I’m sold on wireless meat thermometers. They work great and are easier to use than traditional “wired” probes. The two I have used allow excellent cooking control via a phone app.
I’ve used a Meater probe for several years now and was anxious to compare it to the MeatStick probe. The set I got was the BBQ and Kitchen set. If I had my choice, I think I’d get the one that includes the WiFi Bridge. I suspect I’ll be ordering one of those from MeatStick soon. The kit also comes with a nice carrying case that houses all the necessary parts, and has space for the WiFi Bridge if you get that as well.
The kit included two probes, one regular MeatStick and a MeatStick Mini X. The X signifies a wireless repeater that rebroadcasts the signal for greater distances (they claim up to 260 feet). The regular stick has sensors to read both the internal meat temperature as well as the ambient temperature (the air surrounding the meat). The Mini only checks the internal temperature.
One huge plus is the ability to operate 8 individual probes at the same time. (The Meater can run up to 4).
They claim that the probes are dishwasher safe – I’m not sure how to keep them safely in the dishwasher without getting thrown about by the water, but it speaks to how durable they are.
They also claim that these probes will operate safely in either a deep fryer or air fryer. We did use it in an air fryer with great results (see below).
The setup was somewhat confusing, particularly since I tried to connect two probes at once and the identifier for each probe was difficult to figure out. I strongly recommend that you watch tutorial videos on their web site.
Operating it is pretty straightforward. One difference is that you have to push the button on the receiver to operate it, or even just to charge it. They do warn you not to allow cooking flare-ups to damage the probes. They are protected up to 572 degrees, but a flare-up could go much hotter.
The phone app seems more complex than Meater’s with more meat types and options, and it also included a Quick Start mode which simplifies the cook. Meater’s app is easy to use and better informs on status of cook at each moment (shows target, internal and ambient temp – MeatStick does not include target). Both are more than just OK for controlling a cook.
I’m quite pleased with the results of my first test cook. In this case, we decided to cook a 3 pound spoon roast in our Air Fryer. In this case, we tested the MeatStick side-by-side with a Meater probe (the regular one, not the “plus”).
Cooking a spoon roast would traditionally take 2-3 hours and 325 degrees in a conventional oven. In this case it took just over an hour to get an almost-perfect medium-rare result.
This is where we got very different results on our two probes. The probes got very different temperature readings. The Air Fryer was set for 325 degrees. The MeatStick showed the ambient temperature as 361 degrees. The Meater probe showed an ambient temperature of 304 degree. Judging as to how well done the exterior of the roast looked I’m assuming the temperature was closer to 361.
When done, the MeatStick read an internal temperature of 135 (Target temperature) while the Meater read 111 degrees. If we’d used the Meater to judge our cook, we’d have ruined the roast. I’m wondering if the use of the Air Fryer threw the Meater off – frankly we have had good results in all the time we’ve used it in a conventional oven. That being said, in this case, the MeatStick was far more accurate.
Knowing now that the MeatStick probe was more accurate than the Air Fryers temperature control, I would readjust the temperature controls of the Fryer to compensate for the difference in the future.
I’ve included pictures represent both probes in mid-cook and at the end. Notice the difference in temperatures. Given that the meat was close to medium rare, I’d trust the MeatStick probe more. If we’d reduced the ambient temperature when we first saw the discrepancy, I think we’d have had even better results.
One of the hardest things in cooking with a wireless thermometer is to learn to trust the probe – they work!