Thursday, January 20, 2022

Product Review: Thermoworks New Square Dot

[FTC Standard Disclosure] We received our sample Square Dot free of charge for review, and we recently became a Thermoworks affiliate seller after being a Thermoworks customer for over 12 years.

Thermoworks has started off 2022 by releasing their newest remote probe thermometer offering - The Square DOT.

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT


A remote-probe thermometer means that it uses a probe that is left inside the food in the oven or grill while a device outside of the oven or grill monitors the temperature. 

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
Note: Silicone Probe Spools are not included.


The Square DOT is a dual-channel remote-probe thermometer that currently lists at $69 from Thermoworks. I have put the Square DOT through the paces for the past week, and there is a lot to like about it. Here are the features that I find helpful.

Dual channels

Dual channels allow the device to manage two separate temperatures simultaneously. As shipped, the Square DOT can monitor the cooking temperature of your grill/oven and the internal temperature of 1 food item. Instead, you can replace the High-Temperature Air Probe with another food probe and monitor two foods at once. 

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
The Thermoworks Square DOT comes with an air-temperature probe and a meat probe, making it easy to watch both the cooking temperature of the grill/oven and the internal temperature of the food.


Average temperature feature

Channel 2 can be toggled to give either the current temperature or a 15-minute average. I like the average setting for the air probe because it makes it less likely for a griller to start chasing slight incremental temperature fluctuations. 

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
Channel 2 can be toggled to give you either the current temperature or a 15-minute average temperature. Notice the AVG indicator above the temp display. The average is sometimes more helpful in monitoring cooking temperatures.


Simple Controls and Display

The concept of the original DOT was KISS, and the Square DOT continues that design path. Each channel has only 2 buttons, up and down. The display for each channel is simply the readout and set temps. That means the display can be larger, making it easy to read from 10-15 feet away.

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
The simple and large readout makes it easy to check your temps from a reasonable distance away. In my case, I can see the temps without going outside.

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
Each channel has just 2 buttons, making the controls straightforward. I started using mine easily before I ever even looked at the directions.


Thermoworks accuracy

Thermoworks is renowned for its accuracy, and the Square DOT is no exception. It comes with a NIST-traceable certificate of calibration. 

Mounting options

The Square DOT has several options for using it in your kitchen or grill area. First, you can lay it flat on its back. Second, it has a fold-out stand for standing it upright. Finally, it has a set of powerful magnets so you can attach it to your oven door or, in my case - the metal handles of my grills. 

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
The Square DOT set up magnetically on the handle of one of my large Big Green Eggs.

High-temperature alarm

You can set the alarm to notify you when your food hits the temperature you set. 

Small footprint

At just 3" x 3" x 7/8", the Square DOT is compact and doesn't take up a lot of space on your kitchen counter or grill table.

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
The small size makes the Square DOT convenient to use in your kitchen or grilling area.


Commercial durability

The Square DOT is designed for commercial use with robust design elements such as molded-in splash-resistant seals and a plastic body, making it resistant to rain, splashes, and spills. Not that I spill anything at my grill table, ever.....what? 

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
The molded seals keep the spills and splashes out and the plastic body makes the unit easy to clean.


Backlight

The Square DOT's backlighting makes it easy to use when dark out. Press any button and the backlighting will turn on temporarily.

Backlighting makes the Square DOT easy to use on those overnight cooks.


Pro-Series Thermistor Temp Probes

The Square DOT comes with the Pro-Series High-Temperature probes, allowing them to be used up to 700°f while many other probe leads max out below 500°f. They also use more accurate thermistors instead of thermocouples for the design of these probes.

One reason that Thermoworks products are so accurate is that they use thermistors instead of thermocouples. The silicone probe spools are not included.

Compared to The DOT

I reviewed the original DOT ($45) back when they were released in 2014 (review).

Review of Thermoworks Square DOT
Square DOT versus its predecessor, the DOT.


One significant difference is that the Square DOT is.....well, square. But what else do you get for the extra $24? But the two most significant value-added features are having 2 channels instead of one and the average temperature feature. 

Compared to Chef Alarm

My primary remote probe thermometer since 2013 has been Thermoworks ChefAlarm ($65). It is an excellent unit to compare against the Square DOT because they are similarly designed, manufactured, and priced. 


The ChefAlarm has a few features not found on the Square DOT. For example, ChefAlarm has a stopwatch, but frankly, I don't use that much. The ChefAlarm also adds a lower alarm, making it more useful for sous-vide cooking or cooking within a temperature range. The ChefAlarm also logs the max and min temperatures which is extra helpful with reverse searing. 

But with all of those extra features, the one limitation of the ChefAlarm is that it is a single probe thermometer. The Square DOT can monitor a food and cooking temp or 2 food temps, making it twice as useful when that is needed.

Summary

Listed at $69, the Thermoworks Square DOT 2-channel thermometer is rugged, practical, and accurate. It gives cooks insight into what is going on with their food without having to open and close grill/oven doors, causing temperature fluctuations. That's going to result in a better cook every time. I suspect this will become my go-to remote-probe thermometer based on its size and simplicity.