Comprehensive Meat Thermometer Review: 6 Features to Look for When Buying One

Meat thermometers are becoming a popular gadget especially among those who love to barbecue or cook all types of meats using all kinds of techniques such as grilling, smoking, baking, kamado, and more.

Using a fully functional meat thermometer is a convenient way to bring your meat doneness to perfection without any hassle.

Having so many options of meat thermometers can be overwhelming and very confusing! But don’t worry, we’re here to help.  

This article will guide you about what to pay attention to when buying a meat thermometer. We selected top brands in the market and gathered all the information through their official websites.

We will take an in-depth look at The MeatStick, Meater, Fireboard, Maverick, Meat° it, ThermoPro, and Yummly by comparing based on high-temperature resistance, battery, connectivity, and range.

It is important to know that Fireboard, Maverick, and ThermoPro also have digital instant-read thermometers that are old-fashioned and not included in this article. We focus on the smarter versions of these brands to compare with The MeatStick, Meater, Meat° it, and Yummly that are relatively new-generation smart meat thermometers. Let's get started! 

Probe 

• The MeatStick wireless probes are dishwasher safe for when you're cleaning after using it. Moreover, you can also use The MeatStick probes for sous-vide cooking and even deep-frying. 
• Meater wireless probes are water-resistant. On their safety instructions page, they also state that users should not submerge in water for long periods of time. 
• Fireboard comes with wired probes, unlike The MeatStick and Meater. Fireboard does not recommend users to submerge probes for long periods of time. 
• Maverick has wired probes as well even though they name some of their products as 'wireless'. The truth is they are not completely cable-free.
• Meat° it also has wireless thermometer probes, their probes, however, are only water-resistant. 
• ThermoPro has a large selection of digital, instant, and wireless meat thermometers as they show on their official website. However, their wireless meat thermometers are actually not wireless. They are all wired. Furthermore, ThermoPro thermometers are also water-resistant.
• Yummly does not recommend submerging their thermometer in water; the probe is only water resistant, which means it can only resist splashes.

High-Temperature Resistance 

• The MeatStick can withstand up to 572°F/300°C.
• Meater can withstand up to 527°F/275°C. 
• Fireboard can withstand up to 752°F/400°C. 
• Maverick can withstand up to 572°F/300°C. 
• Meat° it can withstand up to 572°F/300°C. 
• ThermoPro can withstand up to 716°F/380°C, depending on the type of meat thermometer. 
• Yummly can withstand up to 572°F/300°C.

Battery 

• The MeatStick's battery can last over 24 hours, which is excellent for low & slow BBQ or other meat cooks. 
• Meater’s battery can also last just over 24 hours. 
• Fireboard’s battery can last up to 24 hours.
• Maverick did not provide information on the battery performance of its many thermometer versions. However, one of its WiFi supported meat thermometer named ET-736’s battery can last for 4 hours. 
• Meat° it also has a 24-hour battery life. 
• ThermoPro did not disclose its wireless thermometer versions’ battery performance on their official website. 
• Yummly can last up to 25 hours.

Connectivity 

• The MeatStick has both WiFi and Bluetooth connections. 
• Meater also supports both WiFi and Bluetooth connections. 
• Fireboard supports both WiFi and Bluetooth connections as well. 
• Maverick has both WiFi and Bluetooth connections, depending on the thermometer type. 
• Meat° it only has Bluetooth connection. 
• ThermoPro provides a pre-built transmitter and mobile receiver device rather than using WiFi or Bluetooth connections.
  
• Yummly uses Bluetooth connection only.

Range 

• The MeatStick has different range options such as the MeatStick Set which goes up to 33ft/10m in range or the MeatStick Xtender uses Bluetooth connection and its range reaches up to 300ft/90m in distance. The MeatStick MiniX and the MeatStick X sets come with a built-in Xtender charger that is range reaches up to 260ft/80m. The MeatStick WiFi Bridge Set uses WiFi, and provides an unlimited range via the cloud. 
• Meater also has different range options like MEATER, MEATER+, and MEATER BLOCK. MEATER’s range goes up to 33ft/10m, Bluetooth-connected MEATER+ is up to 165ft/50m, and WiFi-connected MEATER BLOCK also has an unlimited range.
• Fireboard’s Bluetooth-connected meat thermometers go up to 100ft/30m while its WiFi supported versions have an unlimited range.
• Maverick meat thermometers differ from 300ft/90m up to unlimited range options, depending on the connectivity type.
• Meat° it only supports Bluetooth connection and its range can go up to 65ft/20m. 
• ThermoPro wireless meat thermometer versions’ range also goes up to 300ft/90m. As we mentioned above, they have their own mobile receiver device which is totally different from the other competitors. The MeatStick, Meater, Fireboard, Meat° it sync with buyers’ mobile phone to show meat temps.  
  
• Yummly smart thermometer's range connects to devices up to 150ft away. 

Now that we've explained the key differences among six competitors, it's now up to your buyer preferences and expectations about which one to go for. Probes are the distinctive features compared to the other four comparisons which are related to connectivity, range, battery performance, and high-temperature resistance. 

* The competitors' info collected through their own official website.

Originally written by Sinan Agacik, Edited by Roxanne Chang