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Control Freak offers accurate temperature controlled induction cooking

Control Freak offers accurate temperature controlled induction cooking
The Control Freak lets you share temperature information for specific recipes through a USB port
The Control Freak lets you share temperature information for specific recipes through a USB port
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The Control Freak lets you share temperature information for specific recipes through a USB port
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The Control Freak lets you share temperature information for specific recipes through a USB port
The Control Freak will let you choose the perfect temperature and maintain it for you, taking the guesswork out of some tough cooking techniques
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The Control Freak will let you choose the perfect temperature and maintain it for you, taking the guesswork out of some tough cooking techniques

Anyone who's tried to poach the perfect egg will know the average induction cooker isn't a precision instrument. You need the water to be around 185° F (85° C), but does that mean turning the knob to low, medium or high? Is it somewhere in between? It's enough to drive any Heston Blumenthal wannabe insane. The solution may have come, in the form of the Control Freak induction cooking system, which lets you dial in an exact temperature and maintain it for perfect poaching, blanching, boiling and broiling every time.

The result of a collaboration between Breville and PolyScience, the clever cooker measures temperature in two ways. There's a through-the-glass pan temperature sensor, which sits above the glass base for accurate, timely information, but this in-cooker sensor is backed up by a Probe Control module. Having clipped it to your pot, the Probe Control unit will measure the temperature of water- or fat-based liquids and relay this information to the base, which then adjusts its output so your food doesn't get too hot or cold.

Using either method of measurement, the Control Freak is able to accurately maintain a temperature between 86° and 482° F (30° and 250°C), allowing chefs to maintain the right amount of heat without having to manually adjust their hob based on a thermometer reading.

The Control Freak will let you choose the perfect temperature and maintain it for you, taking the guesswork out of some tough cooking techniques
The Control Freak will let you choose the perfect temperature and maintain it for you, taking the guesswork out of some tough cooking techniques

If you realize the temperature is wrong or you need change the heat over a period of time, the cooker has an intensity function allowing you control how fast or slowly your food heats up. Once things have reached the desired temperature, the unit can be set to maintain it for up to 72 hours, as well as offering to keep cooked food warm at 140° F (60° C).

Favorite temperature profiles can be stored and recalled with the press of a button, while programming instructions for specific recipes can also be shared between different Control Freaks through the inbuilt USB port.

The Control Freak is priced at US$1,799.

Source: Breville, PolyScience

10 comments
10 comments
mhpr262
$1,800, holy cow. I think I may be able to live with food cooked to only 99% perfection after all.
Booleanboy
I can already hear the Maker fraternity dusting off their Arduinos and LM35s to knock $1725 off that price.
unklmurray
While I will never pay that for such a Toy,I have control Freaky friends who will run right out and get one or 2.......I'm holding out for one of those ''Yecup''coffee Hot/Cold cups......LOL :-)
liui
for $1500 you can get a GE's touchscreen induction cooktop with 4 elements and add sous vide probe for $150
Tom Lee Mullins
While I think that is way cool and great for small places (homes, campers, apartments), the price does seem rather high.
dsiple
There are lots of single burner (and doubles) induction cookers that go for under $100 in the US. Here are choices: https://youtu.be/nZZBPhAaqmc
Beachhawk
For $1800 I could buy a whole induction cooktop, coffee maker, and coffee grinder, and electric can opener.
equator180
What was it Mr. Barnum said about one born every day? Way, way over the top, many better solutions including a DIY temperature controller w/probe for under $40!
sagebrush6
Yup, my Kenmore stove still works j u s t fine. And it's paid for. $1,800 + tax is an awfully spendy poached egg.
Timelord
What knob is Scott Collie talking about? Every induction cooker I've seen has digital membrane switch or touch controls with a lot more power levels than just low-medium-high, and almost all have a temperature mode as well. Of course, the latter isn't very precise, usually having increments of 30ºF or more. But other than that, I'm not convinced a clip-on temperature probe is worth the extra $1700+ they're asking for this unit. I'm sure one of the established companies like Duxtop could add such a sensor to their induction cookers for all of maybe $20-50 additional cost to the consumer if it was that important. Also, I wonder whether it cycles power to the coils or provides truly continuous temperature, which would be far preferable. It's an annoyance watching bubbles briefly form at the bottom of a pot every few seconds when a standard induction cooker tries to maintain a poaching temperature, indicating that the pot exceeds 212º briefly then cools.