Meater plus
Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
If you’ve got cash to spare when shopping for a meat thermometer, this is where we suggest you spend it. The Meater plus is nothing short of a masterstroke for achieving perfect – and we mean perfect – meat and fish dishes. It seems techy because you’ll need a wifi connection to set up the app, but we promise it is easy to use.
The small, slim probe is double-ended to gauge the internal temperature of your protein and the ambient temperature of the cooking environment to estimate the overall cook time; this is extremely helpful for roasts, dinner parties and even barbecues so you can plan towards a serving time. We like that there are so many options to choose from when telling your Meater what you’re cooking. Within each meat setting, for example, there are options for different cuts so you can consistently produce amazing food, plus it tells you how long to rest the meat for afterwards.
With no wire or monitor to check, the Meater is super convenient – just listen out for your smartphone alerts or check in with the app to see how your cook is doing without having to interrupt your dish’s cooking time. We used the Meater with everything from poaching chicken to barbecuing a leg of lamb, slow cooking brisket and pan-frying salmon; it is extremely versatile. While it is suitable for barbecue use, do take care that your grill doesn’t surpass the Meater’s top temperature of 275C – ours did.
Once you’re finished with the device, just wash it up and store it in its bamboo charging box, which is ideal when stuck on the fridge. Our only negative: connection can be lost if your dish is wrapped in foil or cooked in a lidded metal dish.