Smartro ST54 Digital Cooking Thermometer Review We’ve reviewed a lot of different digital cooking thermometers here on King of the Coals, from the fantastic Thermapen to a range of Bluetooth thermometers. But what almost all of them have in...
Smartro ST54 Digital Cooking Thermometer Review
We’ve reviewed a lot of different digital cooking thermometers here on King of the Coals, from the fantastic Thermapen to a range of Bluetooth thermometers. But what almost all of them have in common is a relatively steep price tag. This is where the Smartro ST54 digital cooking thermometer is looking to stand out, and it does!
It’s designed well, has a solid build, has a simple to use interface and it’s accuracy is on par with other thermometers that cost multiple times more.
Keep reading to find out exactly what makes this one of the best digital cooking thermometers around right now!
Smartro kindly provided a Smartro ST54 Digital Cooking Thermometer in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions herein are my own and are not influenced by the related company in any way.
What’s Included with the Smartro Cooking Thermometer
1 x Digital Food Cooking Thermometer 2 x Food Grade IPX7 Waterproof Probes 1 x Probe Clips Holder 1x ST54 Digital Thermometer Manual
Specs
IPX7 Waterproof Probe Temperature Range: -58°F to 572°F (-50°C to 300°C); Unit Temp Range:32?F to 482?F (0?C to 250?C). There is a certain tolerance range in the accuracy of temperature measurement, ±1.8°F during temp 32 ? to 212 °F, ±3.6°F during temp 248 ? to 392°F. Probe Length: 6.2? food grade stainless steel probe. Cable Length: 40? stainless steel mesh cable. Power: 2 AAA batteries (Not included) Uses: Smoker, BBQ, Oven, Grill, Food, Candy, Meat, Liquid, Milk.
Features
The Smartro ST54 is a dual channel thermometer meaning you can monitor two types of food or you can monitor a smoker’s temperature and the food on the smoker. Whilst this isn’t the same as having multiple channels such as some other thermometers, 2 channels has always been enough for us and always gives enough information for a successful cook.
This thermometer is also completely oven safe and comes programmed with preset temperature ranges so you can set it and forget it to then be alerted by the in built alarms. However, it still has the ability for you to set the temperature according to your own personal taste, so you’re not limited to just the presets.
In addition to the alarms, the ST54 grill thermometer has a timer setting as well. There are countdown and count-up options with a maximum cooking timer of up to 999 minutes and 59 seconds. Then the alarms work as you’d expect, if the time is up or the probe reaches the set temperature, an alarm will beep to alert you.
As you can see from the photos, there is a large backlit LCD screen that displays the oven, grill, smoker and food temperature using large, clear numbers which are easy to read in any light setting and when viewing from most angles.
Included with the Smartro ST54 are two 6? long, waterproof probes. They have a right-angle bend for easy retraction from food and a food grade stainless steel tubing that makes them durable enough to survive up to 572°F (300°C).
One of the features it doesn’t have is an accompanying display that can be taken away from where you are cooking. For example, the Thermopro TP 20 has an additional display that hooks up to the main thermometer body. It’s able to display all the information you need and you can take it around with you so you always have that information. The Smartro doesn’t have this. All the information is on a single display. But, the Smartro does have a feature that well and truly makes up for any lacking additional display: it’s price. The Smartro ST54 is around $25! That’s about 60% cheaper than the Thermopro TP 20!
Build Quality and Design
The general design of the Smartro ST54 is fairly simple. It has it’s large LCD screen that looks good, is clear and can be viewed from a large range of angles whilst also providing a very responsive touch screen experience.
It also includes a nice, but fairly small, retractable stand, two very strong magnets for easy attachment to ovens etc. Luckily the unit itself is small and lightweight which means that it can be placed virtually anywhere, using either the stand or the magnets.
There are better looking thermometers out there, but this still has a nice clean finish and has been designed to be as practical as possible. In that sense we think they’ve done a really great job.
Ease of Use
One of the most important features of any cooking thermometer is it’s ease of use. The importance is exaggerated when additional features are added. Smartro has truly made one of the easiest to use cooking thermometers out there.
The touch screen is intuitive and responsive and the layout of the menus make sense and are clear and easy to navigate. The thermometers are easy to connect, give accurate readings and are easy to clean. It really is about as easy as you could hope.
What we like about the Smartro Cooking Thermometer
The price – This is definitely one of the best priced cooking thermometers on the market. But not only that, it is one of the best value for money digital thermometers you can buy. It’s feature packed, built well and performs exactly as you’d expect, all for around $25. You can’t go wrong. You can place it anywhere – The little stand, magnets and lightweight build really makes this super easy to place anywhere. In addition to this the nice long probes means that you’re never limited to having to place the unit anywhere that might be inconvenient. Great display – The LCD display is clear, bright and easy to read. It has a simple and easy to navigate menu system and means the entire process of setting up timers, alarms and more is simple and effective.
What we don’t like about the Smartro Cooking Thermometer
It doesn’t come with batteries – This is a small complaint but could be frustrating nonetheless. If you’re like me and never seem to have any batteries when you need them, having to steal some from the TV remote can be a slight inconvenience. A rechargeable version or included batteries would really make a nice improvement. Probably better to use in the kitchen – This website is all about outdoor cooking, BBQ and smoking so we may be a little biased here. We think there are better BBQ specific thermometers out there. But this is ideal for kitchen use and still makes a perfectly good budget BBQ thermometer. Lacks customizability with settings – Again, this is quite a small complaint, but having more control over the alarms, such as volume or to keep it turned off would have been nice. Not at all a deal breaker, but maybe something for the next model.
Final Thoughts
Overall the Smartro ST54 digital cooking thermometer is the best cooking thermometer you can get for under $30. It has a wide range of features that aren’t normally available at such a low price. It takes very little effort to get fully accustomed to the menus and the different modes. It’s also lightweight and easy to place around the kitchen or on a smoker.
We think this really shines in the kitchen. The alarm is loud enough to be heard throughout the house but probably not from outside, depending on your setup, and the two channels are enough to keep an eye on multiple things cooking.
The lack of an additional display may be a turn off for some, especially if you’re looking to use it on your smoker that might be far away from your house. But if you’re on a budget and don’t mind checking on the thermometer unit itself then this is a fantastic purchase and a fantastic price.
Check the latest price on Amazon.
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