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MEATER Block wireless meat thermometer review

REVIEW – Last year I reviewed both the MEATER and MEATER+ smart wireless meat thermometers. I have used them many times over the past year, even purchasing a few as gifts for family and friends. As the story goes, MEATER announced the Block around the middle of last year but has taken over a year to bring it to market. The Block enables you to monitor the internal temperatures of four pieces of meat simultaneously. Allowing you to precisely cook each piece (hopefully) exactly as desired. Let’s see if it was worth the wait 😉 .

What is it?

The Block unites four (4) MEATER wireless probes under one control unit. The Block communicates with each of its numbered probes then passes that temperature data to your smartphone helping you cook your food to perfection. Not only is the hardware very well done but so is the MEATER app and ecosystem, all working together to cook your meal with much less worry or guessing.

What’s in the box?

  • 4x MEATER probes
  • 1x MEATER Block charger
  • 4x AA batteries

Hardware specs

  • Store and charge your MEATER probes
  • 50 hours of continuous cooking with 4x AA batteries
  • Real wood to match any kitchen or outdoor decor
  • Crisp OLED display with touch capacitive control
  • Built-in speakers for audible alerts
  • Max outdoor operation temperature: 140°F
  • Dimensions: 132mm L x 39mm W x 157mm H

Design and features

The MEATER Block combines four (4) MEATER+’s into a single device that not only stores, charges, and monitors each probe but can also acts as a standalone, disconnected wireless thermometer and cooking assistant. While surprisingly minimalist, the control screen does a solid job of bringing the MEATER ecosystem to you even when disconnected from the App or Net.

The build quality of the Block is excellent, made from the same bamboo as the MEATER and MEATER+. The designers have embedded the control screen into the right side of the Block and a stainless steel foldout stand for propping the Block upright on your counter or BBQ.

Like the original MEATER and MEATER+, the Block’s probes are wireless with dual sensors created with the sole job of helping you cook your food to perfection. The probes are made from stainless steel and hardened, heat resistant plastic. Best I can tell, the probes themselves have not changed, much if at all, since the original MEATER was released last year.

Probe Specs

  • Stainless steel, water resistant and easy to clean
  • Wireless up to 165 feet (50 meters)
  • Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connection
  • MEATER Sense™: 2 temperature sensors in 1 probe
  • Maximum internal temperature: 212°F (meat)
  • Maximum ambient temperature: 527°F (cooker)
  • Rechargeable: Over 24 hours of continuous cooking
  • Dimensions: 130mm length and 6mm diameter

The part of the equation that has changed/been improved from the original is the bamboo charger (both the Meater+ and the Block) also acts as a repeater to boost the signal from the probe and thus the overall range.

Each of the probes is numbered, enabling you to keep better track of doneness of each piece of meat. As you can see, the numbers go from 1 thru 4 and are machined into the base of each probe.

Each of the routered slots securely hold and charge the probes.

The MEATER Block is powered by four AA batteries, providing 50 hours of continuous cooking before needing to be replaced. The back cover is held in place by small embedded magnets.

The MEATER Block probes have to be inserted into the meat beyond the line machined into the metal casing to protect the main sensor from damage due to high temperatures.

The ambient sensor is meant to monitor the cooking temperature of the oven or BBQ. It is located in the black plastic end of the probe.

Setup

Alright Houston, we have a problem…as this review saga goes, I had struggled to and discovered a relatively large stumbling block setting up the MEATER Block.

No matter how much/hard I tried, I could not, for the life of me, get the Block connected to our WiFi router. I confirmed our password, attempted to log the Block into our network countless times, moved the Block to within a few feet of our router, put in fresh batteries, reset the device, etc. After all of that, I consulted the MEATER support page and found that Asus routers often have issues with products like the Block using the IoT. The support page suggested turning on an unlocked guest network to see if the Block could connect to that…sadly that was a failure as well. Plus I purchased the Asus router specifically because it was more secure and really did not want to punch holes in that security just to get the Block connected. To confirm I didn’t get a bad review unit or that I was doing something wrong, I connected the Block to several other routers and all of them connected quickly and easily, just as expected.

Performance

Well, this setback forced me to dive deeper into the MEATER Block’s standalone mode. The standalone mode allows you to use the Block when there is no WiFi or smart device connection. The Block communicates with all four of its probes via Bluetooth and the tiny screen displays the cooking status of up to all four pieces of meat.

The black control panel with its tiny OLED screen enables you to program each of the probe’s cooking profile just like the MEATER app on your smartphone. You select the type of meat (beef, chicken, pork, etc), cut of meat (filet, prime rib, loin, etc), and doneness (rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, well) and the built-in MEATER database leads you thru the cooking process, similar to the App. That said, while the built-in interface works well enough and is a great backup plan, the App is easier, quicker, and more intuitive to use.

