The SteakAger is advertised as a product which can "dry age steaks right in your fridge." This is not entirely true.
The product is a $250 plastic and metal box with metal racks, a power cord, some fans, and a UVC lamp. In order to use The SteakAger, you put it together and place it in your refrigerator to cool. Then, you purchase an appropriate sized beef subprimal and put it on a metal rack (included) inside The SteakAger. After anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks (or more if you desire a "funky" flavor), you'll supposedly have dry aged beef to turn into steaks, burgers, chili, meatloaf or whatever else you can imagine.
Since my purchase, I have done a lot of research. Proper dry aging happens best at 1.5 degrees C (a little warmer than 37 degrees F.). Being housed in a refrigerator that may be opened and closed multiple times per day means that there is no way said refrigerator nor The SteakAger can constantly maintain an appropriate temperature. Temperatures above 40 degrees F can be dangerous for sanitation, and meat could spoil. Realistically, it's impractical to claim that one can "dry age steaks right in your fridge." Factually, it's false advertising to make such a claim.
When my wife and I loaded our SteakAger into our kitchen refrigerator, we decided it took up too much valuable space we could use for other food. This situation gives you two choices: sacrifice said space and continue using The SteakAger as planned, or put it in another refrigerator. We opted to put ours into another refrigerator. However, this meant that we had to obtain one as we didn't have one already available. Reviewing the product's official user community page on Facebook as well as their official website forum, we found many posts recommending a specific product produced by EdgeStar.
I found it on Amazon and ordered it. Having ordered it, I decided to see what else we'd need in order to utilize The SteakAger inside this EdgeStar product. I quickly found out that it would be best to purchase an external control module to regulate and view the temperature range withn the EdgeStar, and also a "muffin" fan to help circulate the air inside the EdgeStar as The SteakAger obstructs a lot of space and the EdgeStar's cold plate. It was also suggested that a product known as a SensorPush sensor, which is a thermometer/hygrometer, be purchased. A $250 investment had now turned into over $500 and that doesn't even include the meat my wife purchased!
Though The SteakAger does not advertise itself as an all-in-one type of product (which do exist for home use), it will require a good portion of your refrigerator to utilize. If a user does not want to make that space available to use The SteakAger, they are left with no choice but to spend additional funds on products which are not included in the initial $250 investment. This is not clearly stated on the company's website where "How it Works" is explained, and I would not have known any of this had I not looked through Facebook and their website forum.
In addition to the missing/misleading information on the website, the administrator(s) of the user group on Facebook seem very reluctant to admit there might be any sort of shortfalls or flaws with their product. Any comment expressing criticism is quickly deleted and the user admonished and informed that the problems are due to another piece of equipment connected to The SteakAger. I have provided multiple posts of advice by reading other posts and repeating what I've read, and the administrator(s) seem to think other users may believe I am an expert, though they know I am less than two weeks into my first ever use of The SteakAger. Because I attempted to be helpful, I was removed from the Facebook page and banned from it. Additionally, the company's demo chef, who is an administrator on their Facebook page, sent me multiple Facebook messages and threatened me before I was banned. Is that how a reputable company does customer service via social media? I don't believe so, and I think it was beyond unprofessional.
While it remains to be seen whether I'll have properly aged beef when I reach the desired number of days using The SteakAger, I do believe the company clearly has some issues to address with themselves and with their product.
The SteakAger Reviews
The SteakAger is advertised as a product which can "dry age steaks right in your fridge." This is not entirely true.
The product is a $250 plastic and metal box with metal racks, a power cord, some fans, and a UVC lamp. In order to use The SteakAger, you put it together and place it in your refrigerator to cool. Then, you purchase an appropriate sized beef subprimal and put it on a metal rack (included) inside The SteakAger. After anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks (or more if you desire a "funky" flavor), you'll supposedly have dry aged beef to turn into steaks, burgers, chili, meatloaf or whatever else you can imagine.
Since my purchase, I have done a lot of research. Proper dry aging happens best at 1.5 degrees C (a little warmer than 37 degrees F.). Being housed in a refrigerator that may be opened and closed multiple times per day means that there is no way said refrigerator nor The SteakAger can constantly maintain an appropriate temperature. Temperatures above 40 degrees F can be dangerous for sanitation, and meat could spoil. Realistically, it's impractical to claim that one can "dry age steaks right in your fridge." Factually, it's false advertising to make such a claim.
When my wife and I loaded our SteakAger into our kitchen refrigerator, we decided it took up too much valuable space we could use for other food. This situation gives you two choices: sacrifice said space and continue using The SteakAger as planned, or put it in another refrigerator. We opted to put ours into another refrigerator. However, this meant that we had to obtain one as we didn't have one already available. Reviewing the product's official user community page on Facebook as well as their official website forum, we found many posts recommending a specific product produced by EdgeStar.
I found it on Amazon and ordered it. Having ordered it, I decided to see what else we'd need in order to utilize The SteakAger inside this EdgeStar product. I quickly found out that it would be best to purchase an external control module to regulate and view the temperature range withn the EdgeStar, and also a "muffin" fan to help circulate the air inside the EdgeStar as The SteakAger obstructs a lot of space and the EdgeStar's cold plate. It was also suggested that a product known as a SensorPush sensor, which is a thermometer/hygrometer, be purchased. A $250 investment had now turned into over $500 and that doesn't even include the meat my wife purchased!
Though The SteakAger does not advertise itself as an all-in-one type of product (which do exist for home use), it will require a good portion of your refrigerator to utilize. If a user does not want to make that space available to use The SteakAger, they are left with no choice but to spend additional funds on products which are not included in the initial $250 investment. This is not clearly stated on the company's website where "How it Works" is explained, and I would not have known any of this had I not looked through Facebook and their website forum.
In addition to the missing/misleading information on the website, the administrator(s) of the user group on Facebook seem very reluctant to admit there might be any sort of shortfalls or flaws with their product. Any comment expressing criticism is quickly deleted and the user admonished and informed that the problems are due to another piece of equipment connected to The SteakAger. I have provided multiple posts of advice by reading other posts and repeating what I've read, and the administrator(s) seem to think other users may believe I am an expert, though they know I am less than two weeks into my first ever use of The SteakAger. Because I attempted to be helpful, I was removed from the Facebook page and banned from it. Additionally, the company's demo chef, who is an administrator on their Facebook page, sent me multiple Facebook messages and threatened me before I was banned. Is that how a reputable company does customer service via social media? I don't believe so, and I think it was beyond unprofessional.
While it remains to be seen whether I'll have properly aged beef when I reach the desired number of days using The SteakAger, I do believe the company clearly has some issues to address with themselves and with their product.