I bought the hub + 3 probes, for $159.99, right after Christmas 2023, and it arrived in 24 hours.
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Setup: 8
I installed and launched the Chef IQ app, from the Google Play store on my phone (as instructed by the quick-start pamphlet). The app then guided me through the remaining steps.
The first thing it instructed was to double-tap the hub's power button. But it didn't power on. I realized the hub's battery may need to be charged, but it doesn't come with a charger... only a USB-C to USB-A cable. (Most folks likely have spare USB-A wall chargers laying around, but it still would've been nice if it was included.) I found a spare charger, plugged it in, double-tapped the hub's power button, and it powered on.
The app's instructions should be changed to include instructions to plug in the hub first, prior to tapping the power button. (Someone less savvy may assume it's defective and return it.)
Next, the app asked to allow Bluetooth access, then choose my WiFi network and type my WiFi password.
Then it asked me to update the hub's firmware. That took 5-10 minutes to complete. No issues.
Now here's the kicker: it makes you create a Chef IQ account, and *verify* your email address, before proceeding. That should not be required, just for a meat thermometer! Annoyed, I provided a fake name, and used one of my throw-away emails (where I don't care if it receives spam). I received a verification email in my email inbox, clicked the link, and within seconds, the Chef IQ app automatically proceeded to the next step: registering the probes with the hub.
I placed the probes in the hub's probe-charging slots, and it quickly recognized each one, and registered them in seconds.
I left everything plugged in to fully charge. The probes finished in 15 minutes. The hub took 2 hours but communicated just fine with the probes during that time.
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Accuracy: 7
To test the accuracy of the probes, I tested them in ice water as well as boiling water.
I submerged the probes in a thermos filled with ice water, and swirled it for 2 minutes. I hoped they'd show 32 or 33 F, but they never went below 34 F. The ice was all the way to the button, and the probes were fully submerged in the water. They should've shown 32 not 34 F.
Next, after acclimating the probes back to room temperature, I submerged them in boiling water. Within 15 seconds, they all showed 212-213 F. Excellent.
Aside from my slight disappointment, it's of no real consequence to me, if they're 2 degrees off at near freezing temps. What's important is that they're accurate at higher temps. In that regard, they do operate within specs, at +- 1 degree F.
Some probes on the market have a higher accuracy (0.5 F), but they also cost much more than these probes. Given their price, I'm happy with their accuracy.
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Reliability: 9
I did a 4-hour test, where I moved the hub into another room, 40 feet away from the probes. All 3 probes remained connected to the hub the entire time.
The only time one of the probes lost connection was when I sealed the probes in a metal thermos for 2 minutes (during the ice water test). Probe #1 lost connection, while probes #2 and #3 remained connected. When I removed the probes from the thermos, probe #1 automatically reconnected in seconds.
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Features: 9
Chef IQ includes features that other companies either don't have, or charge extra for: 4 sensors per probe, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a built-in speaker.
Currently, the only sensors on the market with more sensors is the Meater 2+ and the Combustion Inc. probe, but they are $120 and $150 respectively. At $50 each, you can't beat the price of the Chef IQ probes.
The 5mm diameter of these probes is also thinner than many other probes on the market.
A couple negatives:
1) The hub doesn't have a built-in screen, This prevents my spouse from using the probes, as they're paired exclusively to my phone. A workaround is pairing them to a dedicated device (like a tablet or old phone), but that's not an ideal solution, as it's one more device that you need to remember to charge.
2) The hub only supports 3 probes. I sometimes smoke 4 briskets, and wish I could add a 4th probe.
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App: 9
The app is pretty intuitive, with several tabs, at the bottom of the screen, for "Home", "Cook control", "Recipes" and "More" features.
Both the "Home" and "Recipes" tabs include step-by-step guided recipes, with videos.
Unfortunately, "Home" prominently features a "Just For You" section, with the first recipe being Chicken Francese, which requires the purchase and pairing of the Chef IQ Smart Cooker appliance with the app. Huh? How is that "just for me"? Why show me recipes it knows I can't actually make?
Fortunately, the "Recipes" tab doesn't have that annoyance, and only shows recipes I can prepare with the probes, with "Oven", "Stovetop", "Grill", "Smoker" all clearly indicated in each recipe's tile.
The Chef IQ team has clearly invested a lot of effort in creating these interactive recipes. Kudos for a job well done; it adds a lot to the experience.
In the "More" tab, there's a cooking history (where I can view all my past cooks), change the hub speaker volume, custom name the probes, and other app tweaks.
The app isn't overly-complicated which I like. But, one feature I hope they add is a way to export the cooking history (e.g., into CSV, XML, JSON, or similar format).
