Maverick ET-7 Remote-Check Wireless Thermometer With 2 Probes
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Maverick ET-7 Remote-Check Wireless Thermometer With 2 Probes
Customer Review: Temperature Readings Not Accurate - Worthless Device
Summary: 1 Stars
To preface this, I've had two Taylor non-wireless probe thermometers that work great. I picked this one up because I thought the wireless feature would be nice when doing outdoor grilling. This product is a piece of junk though - the temperature readings provided tend to be 10-50 degrees higher than reality.
For example, I put this into a piece of steak that's been cooking for only a couple minutes and I know is still raw inside (only 90-100 degrees) this this thing will tell me it's already 125 degrees. What's worse, if you close your grill or use this thing in a closed oven, it will be thrown off by the ambient temperature instead of just taking the temperature from the tip of the probe. Useless.
I've actually gone through two of these as I assumed the first one I was sent was defective. Both fail to work in the exact same way - it's defective by design. The only thing I can think of is that it's calibrated based on the fantasy-land temperatures it includes as presets for different meats (for example, if you set it for "rare" Beef it brings up 145 - which is actually medium well, and it thinks Chicken should be cooked to 185 degrees to be done). If you want a thermometer that gives actual temperatures, pass this one up.
Also, the 100 feet distance is a joke. It's more like 20-30 feet tops, and even less if you have a wall in between the monitor and the device.
Customer Review: Definitely serves a purpose
Summary: 3 Stars
I've used this product several times now and have mixed feelings. I like the convenience of knowing the temperature of the meat and my big green egg by looking out the window (when the transmitter isn't working - which is usually). The transmitter doesn't work well at all. The first time I used the product, I was unable to use the transmitter in my breakfast area less than 10 feet from the smoker. I changed the batteries this past weekend and the transmitter would update immediately if the receiver and transmitter were together or every 10-15 minutes inside approximately 12-15 feet away. This works fine for low and slow smoking, but wouldn't work for other cooking styles.
The temperature has generally been accurate. This weekend, it registered the internal temperature of my turkey breast to be 167. I checked it with another thermometer and it registered at 150. After re-inserting the probe, it registered more accurately. That was frustrating, but it was quickly resolved.
All-in-all, I would not buy this product for the transmitter - it is not reliable. But it is definitely worth the money for smoking meat. Even without the transmitter, this product is cheaper than most single probe thermometers.
I would give it a 4 star if the temperature was more accurate or the transmitter worked better - a 5 star if both worked.
Customer Review: Terrible! DO NOT BUY!
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't expect much from a thermometer but my hopes were high when I bought this one. Two probes and a remote temperature setup sounded wonderful. The first time we used the remote (which wasn't particularly easy) we found that when we went upstairs to the 2nd floor to get something it lost signal. Of course we set it up again and found it couldn't handle walking to the garage, the front door or the driveway. So, the remote part doesn't work unless you stand right next to the grill. Useless.
So at this point I thought maybe I could use the thermometer in the kitchen for regular cooking use. Unfortunately one of the two temperature probes kept giving me strange readings that just didn't make sense (water temp at the faucet all of a sudden 230 degrees.....but not boiling?). So that probe is unreliable. Now, today, after using this machine about 10 - 15 times TOTAL, the other probe started doing the same thing. It is strange to think that the chicken on my George Foreman grill was going from 170 degrees raw to 110 degrees after 15 minutes then 120 after 20 minutes. Makes no sense and certainly does not inspire confidence in it's accuracy.
And unfortunately for me I purchased this as a gift for my husband a few months ago so it's now past it's return time. Basically I'm just stuck with this inoperable thermometer. Don't buy this or you will be stuck too!
Customer Review: Working well for me so far
Summary: 4 Stars
I was hesitant to buy given some of the reviews, but it seems to work well. Temps from the two probes are within 1-2 degrees of each other, and the signal gets through to the receiver which is about 40 feet away inside the kitchen. I thought at first it wasn't working, but it seems as if the unit only transmits when the temperature changes. So if you are testing it and it's just sitting outside and the temperature is stable, it looks like it's not working. It does occasionally miss a transmission, so the receiver might be a few degrees off from the transmitter, but then it seems to catch up on the next transmission ten or twenty seconds later. This is not the best way to design this, but it seems to work well enough. The controls are a little clunky, hence the 4 stars, but it does seem to work for me. Also, you can customize the settings for doneness, despite reviews to the contrary, but you have to read the instructions and realize that there are two temperature tables -- actually it's quite flexible. It does lose all the settings including the time of day if you turn it off, but there's a standby mode that only runs the clock. Again, not the best design, and they could probably have made it more robust for another $5, but it works well as a basic temperature monitor, and is sure beats running in and outside all day to monitor the smoker temperature.Customer Review: What a great tool
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, sure, a real man can BBQ without using a thermometer, and should be able to tell the doneness of steak with the touch of a finger... but the first time you mess up $80 worth of steaks by burning them to a crisp because you were busy drinking a beer and talking with friends, you'll wish you had this thermometer with the remote.
While this isn't too useful if you have to constantly flip/turn the food you are trying to cook, it is great to get spot-on perfectly cooked food. Cooking 4 steaks, two rare, and two medium-well? No problem, set the different probes for the meat type and doneness preferred, and PROMPTLY get the food off the heat when the beeper goes off, and the food is cooked perfectly, every time. I've used this so far on chicken, sausage, lamb, beef steak, and the food has been absolutely perfect. Works in the oven and on the grill, no complaints.
The only bad thing I don't like is when you shut the unit off, it forgets the time of day you set on it, but I'm not really using this thing for a clock so it's not a big deal. You could also just leave it in 'standby' mode which displays the time, but I didn't want to eat up the batteries any faster than I had to.
Highly recommend, especially if you prefer spending your BBQ time enjoying the party rather than keeping an ever-watching eye on the grill.