Oliso SmartHub Kickstarter: Another Entrant in the Sous Vide Appliance Field

[Chris Hennes]

I was recently contacted about the Kickstarter for the Oliso SmartHub induction hob. It looks basically like an induction hob with some sous vide temperature control baked in and an interchangeable cooking area (flat top or water bath). They are currently about halfway funded. I think the big question is, does the world need this thing? One of their staff members joined this morning to answer any questions you may have about the device and/or the Kickstarter.

[Oliso_Inc]

Thanks Chris!  We realize that lots of people are very happy with their immersion circulators and we aren't necessarily billing the SmartHub exclusively as an alternative to a circulator.  To address your concern about us selling something that the world doesn't need, I'd like to instead offer that it is a great solution for some people and in some situations, but it isn't something that I would insist that everyone needs to own.  Here is what we really like about the SmartHub and why we designed it the way that we did:

 

Circulators are single purpose tools - they keep water, and only water, at a precise temperature.  For the most part this limits their use to only sous vide, making them an expensive device that can only do one thing. Sous vide is only one of the amazing things that precise temperature control allows. We've found chefs using the SmartHub for many techniques that benefit from temperature control, like extractions, infusions, and fermentation (it can hold liquids as low as 86F for indefinite periods of time with extremely low energy consumption). If you wanted to try these things with a circulator you would have to first seal your ingredients into bags and even then the agitation created by the pump would effect the results. For an illustration of this ask a barista about the importance of agitation in the preparation of pour-over coffee, one of the most common extractions done in the kitchen.

 

Since the ability to hold liquids at exact temperatures for long periods of time hasn't been within reach of most chefs until now, we don't yet know many of the things that chefs will be able to do with it. To extend the coffee illustration; you probably know what cold brew coffee tastes like, but do you know what coffee extracted at 95 degrees F for 5 hours tastes like?  We gave an early test unit to the amazing Courtney Burns at Bar Tartine in SF and she has been doing incredible extractions with it, mostly in the bar.  If you live in the area we highly recommend you go try some of her drinks for inspiration.

 

The fact that circulators are placed in pots and plastic tubs also presents issues for many chefs. Since you can't use lids with something sticking out of the pot, you are going to lose water to evaporation, which can become a big problem on a long cook. Some users have even resorted to using ping-pongs balls in a layer on top of the water in order to overcome this problem.

 

As for the amount of food you can fit on our bath compared to a circulator, there are a few things to consider. First, our bath is very large (maximum capacity of 10.4 liters) and has no problem fitting a a whole chicken. Circulators will work in a multitude of containers, but there are limits to the amount of water they can heat. I've maxed out a few of them when trying to cook at a high water temperature in a large tub.

 

The Sous Vide Smart Top retains heat more effectively than a circulator due to the combination of its tempered glass lid, deep bath that minimizes liquid surface area, and the double-wall insulation of the bath. This means that the Smart Hub only has to use minimal energy to maintain bath temperature, as opposed to a circulator that must constantly be running. While it is definitely nice to have lower power bills and reduce your ecological footprint, this feature is the biggest boon to people interested in cooking sous vide on boats and in RVs.

 

Finally, there is convenience and appearance to consider. When you have to set up a pot and circulator, fashion a lid from saran wrap, and wait for the circulator to get up to temperature you will probably find yourself cooking sous vide a lot less often. For many owners of circulators, this restricts there use of sous vide to special occasions and it means that they aren't going to be learning the technique as well as they would if they did it more often. I know that when I had a circulator I was very unlikely to break it out just to make myself a chicken breast for dinner when I could do it in a quarter of the time in a pan, but with the SmartHub it's a no-brainer.

 

The other reason I'm more likely to use it is that it is that I like the way it looks in my kitchen. I don't want to have a pot with a plastic wand coming out of it and saran wrap or ping pong balls over that sitting out on my counter top. The SmartHub, on the other hand, is elegant and improves the appearance of my kitchen.