Like the App, the Block’s screen shows a status bar/doneness graphic while on the grill, when to remove/rest the meat, and when the meal is ready to eat. I set one probe to rare, medium-rare, and the third for medium. the latter two turned out perfectly but the rare one was a bit over done.

What I like

  • Well made and thought out design
  • Monitors four (4) pieces of meat @one time
  • Truly wireless
  • Excellent range (improvement over the original)
  • Water resistant, dust-proof, easy to clean
  • Built-in dual sensors
  • Excellent app/ecosystem/standalone mode

What I’d change

  • Won’t connect to my router/limits functionality

Final thoughts

Even with the struggles and very frustrating time I had trying to get the MEATER Block fully operational, this well done, wireless multi-probe thermometer system came through. The MEATER ecosystem is excellent and I wish I could have gotten it working. But I am glad I was able to try out the standalone mode as a backup since I have used the App quite a bit over the past 18 months. Just bad luck that I recently purchased a router that does not play nicely with the Block. Overall, I would still recommend MEATER products and ecosystem to those wanting to take the stress out of cooking and grilling. The Block is a nice upgrade/enhancement in the MEATER lineup, enabling you to monitor multiple pieces of meat vs just tracking one and guessing on the rest.

Price: $269
Where to buy: The BLOCK is available directly from Meater.com and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by MEATER.

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MEATER Block wireless meat thermometer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 6, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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ZWraps Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps review

REVIEW – We live on planet Earth. We are stewards of our world, and as it’s the only world that we have, we should probably take care of it.  In our culture, there’s a growing awareness that as individuals and families we should live a manner that damages the Earth as little as reasonably possible.  One way that we can do this is to reduce our usage of consumable items.  Instead of using plastic straws, we can use a stainless steel one.  Instead of cleaning with paper towels, we can clean with microfiber towels.  Instead of drinking water from disposable plastic bottles, we can drink from one that we wash and use again.

If your kitchen is like ours, you have a drawer that has several boxes in.  One box contains plastic wrap, another Ziploc bags, another sandwich bags, and so on.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a reusable product with which we could keep our food fresh instead of all this disposable plastic?  That’s exactly what the food wraps by ZWraps are for!

What is it?

ZWraps are all-natural, reusable food wraps designed to keep our food fresh.  They are cotton fabrics crafted with beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin.  They come in a variety of sizes from small (8×8 inches) to extra-large (16×26 inches) as well as a variety of designs, and all are handmade in the USA.

What’s in the box?

Each package contains one, two, or three wraps, depending upon which pack is purchased.  The back  and inside of the package contains instructions for use and cleaning.

Materials

The wraps are crafted with the following:

  • Beeswax – makes the wraps sticky
  • Jojoba Oil – keep the wraps soft
  • Tree Resin – helps it keep its seal

Design and features

First Impressions

Each wrap comes in a thin, cardboard package and is wrapped with plastic.  (Yes, it’s a bit ironic that a product designed to reduce disposable plastic comes in disposable plastic.)  When I first touched the wrap, I immediately noticed that it is sticky and leaves a slight, waxy residue upon my fingers.  This is, of course, by design, as they are made out of beeswax, but it is slightly disconcerting at first, as I’m used to plastic bags that are not sticky.  When I lay the wrap out on the counter, the wax gets on the counter as well.

Let me go ahead and point out the elephant in the room:  Whether or not you enjoy using a ZWrap will largely depend upon how you react to this stickiness.  You might go “ewwwww!” and choose to never touch one again.  You might, however, decide that it’s not really that big of a deal and get used to it.  Both my wife and I are in the “not a big deal” camp, and we are happy to use them. After sealing food with a wrap, I simply wash my hands and the counter with hot water, something I already should be doing when handling food.  It’s a very small price to pay for using this gadget.

The other thing I noticed is how attractive the various designs are.  They mostly come in greens and reds, a mix of patterns and stylistic artwork.  The ZWraps add some nice-looking color to our kitchen.

How to Use

The ZWraps are easy to use. If you’re wrapping food, lay the wrap flat on a counter, put the food in the middle, then wrap it up.

If you’re wrapping a container (or a bowl) that contains food, set the container on a counter, lay a wrap on top of the container, then fold down, and pressing the wrap against itself.  It helps to use a wrap that is a couple extra inches longer on all sides than the container. If the wrap isn’t sticking to itself very well, hold it for a few seconds and let the natural warmth of your hands seal it.

One note of caution: Do not use these wraps for raw meat or eggs.  They can contaminate the ZWraps, and there’s no good way to remove the contamination.

My wife and I have been testing the wraps with a variety of fresh food items, including breads, cheeses, fruit, and veggies.  Without exception, the ZWraps easily wrap around the food and seal it tight.  Here’s a canary melon from our garden that is sealed tight.

