Overview
The ChefsTemp Protemp 2 Plus is a set consisting of a charging/relay stand and one thermometer probe or up to three thermometer probes. A companion Apple or Android app serves to configure and monitor the stand/probe combination. Communication occurs via both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Startup
Each temperature probe has six sensors: five in the shaft for the internal food temperature and one in the handle for the ambient temp. The former takes some of the guesswork out of probe placement. With multiple sensors in the food, the lowest value can be automatically selected, making probe positioning in the food less critical. The probe must be inserted to the minimum insertion point – 2.92 inches (75 millimeters) – indicated by an etched band in the probe’s shaft, to protect the sensitive internal electronics. The ambient sensor in the handle measures the air temperature immediately surrounding the food. Because the food is cooler than the cooker’s temperature and evaporative losses from the food surface cool the surrounding area, the measured ambient temperature won’t reflect the cooker temp with any degree of reliability. I tested the accuracy of the probe at three commonly used food doneness temperatures, and the results were within a degree of the testing temperature, an excellent result. The probes are rated to run for 30 hours on a full charge, more than enough for most cooking scenarios.
The stand and app
The stand serves several purposes: it charges the probes, up to three at a time; it receives the weak Bluetooth signal from the probe and amplifies it to increase the range; and it connects via Wi-Fi to allow remote monitoring of the cooking progress. The stand also displays the current food, ambient, and target temperatures of each probe, one at a time.
The companion app serves to pair the probes with the stand, set up the Wi-Fi connection, and set the target cooking temp. The user manual explains the pairing process. I struggled a bit with pairing, but after a few tries everything connected as it should. Through the app, you can configure how cooking status notifications and alerts are delivered. You can set upper and lower limits for ambient temperature and food temperature, as well as the elapsed time and time-to-completion of the cook. Navigating the app is pretty straightforward and shouldn’t pose any real problems.
Smart wireless thermometers like the ChefsTemp Protemp 2 Plus attempt to provide a prediction of how long the cook will take. A mathematical algorithm uses the set target temperature, the ambient temperature, and the rate of change of the food temperature to estimate a done time. Some algorithms tell you the estimated time to reach a given doneness temperature, letting you decide whether to pull the food to accommodate carryover cooking. Others attempt to build meat resting time and carryover cooking time into the overall prediction. Unfortunately, most manufacturers don’t tell you which approach they are using. That is the case here. To nail the perfect food doneness, the advice remains as always: practice, practice, practice…
Limitations
The ChefsTemp Protemp 2 Plus probe has internal electronics and a battery that can be destroyed by overheating. Most probes will withstand up to 212°F/100°C. Since we rarely, if ever, cook something to a higher internal temperature than that, the food acts as a heat sink as long as the probe is inserted to at least the minimum insertion point mentioned above. Don’t try to use a wireless thermometer while making candy, where sugar temperatures reach upwards of 350°F. The ChefsTemp Protemp 2 Plus handle is rated to withstand up to 1000°F/538°C, so watch out for big flare-ups on the grill.
Miscellany
ChefsTemp offers a fan to control smoker temperatures as an option, powered by the stand’s internal battery. I did not test this accessory. The stand has a door on the back to charge and house two additional probes. You can monitor three probes by cycling through the stand’s display or by monitoring them in the app. I could not find any indication of the state of charge of the probe, so plan to start with a fully-charged unit.
Conclusion
The ChefsTemp Protemp 2 Plus is priced aggressively at $149.99 for the stand and one probe. One or two additional probes are optional. It comes with a USB cable but no wall wart. The app is friendly enough. Overall, I would recommend this product for its apparent quality, ease of use, and packaging.
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