 

Most of this content is on the Kickstarter campaign page buried in the FAQs.  I thought I would move it include it here so that you could read what the SmartHub is all about without having to visit our page in case it isn't for you.  I'd love to answer any questions people have about the SmartHub and I'll check back here for the next couple of days to do that.

 

--Jonathan

Edited November 2, 2015 by Oliso_Inc (log)

[gfweb]

That's a nifty idea.

[dcarch]

Thanks fro bring this interesting appliance to EG.

 

My comment and questions:

 

1. I disagree induction is more efficient. Immersion heating is by definition 100% efficient.

 

2. Without a circulator, how do you achieve even temperature?

 

3. I am not sure how many cooks are that concerned about energy savings.

 

Interesting and I see this to have many uses in the kitchen.

 

dcarch

[Oliso_Inc]

1.  You are correct.  Induction is much more efficient than any other type of range or hob, but for heating liquid in a bath an immersion element is more efficient.  If I had to guess it would be something like 90% efficiency vs 99% for a submerged electric element.  Is there somewhere on the Kickstarter where we claim otherwise?  If so, tell me where so I can go fix it.

 

2. Convection currents and diffusion keep the heat extremely evenly distributed. Through extensive testing with thermocouple arrays and infrared cameras, we've found that there is almost perfect heat distribution in the bath. The only exception to this is at the very bottom of the bath, the metal bottom itself is sometimes a fraction of a degree hotter than the water. To solve the issue that this presented we've designed and included a stainless steel baffle that holds food slightly off the bottom of the pan. We really wanted to be able to use the top for liquids other than water, so this solution was much more appealing to us than the prospect of building in a pump to move water.

 

3. For the most part you may be right, but I do think that some cooks might think twice about running their circulator for 8 days in a row due to the electricity cost.  Depending on how insulated the container being used it, that could get expensive.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Oliso_Inc (log)

[rotuts]

if I get this right, you plan to sell the induction bottom and bath top for $ 500 after the kicktstarter is finished ?

 

but 250 for '250 $$ ' contributors now ?  w a certain number of slots still open ?

 

you want to develop a feed-back system for induction pots you already have ?

 

can the bottom be used as a plain portable induction hob, similar to the Burton series that easily take 10 " pans ? if not 12 " pans ?

 

I hope you do well

 

but the 500 final price is a bit daunting

 

what would be the size of the griddle ?

Edited November 2, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Here are the basic product images from their Kickstarter page:

 

 

 

The specs say that it's about a foot square, but I can't find a reference to the liquid capacity for sous vide, or the internal dimensions of the bath.

[rotuts]

somewhere it says 11 qts for the top

[Chris Hennes]

Sure enough, listed right there in the sidebar. I am actually finding the use of the top as more of a "precision crock pot" intriguing. And it does say it will work with your other induction-compatible cookware. Pricey for a crockpot, but it does have a lot of bells and whistles. Has anyone used their Sous Vide Supreme as a slow cooker?

[rotuts]

its very clever to remove the heat source from the heated element (s)

 

be it a pot of water, though an elegant pot of water, a griddle or future items

 

however, no one is going to remove an 11 pot of warm or hot water to then place the griddle on to to finish their SV dinner

 

where are they going to put the pot ? their hungry at this point.

 

they have a stove or its equivalent for that final part of the cooking.  but it does look classy, its just not going to happen.

 

what size pan  ( circular ) would work well on the bottom induction hob ?

[Oliso_Inc]

Capacity is 10.4 liters - dimensions are approx 301mm x 240mm x 195mm (l,w,d).

 

Yes, the retail price will be $500.  If you are one of the first 100 backers then it will be $249 and then after that it will be $299.  Once the campaign is over and we are selling them retail they will be at the full price of $500.

 

Yes, it works and any induction capable pan just like the Burton series and will fit a 12" pan.

 

As to somebody being willing to take the Sous Vide Top off and put a griddle on to finish their sous vide dinner I don't know why that would be unlikely - I do it all the time!  I just set the Sous Vide Top on the counter; it has a heavy duty plastic frame so there is no risk of damaging the surface you are placing it on due to heat.

