By Epinions.com
 

 iGrill Grilling/Cooking Thermometer

A unique device that frees you from your oven or grill!
Written: Feb 11 '11 (Updated Feb 11 '11)

Product Rating:
Pros: Unique design, easy to clean, simple to operate!

Cons: Can not monitor cooking time or temp while talking on IPhone!

The Bottom Line: You can tell the designers of this device had consumers in mind, since it is easy to clean and simple to operate!
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DennisM's Full Review: iGrill Grilling/Cooking Thermometer

Some technology we use eventually becomes commonplace to us. When we use a wireless phone headset, or pair our phones with our cars, it is Bluetooth at work. While Bluetooth technology is still used mostly for cell phones, it can be utilized for other wireless communication devices.

A few companies have adapted Bluetooth for wireless connection of their devices, and IGrill is one of them.

iGrill describes their product as: “World’s first wireless Bluetooth cooking thermometer.” It works with an IPhone, IPod Touch and IPad.

First off, let’s discuss what this iGrill is used for. Basically it is a cooking thermometer that reads out the temperature of foods on its built in display, and transmits a wireless signal to one of the Apple devices mentioned above. However, calling the iGrill just a thermometer is like calling a diamond just a rock. It is a lot more than that!

Let’s take it from the opening of the box to utilizing the unit. Included in the box is one iGrill unit, 4 AA batteries and a metal probe with a 48” metal cable connected to it. First off, the batteries are inserted into the back of the unit, and the probe is plugged into the side.

After this basic set up, the three buttons on the iGrill have to be pressed at the same time. This performs a complete reset of the unit, since it is tested at the factory, and you want to erase any settings in its memory.

The three buttons on the face of the unit are POWER, + and -.

Following the resetting of the iGrill you press and hold down the POWER button for 4 seconds. The blue iGrill logo will flash telling you that it is ready to be paired with a Bluetooth Apple device. Following the pairing procedure on either the IPhone, IPad or ITouch, the unit is connected to your device.

If the iGrill is paired correctly it will show a blue LED. If not paired, the same blue LED will be flashing. Okay, so the next question is why do I need this thing communicating with let’s say my IPhone? The answer is simple. If you are outside grilling on the BBQ or even inside with something cooking in the oven, you are not held prisoner standing there waiting for the correct temperature to be reached. When paired with my IPhone I can walk around the house doing other chores, or have a party and not worry about something burning on my outside grill. The iGrill will sound an alarm on my IPhone indicating that my desired temperature has been reached on my roast beef, to remove it from the grill while it is still nice and juicy. (My wife of course likes it so well done that I don’t need an alarm. I can forget about it and remove it when it is like shoe leather, but that is another story!)

The front of the iGrill has a smooth face so there are no buttons or display to get dirty. A simple swipe with a wet cloth will clean the face. By the way, you are not limited to sending a signal to a device to notify you when your food reaches a certain temperature. It is also a stand-alone unit that has a nice large red display on it showing temperature, which can alarm by itself without the assistance of a Bluetooth device.

The end of the probe goes into whatever it is you are cooking, and is on a 4’ cord, so the iGrill does not have to be near the heat. If on a grill or in an oven, the probe cord drapes out from inside the grill or oven and you place the iGrill where it will not be affected by heat, very easy.

When you finish with the probe, you rinse it and wrap it around the iGrill do it is all together. One important note here while we are discussing the probe, is the iGrill’s ability to utilize 2 probes. That’s right, you can have one probe in a turkey and another in a roast beef, and each one will read out the temperature of the food it is inserted in to. The unit comes with 1 probe, but you can purchase a second, that plugs in to a second probe connector on the iGrill.

I want to take a moment here and explain that it the CONS section I mentioned that you can not monitor the iGrill while you are on your IPhone. While you are on the phone, it is still monitoring your cooking and will update when you release the call. This is a small "bug" that they hope to work out with Apple!

For all the folks who like reading specs and full manufacturer information, here it is, just to give you more basic info:

Dimensions of iGrill:

4.5 inches high
3 inches wide
1 inch thick

Specs:

Bluetooth enabled with 200+ foot range
Compatible with IPod Touch, IPhone and IPad
Features touch interface and projection display
Stand-alone thermometer when not used with App
Multi-probe capable
Integrated probe storage
Alarm settings

Hook attached to act as a stand or to allow you to hang the IGrill
Will track temperatures up to 400 degrees

APP FEATURES:
iGrill connectability
Food temperature option
Multiple probe support/will read out different temps for different foods
Shows remaining cooking time
Multiple/selectable viewing options
Recipe browsing/sharing
Kitchen timer

To go into every function of the iGrill is redundant here! The purpose of these reviews is to inform you if a product works as advertised and can benefit you. In this case the iGrill is quite unique, and I have found it to be very accurate. There is another wireless thermometer product being sold that also transmits a signal, but you have to carry a special receiver with you. This one utilizes your IPhone which you probably carry anyway, so no extra weight!

This is a great product and if you want to get more information iGrill has their own web site. This unit is also available in the Apple Store as well. The App is free, so how can you lose? You’ll find that it helps you monitor the food you are cooking, without it turning into a burned, dry something, unless of course you are my wife! Only kidding dear!


Recommended:
Yes





 

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