MEATER 2 Plus Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer
design
The name is a bit of a giveaway, but this isn’t the first smart meat thermometer Meater has released. The Meater 2 Plus is actually the third generation of the company’s smart kitchen companion and while on the surface this looks more of an evolution than a revolution, the changes that have been made are particularly impactful.
The Meater 2 Plus thermometer itself is a simple stainless steel spike, though the new black zirconia ceramic band and steel squared off end adds a sleek and classy point of difference. Looks are deceiving here though because despite now containing four additional internal temperature sensors compared to the Meater Plus, the 2 Plus is noticeably slimmer which makes a huge difference when it comes to versatility and working with smaller proteins. I’ve used a ‘dumb’ meat thermometer in the past and the Meater 2 Plus is actually thinner through the probe itself, it’s a really impressive change.
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The now recognisable Meater wooden charging block remains with the 2 Plus and like the thermometer itself it’s been slightly remodelled with a new mounting system. This combined storage and charging setup is a really neat solution overall. The compact box offers enough protection for the Meater 2 Plus probe without taking up too much space in a drawer and Meater is even kind enough to include a AAA battery which it says provides enough power for two years of use.
A pair of small magnets on the back of the block are a clever idea and allow the Meater 2 Plus block to be hang off nearby surfaces rather than taking up counter space. While they do work and the 2 Plus’ wooden block did latch on to the front of my oven, it was hardly a powerful connection and it didn’t take much to get it to move about. It never fell off in testing, but I’d have liked a little more strength in these magnets just to be sure.
performance
I cook a lot, I like to think I’m rather good at it, but for the most part I’m a pretty old school home cook. Beyond an airfryer there isn’t too much tech in my kitchen so the Meater 2 Plus was new territory for me. I’m sure my situation is a pretty common one too, I like a roast as much as the next person but a little educated guesswork and a standard meat thermometer have done me well enough so far. So I was a little sceptical ahead of my first experience with the Meater 2 Plus, not because I didn’t think it would do the job but because I wasn’t sure if it was really necessary.
It’s necessary. I’m a convert. The Meater 2 Plus is a gamechanger.
Initial setup was simple, with the app installed it was quick to identify and pair the Meater 2 Plus base and just a few minutes of charging is all you need for a standard cook. The Meater 2 Plus needs 15 minutes in the cradle to be ready for 12 hours of cooking and just five minutes for a two hour cook, that’s rapid. The connection remained rock solid too, no matter where I went in my house or even into the garden the app and thermometer remained in touch with each other.
The app is nicely laid out and does a good job of holding your hand through setting up a cook. I’ve tried four with the Meater 2 Plus so far; pork and lamb shoulder roasts in the oven, sausages in the airfryer and pork chop in a pan on the hob. Each time I needed just a couple of taps in the Meater app to set things up and while there isn’t a specific preset for sausages, there’s an ‘other’ option which did the job just fine. The temperature changes are quick to update in the app so you can watch things happen in near real time, for quicker cooks prone to drying out like my pork chop that’s super helpful and the result was by far the best I’ve cooked.
It’s roasts where the Meater 2 Plus really shows its value however and it’s these longer cooks I expect most people will be looking for help with. The Meater app offers a load of target temperature ranges including a USDA recommended temperature. It turns out me and the USDA do not agree at all on how meat should be cooked because in each example I checked they seemed to aim right for the top end of well done – no thanks. Thankfully you’ve got full control over your target temperate and can even adjust it on the fly during the cook.
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From start to finish everything just works and works in a wonderfully simple way. Throughout the cook I always felt informed but also comfortable that I didn’t have to worry about what was going on in the oven. The five sensors spaced out along the Meater 2 Plus are searching for the lowest temperature between them so even if you find a hidden fat pocket with the tip or get a little close to the bone – you’re not at risk of skewed data. The Meater app will give you an estimated total cook time once things are underway and while I generally found this pretty accurate without many changes during the cook, it did take longer to first pop up than I expected.
On my iPhone 15 Pro the Meater app’s live activity notification put temperature information permanently on my lock screen and the Dynamic Island so it was easy to keep track of how things were going. With five minutes to go you’ll get a heads up with another notification when the cook is finished that it’s time to take the protein out to rest.
Resting is so often overlooked by home cooks that it’s great Meater make a big deal about it, however my one complaint is this is the only stage in the process where you’re given no indication of time or how things are progressing. The app just remains in a state of ‘resting’ until eventually it’ll ping you to say it’s done. I’m sure there’s a reason Meater isn’t prepared to estimate this, but I did feel somewhat in the dark about how long it would actually be until I should call people to the table.
Across all four of my tests, the results simply spoke for themselves as the Meater 2 Plus delivered perfectly cooked food with confidence. For me, this is an example of the perfect smart device; this isn’t flamboyance or tech for the sake of tech, the Meater 2 Plus takes a simple concept and delivers a version that is better in every way. It gave me a better end result with me having to do less, and that’s what smart tech is supposed to do.
summed up
They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating and that’s true of the Meater 2 Plus as well. Yes, the Meater 2 Plus is a luxury and there’s no getting past the fact that you’re paying 10x the price of a traditional meat thermometer; but I don’t care. The simple truth is that for home cooks the Meater 2 Plus is phenomenal in nearly every way.
The level of precision on offer from the five internal sensors coupled with the new slimmer form factor and easy to use app make the Meater 2 Plus the best thing in my kitchen right now. If you’re in charge of the Sunday roasts and looking to impress, this is your secret weapon.
