Whether you consider yourself a grill master, a casual chef, or someone that’s picking up cooking for the first time, you always want to make sure your food turns out the way it’s supposed to. Anybody can tell if something is burning in their oven, but it can be more difficult when making other dishes. Getting the proper cook can be difficult to guarantee when you are making a meat dish, as it’s hard to see what the internal temperature is. This is especially prescient during the holiday season, as nobody wants to wait hours to eat a turkey and still not have it ready when you cut into it.

If you’re someone who wants to take up smoking meats, slow roasting poultry, and making large quantities of protein for guests, you’ll want to make it easier on yourself every step of the way. For those that have used a handheld meat thermometer before, you know that you need to stick the probe into the food and wait for it to provide you with the internal temperature. This can work fine enough if you’re making something in the oven, but in order to check the temperature, you have to open the oven, let the heat out, puncture the food, and then potentially have to repeat the process multiple times until it’s cooked.

The ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit is a solution for anyone trying to cook. This aims to one-up other Bluetooth probes with spotty connections by bringing its own receiver to the party. It can connect to your Wi-Fi and give accurate real-time readings from your grill, smoker, oven, and more. I’ve been able to test out the ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit and have been really impressed with its precision.

Price, availability, & specs

The starter kit gives you what you need

The ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit retails for around $260. It’s available through ThermoWorks’ website and other barbecue store websites. This starter kit comes with two RFX Meat probes, an RFX Gateway, a Pro-Series Air Probe designed for ambient temperature, a storage case, a grate clip, a charging block and cable, USB cable, and probe rings.

The Gateway is small, measuring 3.5 x 1 x 2.2-inches, with magnets on the back, allowing you to stick it to a grill, smoker, or another metal object outside while cooking. It’s IP66 water-resistant, and the battery lasts for 24 hours. It works up to 60 hours on a 20-minute charge. The Meat probe has four thermistor sensors built into it and offers an accurate depiction within 0.9 degrees. The probe can withstand temperatures up to 1,000ºF. It also comes with a charging block that’s simple to use.

What I like about the ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit

My meal came out perfectly

After I unboxed everything and charged the Gateway, I needed to sync the probes and the receiver. I had to download the ThermoWorks app, which was simple, and connect the Gateway to my Wi-Fi. This transmits the data back to the app and stores the data in the cloud so you can go back and check the proper temperatures that you had done in the past for specific meals. After I connected the Gateway to my Wi-Fi and the app, I didn’t have to do anything else to sync up the Meat probes to it.

They automatically showed up in my app, and I put my finger on one of them and watched the temperature change in real time. From there, I got my meat ready to cook and turned the grill on. I chose a pork tenderloin because its thickness and shape make it easy to slide the Meat probe in. I seasoned the pork and then put in the probe. What I loved about the probe design is that it has two lines: one for the minimum insertion line and one for the maximum. This means you need to insert the probe at least as far as the first line into the piece of meat, but not past the other line, because that’s where the sensors are. It takes the guesswork out of how far to put the probe into the meat.

After I added the probes to the meat, it was time to grill. Immediately, the probes registered the internal temperature of the meat. I put the pork onto the grill, opened the app, and watched the temperature rise. Because I had two pork pieces, I could put one Meat probe into each. I placed the Gateway near the grill and was inside, setting the table and preparing the sides as the pork cooked.

Once it reached about halfway to 160º, the internal temperature I aimed for, I went back out and flipped the pork. Even in a different position, the probe continued to read, and the Gateway provided real-time updates to the data history portion of the app. Once it hit my desired temperature, I took it out and let the meat rest before cutting into it. Sure enough, it was exactly the color I had hoped for, and the meat was still tender. I used it several times, and the meat came out perfectly in each instance.

What I don’t like about the ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit

It’s really expensive

$260 is nothing to sneeze at, especially when you consider it’s a kitchen accessory. People can cut just into their meat to check the temperature. But if you are serious about grilling, roasting, and smoking their foods, the ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe is a time saver and a valuable addition to your kitchen. Those that aren’t going to use this frequently may want to look for something less expensive.

One thing that was a little unclear when I unboxed the package was the actual instructions to use it. Multiple pamphlets came with the box without just a straightforward instruction manual that told me how to use the Gateway and the probes. Another issue I had was cleaning the probes after the meal. I had to scrape a lot of food and char off of the end, which took some time. It became discolored more than I expected.

Should you buy the ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit

If you’re going to use it, yes

The ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit provides everything you need in a wireless meat thermometer system. You don’t have to worry about burning yourself while testing a temperature in the middle of cooking, and you don’t have to let all the heat release from your grill or oven to check on the meat.

While there are some minor drawbacks, mainly the price, it’s appealing to anyone that’s going to put it to good use. It can withstand severe temperatures, so you won’t be afraid to use it for a long time. Plus, charging all parts of this kit is simple. The ThermoWorks RFX Wireless Probe Starter Kit should be at the top of the list for any grill master.