3 months ago
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The summer barbeque season isn’t quite over yet. Compared to other expensive thermometers, Meater’s latest set of meat probes seems built for the ultimate grillmaster eyeing a late summer blowout. The new Meater Pro XL won’t just help you know your chicken’s cooking temp within Bluetooth range; it will let you know if your meat is safe to eat over your WiFi or through the cloud.
The Meater Pro XL comes with four 5mm metal probes that can sense meat or poultry temps up to 221 degrees Fahrenheit or 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit of ambient heat. Besides the expanded wood case with more probe slots, the WiFi connectivity is a big upgrade. On older models, users needed to keep tabs on their temps with a phone or tablet over Bluetooth.
The $240 Meater Block already includes four different probes, though that product only monitors ambient temperatures up to 527 degrees Fahrenheit. It can connect over Bluetooth, though it might be a slightly more economical option for home chefs.
However, WiFi connectivity could be a boon for longer cooks, whether that’s smoking or braising. It’s also a promising proposition if you or your family have multiple meals at different times and temperatures all across the home at once. So yes, it seems excessive for most home cooks, but it’s an enticing proposition for the consummate home cooks who enjoy a nice slow-cooked meal.
The $350 device comes with a charging station that connects to power via USB-C. If you want to get outside your WiFi range, Meater says you can also use the app to connect to the company’s cloud network and monitor your temperatures from anywhere you still have cell service. The Meater app is supposed to alert users once their meat goes below or past the set temperature in case to make adjustments. The company claims its probes have a margin of error of only .5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kitchens are a sacred place, so much so that I get peevish if somebody dares break into the confines of my temple when I’m cooking. Part of that is down to how often I’m multitasking a more complicated meal. Ignoring the everywhere connectivity, the more enticing aspect of the Pro XL is having more than one thermometer at once. I’ve done the routine of being the lone chef for a Thanksgiving meal, so I know how hectic it can get when you have multiple times and temps going at the same time.
My editor—a self-described burgeoning grill dad—swears by the Meater Plus Smart Meat Thermometer. It’s why we crowned it one of the best gadget gifts of 2023. With its four probes, the Pro XL is a far more costly option at $350 compared to the original $100 Meater Plus and $140 Meater 2 Plus. It’s up for preorder now and should start shipping in mid-September.