Four of our tests were especially rewarding.  One, we used the extra-large wrap on a fresh baguette that we bought at Lidl.  Typically we have to eat bread like this within one day, as it doesn’t stay fresh long.  After 2 days, however, the baguette was still perfectly fresh with no sign of getting hard.  This was a huge improvement!

Two, we used the medium wrap on an avocado.  Normally we have to eat an avocado as soon as we cut it open, as it will very quickly turn brown, become soft and squishy, and look most unappealing.  After 24 hours wrapped with a ZWrap, it was only mildly brown, still (relatively) firm, and was good enough to eat.  We were surprised and very pleased!

Three, I picked some fresh basil from our garden, rinsed it, then ZWrap’d it and put it into the fridge. I opened it back up three days later, and the leaves were fresh as could be.

Four, we peeled a carrot, wrapped it, then put it in the fridge.  Four days later, I could find only the slightest signs of browning.  It’s ready to eat.

It’s clear to us that not only are ZWraps great for our environment, they are also great at keeping food fresh.

How to Clean

ZWraps are unique items, so they need to be taken care of in a special manner.  They can’t be washed with hot water, nor can they be used in an oven or a microwave; naturally the heat would melt the wax and ruin the wrap. The best way to clean them is to lay them flat and wash with cool, soapy water; to dry, spread them out over a flat surface, perhaps a cutting board, but do not wring them out.  To store them, roll them up and put in a basket or a canning jar, anywhere that is cool and dry.  ZWraps estimates that a wrap should last 100 washes, which is usually 6 to 12 month.

If you’re looking for more information about how to use or take care of a ZWrap, their website has an informative set of videos.

What I like

  • Reusable wrap instead of disposable plastic
  • Bright and cheery designs
  • Keeps bread and veggies super fresh

What I’d change

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

I’m a big fan of being good stewards of our planet, so I like what ZWraps is doing.  My wife and I really like their wraps, and we really, really like the way they keep fresh those foods that normally spoil quickly.  If you are at all interested in reducing the amount of disposable plastic that you use, I recommend purchasing one medium or large ZWraps to start out.  This will give you a chance to test it out and see for yourself.  If you like it, then you can buy as many others as you need.

Price:  From $7.50 (small) to $22.50 (for a multi-pack)

Where to buy:  ZWraps online store or Amazon.  The ZWraps website also has a store locator, if you want to purchase locally.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by ZWraps.

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ZWraps Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 31, 2019 at 9:30 am.

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Dress up your Instant Pot to look like R2-D2 because why not?

NEWS – The popular Instant Pot is one of my most used and favorite products that I’ve ever reviewed. Others must feel the same because there’s an Etsy shop called InstantWraps that offers skins to turn your Instant Pot pressure cooker into something that looks more fun than just a cooking appliance. The InstantWraps shop offers wraps that will turn various Instant Pot models into R2-D2 (shown above and below), BB-8, Wonder Woman, and a variety of other patterns.

The wraps are made of non-adhesive waterproof high-quality plastic that wraps around the cooker and attaches in the back with magnets. That means you can easily change out the look of your Instant Pot to match your mood or party theme. Each wrap is priced at $11 and you can see them all by visiting InstantWraps on Etsy.

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Dress up your Instant Pot to look like R2-D2 because why not? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 28, 2019 at 12:00 pm.

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Solyent meal replacement shakes review

REVIEW – I love food almost as much as I love gadgets. So in addition to a variety of kitchen gadgets, I like to review food items too. Lately, I’ve been searching for meal replacement shakes and bars to test and ingest. I’ve tried Queal, Huel, and Ambronite shake mixes and have been asked why I haven’t tried one of the first meal replacement shakes – Soylent. You spoke, I listened, and the last time I shopped for groceries at my local Walmart, I noticed that they carried RTD bottles of Soylent, so I bought some. Good? Bad? Made of people? Let’s find out?

What is it?

Soylent (the meal replacement shake) has been around since 2014 and has always been a little controversial due to its name – Soylent. If you’re a child of the 70’s you might remember the cult sci-fi flick called Soylent Green which started Charleston Heston. In this movie, which takes place in the year 2022, the world is polluted and food is scarce so a company creates a new food called Soylent Green which turns out, is made from people. Yum!

Ingredients


The Soylent drink I’m going to tell you about today isn’t made of people (shock!), but is made of soy protein isolate. Yum! Ok, not really, but we’ll get to that.

Soylent is available in powder and in RTD (ready-to-drink) bottles in 6 flavors that include Original, Strawberry, and Cacoa. That’s only 4 flavors you say. That’s because there is a version of Soylent with caffeine. The Cafe flavors include Vanilla, Chai, and Mocha. I can’t do caffeine, so I bought one of each of the regular flavors for $X from my local Walmart.

