot of entertaining will be done at home this summer, and that’s likely to mean the barbecue will be front and centre of our home and social life. Cooking on the barbecue at the right temperature though is crucial, and that doesn’t have to be guesswork thanks to this Bluetooth-enabled thermometer.
When you unbox the Meater thermometer it looks like a straightforward meat skewer. Measuring just over 5in, it’s made from stainless steel and at the blunt end is a ceramic handle. As well as a sensor in the probe, the ceramic tip also contains a sensor that records ambient temperature.
I first downloaded the accompanying Meater app which is available on Android and iOS. The probe needs to be charged, done by placing it in the wooden base station. That’s powered, by a single AAA battery which will charge the probe 100 times.
The base also acts as a Bluetooth repeater. This means that the probe can transmit to your smartphone up to 50m away. So you can be prepping in the kitchen, while knowing exactly how the food is doing.
Using the Meater probe is a snip. First, you push it well in to the food and get it on the grill. Then select the type of meat being cooked using the Meater app. The app will display the target temperature as well as what the current temperature is. The app then cleverly estimates how much cooking time is left.
This means you can plan your time if you’re preparing more food, or just sit down with your guests. The Meater app will send you notifications as cooking progresses, ensuring that nothing gets over cooked.
While this isn’t a cheap cooking accessory it is far more useful than I thought it would be. It can handle cooking meat to order and the app includes video recipes and lets you save and favourite previous meals.
It’s also Alexa compatible which is a fun but handy feature, and whilst barbecues seem like the Meater’s natural home, it is just as useful for Sunday roasts as for cook-outs.