[gfweb]

It does look like the SVS, doesn't it.  I'm completely happy with the SVS by the way. Don't find any issue with a lack of circulation.

 

This thing would be great for a boat or RV, I think.

 

I don't see the need for a precision crockpot, though.

[Oliso_Inc]

Chris - I've been curious to see what people do with it in that regard as well.  I've read a lot of people talking about using there SV supreme for broths and I'm interested in trying some of those techniques in the SmartHub in the near future.  And thank you for backing our project!

 

gfweb - Yeah, for use as a Sous Vide machine it is very similar.  One nice thing about separating the heat source from the bath is that it makes it really easy to clean without worrying about damaging the electronics.  The SmartHub is also significantly faster than the SVS.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Oliso_Inc (log)

[Chris Hennes]

What do you expect the max temperature to be? Can I use it for deep-frying?

[rotuts]

your final price point is going to make or break this items popularity.

 

 

i do believe that you might take the pot off and add the grill to finish you meal

 

very few others would, as their stove it probably near by.  that's not rejecting the idea.  

 

final price is the key to your success.  399  maybe   299 probably. 499 nope.

 

the problem this item has is the same problem the SVS has  ( I do not have an SVS )

 

the precious counter top real-estate it uses.

 

its extremely rare Id bet for an SVS user to move the SVS around, let alone put it away.

 

a bit easier here as there are two parts, but the same issue.

 

people might give this a dedicated spot on the counter top to make daily SV easier. its certainly elegant enough.

 

Id put your marketing energy into suggesting other uses for the pot  in situ

Edited November 2, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Oliso_Inc]

Unfortunately you won't be able to deep fry in the bath, the firmware maxes out the temperature you can set it to at a boil.  We are definitely interested in developing a deep frying top in the future.

[Chris Hennes]

What about allowing arbitrary temps when using your own cookware? I don't really want to deep fry in your bath, I want to use my Le Creuset. 

[rotuts]

they seem to be hopping to develop a feed-back system to the induction hob for that  sort of purpose.

 

its on the vid.

 

that addition would be extremely useful

 

1800 watts  for the induction hob ?

Edited November 2, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[dcarch]

"---Don't find any issue with a lack of circulation.---"

 

With circulation your food will be heated up significantly faster, in addition to much more even in temperature from top to bottom and side to side.

By definition, in order for natural convection to work, there has to be a noticeable difference of temperature from top to bottom..

 

Regarding energy use, heat generated in the cold seasons heats the house, and is not a total waste.

 

dcarch

Edited November 2, 2015 by dcarch (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Regarding energy use, heat generated in the cold seasons heats the house, and is not a total waste.

Only matters if you live someplace with a "cold season"!

[gfweb]

"---Don't find any issue with a lack of circulation.---"

 

With circulation your food will be heated up significantly faster, in addition to much more even in temperature from top to bottom and side to side.

By definition, in order for natural convection to work, there has to be a noticeable difference of temperature from top to bottom..

 

Regarding energy use, heat generated in the cold seasons heats the house, and is not a total waste.

 

dcarch

 

...

[rotuts]

what are the temps and temp intervals for the induction bottom using it as an induction plate for your own induction cookware ?

 

min ?   max ?

[Shalmanese]

Any way to partner with Meater and have the meater probe be compatible with the smart hub? That way, I could use the Meater probe with any pot I own.

[weinoo]

the problem this item has is the same problem the SVS has  ( I do not have an SVS )

 

the precious counter top real-estate it uses.

 

its extremely rare Id bet for an SVS user to move the SVS around, let alone put it away.

 

Yes, this is the reason I craig's listed and sold off my SVS - took up too much damn room.

 

I like the fact that I can put the Anova into a drawer right under my counter.

[dcarch]

what are the temps and temp intervals for the induction bottom using it as an induction plate for your own induction cookware ?

 

min ?   max ?

 

A regular ($60) induction cooker can give you 1800 watts of cooking power.

This one has only 1500 watts of power.

 

dcarch