YOU ARE HERE >> AmazingRibs » Ratings & Reviews » Ratings Reviews And Buying Guides » ThermoPro TempSpike Wireless Thermometer Review And Rating
By: Bill McGrath
The ThermoPro TempSpike is the company’s entry into the completely wireless cooking thermometer market. It consists of two parts: the probe and a signal booster/charger. The probe connects via Bluetooth to the booster, and the booster in turn connects with your Android or Apple smart device.
The probe is charged by placing it into the pocket of the booster. The booster’s battery recharges the probe for a claimed 48 hours of use. The booster is charged via a supplied USB cable that plugs into either a computer or a wall wart. The manufacturer claims that the booster will operate for three months on a single charge. There are LEDs in the booster that indicate charge status and connectivity status. The booster also has a button that is used to silence alarms and pair probes.
The probe is easy to use. It requires placement deep enough into the food so that the probe temp doesn’t rise above 212°F (100°C). The food temp is measured at the tip of the probe, and the other end measures the ambient temperature. I tested the accuracy of the two probes in heated water, using a Reference Thermapen to determine the water temp. Both the probe’s sensors accurately read out the hot water temp (the first number is the tip; the second is the ambient temp):
132°F: 132/132
179°F: 180/182
200°: 199/198
In order to measure the accuracy of the ambient sensor, which can go as high as 527°F (275°C), I soaked a heavy cotton sock with water and wrapped it around the probe tip, being careful to insert it far enough to reach the safety mark. I placed the sock “steak” into a Breville oven along side a temp probe of known accuracy. At 250°F, the ambient probe read 245°; at 350°F, the ambient probe read 350°, and at 425°F the ambient probe read 430°. These results pass our accuracy standards.
The app is straightforward. After pairing the booster with your phone, the app displays both the food and ambient temps. You can set doneness thresholds using USDA values or your own preferences. The app collects food temp data that can be viewed as a graph of temperature vs. time. The app gives an approximate time for completion of the cook. The ambient probe can be set with a lower and an upper bound that will trigger alarms if exceeded. There is no graph available for the ambient probe. There is also a 24-hour count down timer that can be labeled for memory aid. You can program alarms using sound and/or vibration for each probe independently. If you have multiple probes, they can each be paired in the app and used simultaneously.
ThermoPro advised placing the booster near the cooker, especially if the cooker closes. The booster amplifies the signal and relays the data to a smartphone. ThermoPro claims a range of 500′ (150m) between the booster and your phone. These sorts of claims assume ideal conditions. I had no problem communicating with the booster inside the house with an outdoor cooker, so the range was adequate for my purposes.
I have tested a number of these wireless probes, and the ThermoPro TempSpike is only the second product that produced accurate results. They advertise that the probe can be used as a sous vide tool as well since the probe is completely waterproof.
The booster/charger comes with a clear plastic cover that protects the probe while not in use. The app is straightforward and easy to use. I’d like to see an ambient temperature graph in future releases of the app. Otherwise, there isn’t much to complain about. The ThermoPro product is also attractively priced relative to its competitors.
As for its construction, the build quality is good. The instructions are also clearly written and easy to use. The product comes with a one-year limited warranty. Contact info for the company is provided in the documentation should you have questions or need technical support.
So, what’s the bottom line? Good performance, easy to use, clear instructions, attractive price. Yup on all counts. I’m giving the TempSpike a Gold Medal.
Manufacturer:
Published On: 9/15/2022 Last Modified: 12/5/2022
All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.
Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.
When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first then the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
From TBoneJack, the unofficial Poet Laureate of The Pitmaster Club:
AmazingRibs is where you go,
To get the best advice,
You’ll find out how, to smoke a cow,
And it will turn out nice.
Smokers, gadgets, recipes,
Charcoal, gas, or wood?
The how, the why, and what to try,
When things arn’t going good.
Selection, prep, and cook techniques,
Marinades and such,
Rubs and brines and temps and times,
And how to use the Crutch.
Brisket secrets are revealed,
For moist and tender meat,
The point, the flat, the rendered fat,
The proper mix of heat.
I found out how to smoke spare ribs,
Great bark and taste and worth,
I want some more, I’ll have them for,
My last meal on this Earth.
Memphis Dust did suit them well,
I served them without sauce,
Not 3-2-1, not overdone,
No precious flavor loss.
Jambo, Lang, or Meadow Creek,
It’s hard to make the call,
Almost a crime, so little time,
I’d like to try them all.
I’m not ashamed, I’m not alone,
‘Cause many have this lot,
But I’ll admit, here in the Pit,
My wife said Not! Not! Not!
Weber, Brinkman, PBC,
No need for budget breach,
They cook great food, just ask me dude,
‘Cause I have one of each.
Obsessed I am, I know it’s true,
They call it MCS,
I saw the doc, he was in shock,
He too is in this mess.
Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg,
Cool Smoke’s Tuffy Stone,
Harry Soo, Chris Lilly too,
And Moe who cooks alone.
They’re all good, I like them fine,
I’m sure they cook good Q,
They’ve earned the right, I see the light,
I’ll give them their fair due,
But I have learned, thru many cooks,
This web site is da bomb,
For what to do, browse over to,
AmazingRibs dot com.
Tired of seeing popup ads?
No need to throw a fit,
Don’t you know, just spend some dough,
And join us in the Pit.
And if you travel, don’t despair,
No further should you look,
The answer’s clear, put down your beer,
And order Meathead’s book.
High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!
Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.
Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.
Post comments and questions below
1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.
3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.
4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.
5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.
Moderators