Get started with your Combustion Tools
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Basic setup: 5 min per tool (or less)
Done with setup already? Jump to "Cooking with the Predictive Thermometer"Don't panic! There's lots of text on this page describing a process that's head-scratchingly simple.
If you've done this before, you know. If not, there are complete instructions just below.
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Setting up 1st Gen thermometers/tools
1st Gen CPT + Bluetooth Boosters & Displays (video walkthroughs)Both generations use the basic setup (above). If you're not using 2nd Gen/WiFi tools, please head over to the 1st Gen start guide.
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WiFi setup: 3 min per tool (roughly)
To connect to WiFi and MeatNet™ Cloud, you'll need to:
- Link your thermometer to the app
- Link your thermometer to your WiFi tool(s)
- Join your WiFi tools to your WiFi network
open the text drawers to sup on the intelligence inside
Basic Setup (full instructions)
2. Charge your tools (all of them)
Please charge your thermometer or other Combustion tools fully before applying a firmware update.
How long for a full charge?
- Thermometer: 25 min
- Display: 90 min
- WiFi Display: 90 min
- Booster: 60 min
- WiFi Booster: 60 min
- Giant Grill Gauge: 90 min
A thermometer is fully charged when the light on the (powered/plugged in) cradle or Booster turns green.
If the Booster is unplugged, press the button on the Booster - if it turns green with the thermometer inside, the thermometer is charged.
3. Update your firmware (all of it)
IMPORTANT: Enable Bluetooth when installing the app.
To update your firmware, tap the Combustion logo in the app, then select "update devices."
You'll need to remove your thermometer from its charger/Booster - this turns it on.
Update your Combustion Tools one at a time! It’s best to power off all the tools you are not currently updating.
Then: choose the tool you want to update and tap the update button.
After updating firmware on the Predictive Thermometer, please recharge it (updating uses a lot of battery).
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4. Now recharge your tools
Updating firmware is exhausting! Be sure to recharge your tools fully before you start cooking.
those little arrows open buckets of info
Set up your thermometer for cloud access
1. Link app to thermometer
- Install/update the Combustion app on one (or more) mobile devices
- Follow in-app instructions for linking Predictive Thermometers (CPTs) to your account
- Look for the “link this device” button
- Follow the instructions to link
- Link all of your CPTs to your device
2. Set up your MeatNet Cloud account
- In the app, tap the Combustion logo (looks like a campfire)
- Tap "Combustion Account"
- You can sign in with email (+password), Google ID, or Apple ID* (*on Apple/iOS devices only)
- Once you’ve set up your Cloud account, the list of “linked” CPTs gets synched to any mobile device using that account
Joining Combustion tools to WiFi
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For Boosters:
With the Combustion app open, remove the thermometer from the Booster, and turn the Booster on. Make sure your Booster is blinking a single white blink.
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For Displays:
With the Combustion app open, turn on your Display and remove your thermometer from its charger. Make sure the Display is showing the thermometer’s temperature.
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2. Open Combustion mobile app settings and navigate to 'WiFi Devices'
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3. Select the tool you’d like to join to WiFi, then select Join Network.
Ensure that the tool’s WiFi is enabled by selecting the WiFi switch.Then, select Join Network to see all the available WiFi networks.
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4. Select your desired WiFi network and enter your network credentials.
If your network is unlisted, select ‘Other...’ from the network list to join it manually. Pulling down on this page will refresh the list of networks manually, but remember: scanning for networks is power-intensive for the tool’s battery.
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5. Joining is complete when the device displays its signal strength.
Joining is indicated by the waiting “spinner” displayed next to the network name. When successfully joined, the signal strength will appear next to the network name instead.
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Help, I can’t join my network!
Basic router/wifi troubleshootingTo join, networks must broadcast 2.4 gHz to join. Secured networks must use WPA, WPA2, or WPA3.
Cooking with the 2nd Gen Predictive Thermometer
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Instant Read Mode
The CPT wakes up in Instant Read mode. Turn it on by removing it from the charger or Booster.
It takes 3-4 seconds to accurately report the temperature at the pointy end. Instant read turns off when you set a target temp on the Display or app (Predictive Cooking Mode).
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Predictive Cooking (with Display)
Insert the Predictive Thermometer to at least the min line (shown above).
Press m- and s+ buttons to set the “cooking to” temperature.
Press “start” – the "cooking to" temp will stop blinking.
Apply heat (oven, smoker, grill, frying pan, etc… you get the idea).
