Whether you are a skilled grill master or dabble with a disposable BBQ at the first sign of the British summertime, the pressure is on when hosting duties begin.
Al fresco cooking brings with it an extra element of stress. When the sun is shining, the playlist is blasting, and your friends and family are feeling good, there’s no bigger dampener than dry chicken or overcooked steak. It’s the one sure way to ruin the seasonal jovial spirit.
This is where MEATER comes in. The brand is known for its smart meat thermometer, a probe which you place inside the grilling meat and, via the accompanying phone app, reveals all you need to know about how ready your carnivorous feast is. It doesn’t require a fancy barbecue, nor a Cordon Bleu diploma, to treat your guests to some serious tender food. Genius.
I’ve been a fan of the brand since I first stumbled upon it for a round-up I was writing on the best meat thermometers back in 2021. But in that time, MEATER has not been resting on its laurels. It has been innovating, and the latest launch from the brand is the MEATER Pro Duo. And it’s the unsung hero in any self-respecting griller’s arsenal.
What sets it apart from its predecessor is the two probes that allow you to monitor double the dishes simultaneously. I put it to the test. Find out what I thought below.
Specs
Set-up
The way of all smart tech, the set-up process for the MEATER Pro Duo begins by downloading the accompanying app. Dismissing my phone’s cry for limited storage space, I proceeded to log in as I already had an account from the previous model. First-time users will need to sign up. After filling in the basic information, you then select the model - in this case, the two probes. There are single and four-probe sets also available. The thermometers are made from quality stainless steel and are waterproof, so you can get creative with sous vide, deep frying, and, of course, asado-style open flames.
Functionality
The end pointy part of the probe is the temperature sensor. It is to be placed in the thickest part of the meat and has a max reach of 105°C. The other, thicker end is the ambient temperature sensor, which can reach up to 550°C, which should be fine as long as you are not placing it inside an extremely hot pizza oven. Both are stored and charged inside the sleek wooden case that is just too sophisticated to keep in a drawer.
To juice up the probes, you use the accompanying USB-C charging cable provided, which has a USB-A on the other end for ease. The two lights illuminate to show whether they are fully charged. The probes, annoyingly, do not come fully charged and ready to use. But it is a fast charger, so you should be able to get two hours of cooking after just five minutes plugged in.
The app walks you through every stage. You begin by selecting the meat in question. Notifications reveal when it is ready to flip or remove from the heat, with alerts throughout the cooking process to make it foolproof even for the most amateur of chefs, like myself. There is even a timer for resting and instructions regarding reverse searing to maximise the flavour of every bite.
I started small and easy; chicken to be paired with salad for a simple mid-week dinner. I am quite the hypochondriac when it comes to cooking chicken to avoid the dreaded pink undercooking, and as such, I find I often leave it too long in the oven, and it’s dry and chewy. The MEATER Pro Duo sorts this. Inserting the probe into the thickest part of the breast (you place it in as if you were butterflying the meat) and determining how well-cooked I wanted it on the app, I was then notified when it was ready to be removed from the heat, all while I caught up with the previous night’s Love Island. The brand has extended the range of the thermometers for full home coverage - something that will come very welcome when the mercurial British summer turns into a rainshower.
But that is just the start of the possibilities. With two probes on hand, you can whip up a surf and turf, simplify the step-heavy Christmas meal with the second thermometer monitoring the gravy or ace the dreaded tomahawk steak. It’s just all so simple for tender, moist, perfectly cooked, consistent and most importantly of all, safe to eat dishes. Next on my list to try? A beef wellington.
Verdict
MEATER Pro Duo
Al fresco cooking brings with it an extra element of stress. When the sun is shining, the playlist is blasting, and your friends and family are feeling good, there’s no bigger dampener than dry chicken or overcooked steak. It’s the one sure way to ruin the seasonal jovial spirit.
This is where MEATER comes in. The brand is known for its smart meat thermometer, a probe which you place inside the grilling meat and, via the accompanying phone app, reveals all you need to know about how ready your carnivorous feast is. It doesn’t require a fancy barbecue, nor a Cordon Bleu diploma, to treat your guests to some serious tender food. Genius.
The end pointy part of the probe is the temperature sensor. It is to be placed in the thickest part of the meat and has a max reach of 105°C. The other, thicker end is the ambient temperature sensor, which can reach up to 550°C, which should be fine as long as you are not placing it inside an extremely hot pizza oven. Both are stored and charged inside the sleek wooden case that is just too sophisticated to keep in a drawer.
To juice up the probes, you use the accompanying USB-C charging cable provided, which has a USB-A on the other end for ease. The two lights illuminate to show whether they are fully charged. The probes, annoyingly, do not come fully charged and ready to use. But it is a fast charger, so you should be able to get two hours of cooking after just five minutes plugged in.
The app walks you through every stage. You begin by selecting the meat in question. Notifications reveal when it is ready to flip or remove from the heat, with alerts throughout the cooking process to make it foolproof even for the most amateur of chefs, like myself. There is even a timer for resting and instructions regarding reverse searing to maximise the flavour of every bite.
I started small and easy; chicken to be paired with salad for a simple mid-week dinner. I am quite the hypochondriac when it comes to cooking chicken to avoid the dreaded pink undercooking, and as such, I find I often leave it too long in the oven, and it’s dry and chewy. The MEATER Pro Duo sorts this. Inserting the probe into the thickest part of the breast (you place it in as if you were butterflying the meat) and determining how well-cooked I wanted it on the app, I was then notified when it was ready to be removed from the heat, all while I caught up with the previous night’s Love Island. The brand has extended the range of the thermometers for full home coverage - something that will come very welcome when the mercurial British summer turns into a rainshower.
But that is just the start of the possibilities. With two probes on hand, you can whip up a surf and turf, simplify the step-heavy Christmas meal with the second thermometer monitoring the gravy or ace the dreaded tomahawk steak. It’s just all so simple for tender, moist, perfectly cooked, consistent and most importantly of all, safe to eat dishes. Next on my list to try? A beef wellington.
Buy now £189.00, Amazon
