MEATER Plus - Smart Meat Thermometer with Bluetooth

My husband bought me the original Meater for Christmas a few years ago, and I returned it since the range was poor and it didn't work inside most of my appliance. I have since bought the Meater Plus and I love it. Although some of my appliance have built in probes, some of them don't. Although I do have an Instant Read probe that I still use to verify doneness of proteins, the Meater Plus is so much easier to use and you don't have to constantly check the food so it doesn't get over or undercooked. I am an experienced cook, but as you know foods can look done on the outside, but you can't see how well done they are on the inside. This Meater Plus is the perfect solution for perfectly cooked proteins and other foods. So what do I love about the Meater Plus? 1 - It works using an app that can be downloaded for either phones or tablets using Android or IOS operating systems. 2 - It easily connects using Bluetooth and the Meater cloud through your router. 3 - In the app settings, you can set your preferences for the various alarms. 4 - When a done temperature preference is set in the app for a cook, the app will let you know when the food is done, and allow for a resting period when the temperature will increase. So, for example, if you want a medium rare steak and set the temperature for 130 degrees, the app will tell you the steak is done at 125 degrees and allow for a 5 minute resting period that the temperature will increase to 130 degrees. This means perfectly done proteins every time. 5 - You can choose a preset in the app, and then modify it to your preference. 6 - This probe works well to monitor food inside any oven and even in cookers like the Ninja Speedi, Ninja grills, and pressure cookers. 7 - Cooking progress can be monitored wherever you can take your phone or tablet in the house. You don't have to stay in the kitchen. 8- Works with rotisseries where wired probes aren't practical. 9 - Can be connected to Alexa for notifications. 10 - The base unit is powered by an "A" battery, and pressing a button lets you know if the battery is still good. The probe is charged in the base unit. 11 - The base unit is magnetized so it can be stored on the side of any metal appliance. This means not having to find it in a cabinet or drawer. I have two of these, and keep them on the side of my Anova oven so they are always handy. I have used this Meater Plus in my ovens, the Ninja Speedi, and in my pressure cookers with great results. I have the app on my phone, and can take my phone in the family room while I watch TV and still monitor the progress of my food cooking. I also like the display of the ambient temperature. This tells you whether your oven is actually getting to the temperature you set it to. In my experience, many ovens never reach the temperature you set, so trying to estimate when your food will be cooked is all guesswork. The Meater Plus takes the guesswork out of cooking. Once you set a done temperature, the app estimates when your food will be fully cooked. This make is so much easier to make sure all of the other components of your meal will be done and hot at the same time. No matter how experienced you are in cooking, there is always a certain amount of guesswork in knowing when foods are cooked to the preferred doneness. The Meater Plus eliminates some of the guesswork. I should also mention that the range of the Meater Plus is greater if you remove the probe from the holder before opening the app. This was mentioned by one other reviewer. UPDATE 11/14/24: I purchased 2 of these Meaters 2 years ago and I still love them. As mentioned previously, the probe should be removed from the charger before opening the app to increase the range of the probes. In the last 2 years, I have used these probes in a few ovens and pressure cookers as well as outdoor ovens and smokers. I have never been disappointed with the performance of these probes. What I love about the Meater is:: 1) The charging units for the probes are magnetic. So, I can store them on the side of an oven where they are kept handy. 2) The app is so easy to use. Choose a meat you want to cook to get suggested internal temperatures for your choice, and still have the ability to modify the done temperature. You can also add and save your preferred temperatures for the meats you are cooking. 3) The app allows for carryover temperatures, so the app will say the food is done when it is 5 degrees less than the chosen temperature. 4) Whether cooking indoors or outdoors, I can monitor the progress of my cook inside and on the phone app. 5) The app tells you the ambient temperature of the oven or grill you are using. So, you know if the temperature is actually the temperature you set. 6) My favorite is that the app calculates the time it will take to finish cooking, and this estimate has been spot on. For me, this is important since I try to get sides for the meal done at the same time so everything is hot for serving. I should mention that I also have a couple sets of "wireless" meat thermometers that the probes are attached to wires that must be connected to the base unit. The base unit connects to an app on my phone. Although these meat thermometers work fine and are color coded so you know where each probe is monitoring, the wires get tangled when using 2-4 of them. These meat thermometers are much easier since they are truly wireless. I tries another set of wireless meat thermometers and sent them back because they kept losing the connection. By the time I was able to reconnect them, the meat was over done. The Meater Plus is the way to go. Unfortunately, the Meater block is not the plus version, nor is the block magnetic to stick on the side of an appliance. This Meater Plus works great and I plan to stay with it until they develop a set that works as well. Incidentally, I am back to buy another one. I hope this review was helpful for you. I will update this review if my opinion changes or I find more ways to use it.