To prevent food poisoning, you need to be certain that your food is cooked to the proper internal temperature. The best way to do this is with a cooking thermometer, but if you have to open the oven door to repeatedly check the food, you will lower the temperature in the oven and raise it in the kitchen. The solution to this is to use a remote wireless digital cooking thermometer. By leaving the probe inside the dish while it is cooking, you can then set the remote digital reader you carry with you to the desired temperature. When the food reaches the set temperature, an alarm on the remote reader will go off, letting you know that the food is cooked. These directions mirror those of the Brookstone Grill Alert, but they are similar for other wireless digital cooking thermometers.
Insert the batteries in both the thermometer and the remote, according to the instructions included with your thermometer. Some require AAA batteries for both or AAA in one and AA batteries in the other. In most cases, both the thermometer and the remote will need two batteries each.
Place the probe plug for the thermometer into the jack on the transmitter. Turn the transmitter on by pressing and holding the power button until the LED light flashes.
Turn on the monitor (remote) by pressing and holding the power button until the remote's LED display lights up. You should see a radio transmitting signal to show that the transmitter is connected to the remote.
Watch for a single triangle on the remote monitor, which indicates that there is no connection and you will need to press the "reset" button on both the transmitter and the remote monitor to reset the signal. The triangle will change to a triangle with several concentric circles around the top of it, like a radio icon.
Press the "select" button on the transmitter until the type of dish you are cooking is displayed on the LED screen. These will correspond to the cooking temperatures of the meat chart at the link in the Resources section.
Press the "cook" button until you see the level of doneness (rare, medium rare, medium and well done) displayed.
Place the probe into the deepest part of the meat with the other end still connected to the transmitter. Keep the transmitter outside of the oven with the probe in the meat in the oven.
Keep the remote monitor with you, but within 300 feet of the transmitter. When the meat has reached the correct temperature, you will be signaled by a tone or a voice. Some models will inform you when the meat is 5 degrees F below the goal temperature so that you can prepare to remove it from the oven within the next 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the probe before serving. Another alarm will sound if you let the meat cook too long. Turn off the transmitter and remote by pressing and holding the power buttons on each for at least two seconds or until the LED lights go out.