If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Whether you’re an aspiring grillmaster or just a casual home chef, it’s time to dial in your barbecue gear. Companies are now making smart products that make grilling, smoking and even baking much easier. One such product is a wireless meat thermometer.
The best wireless meat thermometers eliminate any running back and forth from the kitchen to the grill, and no need for grilling with a flashlight. These wireless thermometers let you walk around freely, work on other dishes in the kitchen, watch TV and hang out with friends or family – all while your meat is being cooked to the perfect temperature. Plus, most of these thermometers come programmed with temperatures for various foods, so you don’t have to Google the correct temperature for every new cut of meat.
What Are the Best Wireless Meat Thermometers?
Wireless meat thermometers are fairly straightforward, but there are still a few key factors to consider when buying one.
How do they work? Here’s how wireless meat thermometers work: you put a probe in your meat and connect the probes to a transmitter. The transmitter sends the meat’s temperature to a receiver, which is usually an app on your smartphone or a remote). This allows you to monitor the temperature of the meat from anywhere and even set alarms that go off when your food reaches the perfect temperature.
Receiver: The receiver for wireless thermometers is either a dedicated remote or an app on your smart device. Although app functionality is easier and more convenient (no extra gear), dedicated remotes typically have longer ranges and a more reliable connection. Regardless of which option you go with, you’ll want to read and find out how easy the interface is and what kind of features are offered (i.e. timers, alarms, etc).
Probes: When it comes to checking out to the probes of a wireless meat thermometer, the first task is easy: count them. With multiple probes you can cook various cuts or multiple kinds of meat at once, which comes in handy for large jobs during parties or big family meals. You can also use the probes to monitor different parts of a big piece of meat, such as a whole turkey.
Some probes are also color coordinated, which is convenient for keeping track of each one. Lastly, you’ll also want to check how durable the probe cords are, as they’ll be subjected to high heat.
Range: Range is a very important feature to look at, especially if you have a large house or yard. Most app-controlled thermometers have a range around 100 to 200 feet while remote-controlled options can go all the way up to 500 feet.