(checked 2026-10-10)Serious Eats' BlueDOT links go to this Amazon listing, which is titled 'ThermoWorks DOT', so the ratings may be for the non-Bluetooth Dot or pooled. Small sample: 302 ratings.
Serious Eats' favorite grill thermometer: a wired probe with a large onboard display, loud alarms and an optional phone app. It has only one probe, the cable can wear with heat, and Wirecutter thinks a fully wireless TempSpike gives more range for the money.
Top complaints
- Only one probe
Serious Eats says a second probe would make it more useful, so serious grillers may prefer the multi-probe Smoke.
- Wired probes can burn out
For the identical non-Bluetooth Dot, Wirecutter says cables are sensitive and repeated high heat can burn them out; a few readers said theirs malfunctioned after several months. Amazon's summary for the Dot listing mentions some reports of the plastic housing melting.
- Less range for the money than fully wireless
Wirecutter says that for the BlueDOT's price you'd get more distance, features and durability from the single-probe TempSpike Plus.
Source: Wirecutter
What owners love
- Very easy to use
Serious Eats says the word that best describes it is ease: both an 11-year-old and a 72-year-old used it, and you don't need the app thanks to the onboard display.
Source: Serious Eats (wireless) - Fast and accurate
Serious Eats found it adjusted from boiling to ice-cold within fractions of a second. Wirecutter found the Dot accurate to the degree and the fastest wired probe it tested.
Source: Serious Eats (wireless), Wirecutter - Loud alarms, magnetic base
High and low alarms loud enough to hear indoors, a magnetic back and a backlight (Serious Eats).
- You need more than one probe
- You want a cable-free probe
- You broil often (Wirecutter notes ThermoWorks warns against it for the Dot)
- Easy, no-fuss grilling and roasting
- A display plus phone alerts
- Wide range from frying to freezing (-58 to 572°F)
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Serious Eats (wireless): Best Bluetooth meat thermometer and the overall recommendation for grillers: simple, loud alerts and a great app; the only wish is a second probe.
- Serious Eats (meat thermometers): Best meat thermometer for grilling: intuitive, high and low alarms, magnetic, 2-year warranty; one probe only.
- Wirecutter (NYT): Recommends the non-Bluetooth Dot as its wired pick; the BlueDOT is the same plus Bluetooth, but the TempSpike Plus gives more distance for the price.