For advanced users like me, providing a public API would be a neat feature, and I hope they consider adding it.
The app and hub don't require WiFi (beyond the initial registration and firmware updates). This is important to me, because if the Chef IQ cloud site goes offline (or my WiFi or internet goes down), I can still set up and monitor my cooks via Bluetooth.
===========
Ease of Use: 8
I think the hub's built-in speaker is a great feature, as it calls out what to do next. E.g., when it's time to flip the steaks, or when it's time to take them off the heat, it gives me a verbal message. That's really neat, as there's been times I've missed the notifications on my phone, in other companies' apps.
But, as mentioned earlier: my spouse can't use the probes, since they're paired only to my phone. I really wish the hub had a basic digital display that showed all the probe temps.
===========
Web site: 3
Their web site is mostly useless. You can't use it to view your cook history, or even to see your probes. At the time of this review, the web site doesn't even recognize your app's login credentials. I.e., if you register your email/password in the app, then try to log in to the web site, it won't recognize your email and you'll need to register again. Why does Chef IQ maintain separate login databases, between their web site and their app? Makes no sense.
===========
Final score: 9
The probes are reasonably accurate, reliable, with decent battery life. If I run into any issues, I'll update this review.
The hub includes great features, like Bluetooth and WiFi, and dunks on its competitors with a surprisingly helpful built-in speaker. But I do hope they consider adding a screen to monitor cooks without relying solely on the app.
The app is intuitive, with a nice balance of usability vs configurability that should appeal to many people. I appreciate the app's guided recipes, and hope they start allowing the community to contribute their own guided recipes. I also like its seamless integration with the hub's speaker.
I hope the Chef IQ team takes a page from Combustion Inc. and removes the annoying login/email requirements. Email verification is pointless! It's not like it's even linked to the (also pointless) web site anyway. Get rid of the needless login/email verification, or at least make it optional.
Despite some annoyances, given the specs and features included at this price, it's the best value on the wireless probe market, and an easy recommendation.
===========
***6-MONTH UPDATE***
POSITIVES:
I smoked two 15-lb briskets, in my Weber Smokey Mountain, and the probes' batteries lasted the entire 11-hour cook. Very pleased.
NEUTRAL:
In the aforementioned 11-hour brisket cook, the hub had to be plugged in, after a few hours.
That's understandable, as it consumes more power, since it has to remain connected to the probes, and broadcast their data to the cloud.
NEGATIVES:
The app automatically purges your cooking history after 6 months, with no way to export that data.
This is a very bad decision by Chef IQ and an unforced error. Why must these logs be purged? They're just tiny files that hardly take up any space; why not allow them to live on my device in perpetuity? Extremely annoying. If maintaining historical cook data is critical for you, you should buy a different brand.
The ambient temperature sensor is often not accurate. As a result, the algorithm that estimates cooking times is often wrong and can't be trusted to plan meal times. Instead, I've been eyeballing the graphs and making common-sense guesstimates.
CONCLUSION:
Overall, I'm still pleased with these probes, and recommend them.
But, the cook time calculations simply can't be trusted. And, the auto-purging of cook history is annoying.
Let's see if Chef IQ fixes these 2 issues in future software updates; I'll update this review, if they do.
Final score (updated): 8.5
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Mixed bag here
Okay. First, I waited for three months to give it a good chance to perform. What I can say is that the internal temperature readings appear to be be accurate within a degree or two of my other two hand-held probes.The issue I have is this, if you are relying on the external temperature readings of this product DO NOT BUY IT. it is inaccurate by sometimes over 100 degrees. I can stick all three probes into a piece of meat on the Traeger set to, and reading at 300 and the external readings of the three will (and have) ranged from 180-250. In that same situation the internal temps will range between 1-5 degrees, which is fine.The app is nice and easy to use. It will actually calculate cooking time which would be great BUT because the external temps are so bad the "cooking time" is completely useless. If the external temp is reading 100 degrees off there is no accurate way for the app to calculate the remaining time. I hate this because it would be nice to be able to go do things knowing I have X number of hours before my meat is done.One final complaint is the range. I have to keep the "charger" within 10 feet of the probes or I am constantly losing connection. This seems to be limited to probe #3.The photo is some Prime Rib my son cooked with the probes.
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Israel
Excelente Producto
Reviewed in Mexico on June 21, 2024Style: Double Probe SetVerified Purchase
Moran Tomer
as usual, wireless thermomter are crap, no matter whos the manufecturer
Reviewed in Singapore on June 17, 2024Style: Double Probe SetVerified Purchase