The Display shows progress by indicating % of cooking completed.
At about 33% a countdown will appear: “ready in.” That’s the prediction!
When that number hits 00:00, an alarm will sound to let you know your food is ready.
Enjoy!
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Predictive Cooking (with App)
Insert the CPT to at least the min line.
Tap "predict" on the main screen.
Set your temp, then tap "begin prediction."
Then follow the same steps as above.
To choose between Cº and Fº: tap the three dots (right edge of the app, near ready in).
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Cooking walkthrough?
The 2nd Gen Predictive Thermometer does what the 1st Gen does (but with higher temp and vacuum resistance).
There are several simple recipe demos worth watching on the 1st Gen start page.
Advanced Features
SafeCook™ - for food that is both safe and delicious
The Combustion App controls our one of a kind onboard food safety system (SafeCook™).
It runs in parallel to the “ready-in” target temp prediction.
You can set your target temp (“predict”) before or after setting SafeCook.
How to SafeCook:
- Turn on your CPT
- Open the Combustion App (and be sure Bluetooth is enabled)
- Tap “Predict” and set your target temp for perfect doneness
- Where it says “Safeguard this cook with SafeCook” tap “Add”
- Toggle SafeCook on (the toggle will turn red)
- Choose your meat type (the default is “Poultry”)
- Choose the form that best describes your prep (for instance “intact cut” for a steak)
- Tap “apply”
- This activates SafeCook
- When your food is safe*, your app will display a green SafeCook badge
*According to USDA/FDA/FSIS standards combining time and temperature. The complete documentation is nearly 800 pages.
Local MeatNet™ and MeatNet Cloud
MeatNet™ is an ad-hoc mesh network.
It’s a network that forms itself and doesn’t require any intervention - you don’t have to have an access point… or router.
MeatNet™ Cloud connects all this to the internet, so you can live-stream your data to wherever you are.
Combustion tools (and the app) communicate directly with one another (peer-to-peer).
Because of the vital data and calculations are done inside the thermometer (no kidding!), breaking a connection does not interrupt an ongoing cook or reset anything.
With MeatNet, if your phone (for instance) has to reboot mid-cook, no problem. Everything will pick up–live and in real-time–when you get back.
More?
- All data originates inside the Predictive Thermometer
- The thermometer broadcasts this openly over Bluetooth
- Some products (e.g. Combustion Display and Combustion Booster) include a “repeater” function or repeater AND WiFi
- A repeater rebroadcasts the exact information it got from the Predictive Thermometer
- Apps within range of any MeatNet device display the data
If you went through the setup steps (higher on this page), your personal MeatNet and cloud connection are ready when you are.
Graphing with the Combustion App
Graphs will only appear when a thermometer is on and connected to the app.
- If the graph is not visible, tap one of the temperatures. Voila!
- To hide the graph, tap the settings icon (three vertical dots) and select "hide graph."
- To show/hide the lines from any sensor, tap the color-coded circle below the temp.
There are more advanced settings within the app itself. Play around!
Advanced Mode
View (and graph) temps from all 8 sensors using Advanced Mode.
- You'll find advanced mode in the settings menu (3 vertical dots).
- You can toggle each sensor's display on/off by tapping the color-coded circle beneath each sensor.
- Sensors are labeled from T1 (closest to the tip) to Ambient/T8 (the handle sensor).
Debug Mode
Inside the settings menu (three vertical dots), you can find debug mode. There's a lot of confusing stuff in there!*
But if you're having trouble with one of your tools, or the network, you may find some answers.
*If you're an engineer, you'll probably love it.
If you're curious - signal strength is shown as a negative number (dBm). For reference:
-50 is fantastic
-80 is OK
-90 is marginal
And so on.
Watchouts + Warnings
Watch out for non-standard chargers
Combustion tools can be charged using standard (5v) USB ports and most USB hub-type products.
If in doubt, a phone charger is a safe bet.
Do not use a “quick charge” port or any other USB port that uses nonstandard voltage. It’s complex, but essentially these types of chargers are relying on the device to tell them how much voltage/amperage to deliver.
The circuitry in “smart chargers” should default to the 5v standard but sometimes they don’t. The industry is a bit unregulated, at least in the US.
Although most quick-charge ports and “smart” charging stations are safe for the CPT, we cannot guarantee that. In other words, it’s probably fine (and I’ve done it myself) but it’s at your own risk.
