Gadgets: A wireless smart thermometer will cook your meat to perfection
Apption Labs calls its Meater the first wireless smart meat thermometer. True or not, I had my wife do the testing on this one since I've always been lacking in cooking skills and it now has my household's seal of approval.
You can leave it in your meat choice while cooking in an over, grill, stovetop or rotisserie.
The temperature readings are sent to an app, which lets you choose your meat and tell the app how you like it cooked (medium, well, rare, etc.). The app (iOS and Android) will alert you of the cooking time and when it's ready.
The pen-shaped Meater measures 5.1-by-0.27-inches and is built with a stainless steel, water-resistant construction. A pair of sensor probes measure the internal (up to 212 degrees) and external temperature (up to 527 degrees) of your cooking choice.
A rechargeable AAA battery is included to power the Meater for 24 hours before a charge is needed. A wood grain charger with a built-in LED indicator is included to charge up to 100 times.
And the most important part, our pork roast was oven cooked to perfection.
meater.com $69
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In my opinion, every house should have a Ring Video doorbell. Once you see what this device can do you'll know why I say this.
It replaces your doorbell and in this case, I've finally gotten to testing the wired Pro model ($249). Honestly, it's a relatively easy do it yourself project, which doesn't take long from the time you open the box to having it up and running, assuming you have an existing hardwired doorbell in place.
When you purchase a Ring Pro kit, it's really a kit. This includes the doorbell, hardware, all the tools you need and even the drill bit. Four interchangeable faceplates to match your home's exterior are included along with easy-to-follow step by step instructions.
First, shut off the power to the existing doorbell from your circuit breaker and download the Ring app (iOS, Android and Windows 10).
Then with the written step-by-step instructions as a guide, you'll have to install the included pro power kit on your internal doorbell, attach the wires the Ring doorbell and then mount it in place. When all the hardware is done, start the app and follow the instructions to connect the doorbell to your existing Wi-Fi and complete the setup.
If you run into any problems, Ring's customer support phone service is as knowledgeable and helpful as any customer support I've called.
Now, when the front door rings, an alert shows up on your smartphone allowing you to see who is at the door as well as two-way audio with echo cancellation.
The internal camera gives you a 160-degree field of view and video is recorded with a 1080p HD resolution. It works day or night outdoors in temperatures from minus 5 degrees up to 120 degrees.
There are a lot more features, but the main aspect is this is a great product, which is simple to install with outstanding and very often critical results.
A while back I reviewed the wireless and rechargeable Video Doorbell ($179). The wired Pro version has many of the same features along with the direct wiring installation but adds many advance features such as higher HD resolution video along with infrared night vision
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The All-Star Backpack Duffel from Solo New York is a bag that you can carry with the built-in hand strap or attach the removable shoulder strap. If that's not enough just wear it on your back with the padded backpack straps.
Inside is an organizer section and separate laundry and shoe compartments. While it's not officially a computer case, I did carry a laptop and iPad with a small amount of accessories and clothes for a quick overnight trip and it worked perfect.
Either way, the ultimate carryall (20-by-11-by-5-inches) is an attractive, lightweight and modern-looking bag for everyday use or a day or two of travel.
solo.net $79.99 in black or burgundy
©2017 Gregg Ellman
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