Each 14oz (414mL) bottle contains 20% of your daily nutrition requirements and 400 calories. The ingredients (original flavor) are: FILTERED WATER, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, MALTODEXTRIN, HIGH OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, ISOMALTULOSE, CANOLA OIL, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, OAT FIBER, VITAMIN AND MINERAL PREMIX, ISOMALTOOLIGOSACCHARIDE, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, GELLAN GUM, SUCRALOSE

FYI, the strawberry flavor contains CELLULOSE. Seriously?

The vitamin and mineral premix includes: VITAMIN & MINERAL PREMIX: POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, DL-ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, FERROUS GLUCONATE, ZINC SULFATE, NIACINAMIDE, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, COPPER GLUCONATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, IBOFLAVIN, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, BIOTIN, FOLIC ACID, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, SODIUM SELENITE, VITAMIN K1, POTASSIUM IODIDE, CYANOCOBALAMIN, ERGOCALCIFEROL.

Taste and texture

The other meal replacement products I’ve tested or have purchased but haven’t reviewed like Ka’Chava, use pea or oats as their main source of protein. So, I was a little skeptical of Soylent from the onset. I normally try to stay away from consuming a lot of soy products due to my breast cancer adventure 8 years ago, but I figured as long as I wasn’t replacing EVERY meal with Soylent for an extended period of time, it would be perfectly fine to test a few bottles.

The first flavor I tried was the original (vanilla) flavor. I chilled it in the fridge for a day or so and took it to work and drank it for lunch. I found the texture to be thin and watery and the flavor to be an offputting fake shake taste with a chemical after taste. Let’s just say that I was not a fan of it but I soldiered through and drank the whole bottle.

45 minutes later I found myself in the restroom with severe stomach cramps and cold sweats. Let me preface this by saying that I’ve tried other meal replacement shakes and haven’t had this issue. I’m also not allergic to soy and drank soy milk over the years with no issues and have eaten protein bars that have soy isolate in them without issues. I will also say that I will have episodes like this one on very rare occasions, like once a year or once every two years. I never know what brings them on but my first thought this time was that the Soylent caused it.

In an effort to make sure it wasn’t Soylent, I drank the cacao flavor the next day. I didn’t think it tasted at all like chocolate and thought it tasted even worse than the original flavor. But I drank the whole thing and this time I didn’t get sick. So it must have been one of my weird episodes and not Soylent.

The last flavor I tried weeks later was the strawberry flavor and again – ick. To my tastebuds (your experience may differ), Soylent Strawberry and Soylent, in general, tastes the worst out of all the shakes I’ve tried so far by a long shot. Maybe it would taste better if it was actually made of people!

What I like

  • Available at your local Walmart

What I’d change

  • Improve the taste
  • Improve the ingredients

Final thoughts

I personally didn’t like Soylent based mainly on the flavor and then on the protein source and other ingredients. Cellulose? Why do we need wood pulp in a meal replacement shake? Canola oil? Again, why?

I’ve been using meal replacement shakes as an alternative to eating a cheeseburger and fries, or a bag of chips for lunch. But in this case, I would skip the Soylent in favor of the burger. I know that many people swear by Soylent, but for me, all I can say is no thanks, I’d much rather drink Huel and Queal shakes (also contains soy).

Price: < $4.00 for one bottle. Price varies depending on quantity
Where to buy: Soylent, Amazon, and Walmart
Source: The samples for this review was purchased with my own funds.

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Solyent meal replacement shakes review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Pizza by peddle – Dominos partners with Rad Power Bikes for delivery

NEWS – Dominos, the largest global pizza company (based on retail sales), and Rad Power Bikes, North America’s largest e-bike brand, have partnered to provide your pizza fix by peddle (and electric) power.

Pizza delivery in the US is generally done by car.  Around the world, however, and in some large US cities, bikes rule the delivery game.  Dominos want that to be more the case across the US, and e-bikes are their answer.  Rad Power’s bike is specially modified for Dominos with soft Heatwave bags with room for 12 large pizzas along with holders for side dishes, drinks, and dipping sauces.  The bikes can cruise for 20-40 miles between charges at a top assisted speed of 20MPH. This creates the potential for easier and quicker delivery in traffic-congested areas.  In addition, it expands Dominos hiring pool to candidates without driver licenses – an especially prevalent condition in metro areas where abundant public transportation means many folks never learn to drive. Bike deliveries in flat areas are easy, but in geographies where hills come into play, they prove challenging.  E-bikes solve that issue with their electric assist.

Bike delivery is currently big in New York and Seattle.  Dominos looks to expand that quickly with hundreds of new delivery bikes in Miami, Salt Lake City, Baltimore and Houston later this year in corporate-owned stores.

To learn more about Rad Power Bikes, visit RadPowerBikes.com.

To get your pizza fix, visit Dominos.com.

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Pizza by peddle – Dominos partners with Rad Power Bikes for delivery originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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