A special note: Thermoworks has a VERY nonstandard charger for one of its products that delivers 12v of power. Do not use that to charger any of our tools, or anything else – other than the thing it comes with. It will destroy anything else you plug into it, with a vengeance.
Never microwave!
First off, you should never microwave metal. It will create arcs and potentially destroy your microwave, voiding the warranty on anything and everyone around.
Secondly, NEVER EVER MICROWAVE THE PREDICTIVE THERMOMETER.
Not only is it largely metal, it’s antenna is specifically tuned to the wavelength of a microwave (Bluetooth is the same length).
As a consequence, it’s even more dangerous than microwaving a spoon (for instance).
One word: plasma.
A microwave (or trivection oven) also has a fine mesh screen that stops the microwaves from cooking things in the vicinity, like butter keepers, faces, parakeets, etc. This screen is a highly effective Bluetooth signal blocker.
Even if you’re not using the microwave function, it will be extremely difficult to get a good signal out of an oven that has microwave capability.
The only exit in that scenario is the oven’s vent holes (typically behind the range) - you may be able to get a signal out if you place a Booster or Display there.
Do not quench!
One non-obvious thing to watch out for is quenching. Don’t do it!
Although the CPT (including the handle) is very durable, it’s not quite indestructible.
Quenching is putting a hot thermometer directly into cold water. The shock of the temperature change can cause the handle to crack or shatter.
The same thing will happen with a pyrex dish or ceramic bakeware. Don’t quench those things either.
Since you asked, a metal pan can also become disfigured or warped by quenching (it’ll show up as a hump in the middle; not good!).
In general, there’s no kitchen item that enjoys quenching, although some items are tolerant.
It’s fine to soak the thermometer to remove stuck-on food, but always wait until it has cooled (ideally to room temp) before doing so.
Putting it in the fridge directly after cooking is not risky. The temp transfer is magnitudes slower.
Do not exceed 900ºF/482ºC
Extreme temperatures can damage the internal electronics and sensors.
Love sous vide? The 2nd Gen CPT was made for you.
The 2nd Gen Predictive Thermometer is hermetically sealed and 100% recommended for all sous vide use, including commercial vacuum sealers.
Happy cooking, sous viders!
Quick reference
How does SafeCook™ work?
The Combustion App tells you when your food is safe to eat, applying the food-safety standards of the US government (USDA/FDA).
TLDR: with the CPT, you can cook safely without overcooking your food.
The SafeCook feature is very easy to use and the Predictive Thermometer does all the math.
With it, you never have to overcook anything “just to be sure.”
Select your protein + preparation.
SafeCook tracks combined time-and-temps as your food heats up. It's a rolling count of bacterial destruction.
Using time + temp is just as effective as reaching a very high temp (and far tastier!).
Cooking at 150ºF for 4.2 min is just as effective as cooking to 165ºF.
Either method eliminates bacteria by the millions (99.99999% is the USDA-safe level for chicken).
What temp do you recommend for steak...chicken... loaf...etc?
What temperature you cook to depends not only on the protein you're cooking, but the style of cooking and your preferred results. It's a matter of taste.
Listing preferred cooking temps would require a huge page of its own (or maybe a whole site), but here are some of the temps we use frequently (remember, home cooking is at your own risk):
- Salmon: 120ºF/49ºC
- Steak (med rare): 128ºF/54ºC
- Pork chop (med rare): 140ºF/60ºC
- Hamburger (med): 140ºF/60ºC
- Chicken (breast): 150ºF/65ºC (for 3 minutes+)
- Bread: 207ºF/97ºC
Cook below USDA food safety standards at your own risk.
(P.S. Every professional chef does.)
How to manage resting + carryover?
We don't recommend resting for most things, but there are some times when it's very useful.
If you plan to rest your food, set the target temp lower to compensate and leave the thermometer in. That way you'll know exactly when to slice and quickly cool your food if it's in danger of going too high.
Carryover effects can vary greatly (depending on temperature differential, water content, mass, and surface area), but they are repeatable with the same cut and same cooking plan.
Keep track! You might not nail it on the first try, but with the Predictive Thermometer you can tune it in.
There's more on the help center/FAQ
We have a pretty sweet encyclopedia of knowledge in the Help Center/FAQ.
Searchable by topic!
You'll find all the various reference guides as well as deeper answers to a wider variety of questions.
For instance:
What do the buttons on the Display do?
How exactly should I insert the thermometer into my roast?
And many more.
If you don't find what you're looking for, support@combustion.inc is here to help.