ThermoPro TP09 Wireless Digital Meat Thermometer Review

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This is a nice little device. I also own the ThermoPro TP04 which is very similar, but lacks the wireless functionality.

I do like the overall design of this product. It's clever to create a wireless unit that has a belt clip - even though the clip is fairly small and might not hold on the best, the remote is small enough to fit in my pocket and I had no issues hearing the product alarm when it was in my pocket.

The settings themselves are pretty easy to figure out, but thankfully ThermoPro includes an extensive instruction manual as well, in case it's not intuitive to you. Hitting the MODE button switches between Timer and Meat mode. In Timer mode, the Start/Stop button stars and stops the time. You can also count down from a set time by using the HR and MIN buttons to set your desired time. To reset the time, hold the HR and MIN buttons at the same time. You can use the Timer mode at the same time as Meat mode, which is a great feature. In Meat mode, you select your type of meet, then your taste (rare, medium, well-done, etc). The target temperature ("Temp Set") adjusts based on the pre-set meat settings. You can also set your own desired internal temperature manually using the HR/MIN buttons. The remote unit also has a light on the top, so you can use it as a flashlight if you decide to grill in the dark? I can't really think of an obvious practical purpose for there being a light on top of the remote, but I won't complain about an additional feature.

The probe seems to work well and report temperature accurately, as long as you place it in the middle of the meat you're cooking. In my testing, the remote never lost signal with the base unit. I wasn't more than 30 feet away ever, but I'm glad the connection is pretty sound.

While this works great on the grill, I'd be hesitant to use it in the oven. The cable from the base unit to the probe doesn't seem long enough, and the base unit is plastic and probably would not do so well in the oven. I like the ability to check the temperature of what I'm grilling remotely, but I feel this device also encourages leaving the grill while it's on, which I personally am not comfortable with. The TP04 is nice in this regard because you still have to have eyes on the grill to see the temperature. The numbers on both the TP09 and TP04 are large enough to be read from across the room, or from inside looking at the grill outside. All that said, it was nice to leave the grill for a bit, walk inside to grab something, and be able to see where the meat was at. I was still mostly sitting right in front of the grill the entire time though.

The NOT SO GREAT:
I feel like I'm nitpicking a good product, but there are aspects of the design that I feel were not thought out as completely as they should have been. The temperature probe connects to the base unit, so the nice 'cradle' that you have is really never in operation unless you sit the remote on the base. That's okay until you realize that both the base unit and the remote require their own set of batteries so if you're going to use the nice cradle of the base unit while the thermometer is in use, you're better off having the TP04, which takes one set of batteries and doesn't move. This unit would be most successful if the probe antenna were more minimalist, the base unit could EITHER take batteries OR plug in to a wall adapter and CHARGE the remote unit. That way, you could sit the base/remote inside to keep an eye on the temperature while you're grilling outside, then pick up the remote if you need to move. This one design element keeps my preferred ThermoPro thermometer the simpler TP04 unit.

I also find the power button on the base unit frustrating to use. You hit the button and there is no feedback except for a little light blink. After I am done using the thermometer, I turn off the remote and it's obvious when that is off. The base unit continued to blink at me. I held in the power button then waited.... okay, no flashing. I hope it's off now. I just pull the batteries so I know it's off for certain.

If you really REALLY like the wireless feature (and don't get me wrong - it's really nice to have), then this is an excellent purchase. If the wireless feature is nice but not necessary to you or you won't be leaving your grill for long, go with the TP04. There are "wireless" and "smart" thermometers out there that report to an app on your phone, which I think is awesome, but they are going to be much more expensive that this ThermoPro unit.

It has it's design flaws, but the actual thermometer works great, and the controls are intuitive.

I received this product in exchange for my fair and honest review, which I have provided.