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New Toy: Breville/Polyscience Control Freak!


CanadianHomeChef

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4 hours ago, kelvie said:

A shot in the dark here, but has anyone taken apart the cable (I have the Canadian one with the NEMA 5-20P cord)?

 

I want to chop off the end and replace it with a right-angle plug -- the original plug sticks out so much it seems like a hazard (our outlets are about waist height), and was wondering if anyone knew the gauge of the wires inside the stock cable.

 

Don't be attempting surgery - use something like this:

 

https://www.amazon.ca/DEWENWILS-Extension-Profile-Grounded-Flexible/dp/B0891XFDJ2/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2EZ7KZRPQPXBY&keywords=right-angle+plug&qid=1652149968&sprefix=right-angle+plug%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-16

 

They have a few varieties to suit your needs and esthetics.

 

p

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15 hours ago, palo said:

Oh believe me, it's reallt difficult to find something like that (90 degree NEMA 5-20p to NEMA 5-20r adapter).

 

I even have the parts to make my onw, but figured I may as well just put the 90-degree plug I bought directly on the thing.

 

I wanted to make sure the wires fit before I started though. I had a couple of engineer friends tell me this isn't a rotten idea.

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I wonder why they put the 20 amp plug on it?

 

The device is rated @ 1800 watts @ 120 volts which equates to 15 amps - most modern kitchens have 20 amp circuits with standard sockets.

 

To increase its perceived exclusivity?

 

p

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7 hours ago, palo said:

I wonder why they put the 20 amp plug on it?

 

The device is rated @ 1800 watts @ 120 volts which equates to 15 amps - most modern kitchens have 20 amp circuits with standard sockets.

 

To increase its perceived exclusivity?

 

p

 

In general, breakers are rated to only work at continuous 80% loads, so this is to discourage you from pulling 15A on a 15A breaker (which is 100% load), assuming it actually does draw 15A.

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  • 2 months later...
I’m trying to do crispy fried garlic and crispy fried shallots on my Control Freak, any idea what temperature is best to accomplish this?
 
Is it possible to set a temp that will fry and crisp and not burn if I got distracted?
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1 hour ago, yimyammer said:
I’m trying to do crispy fried garlic and crispy fried shallots on my Control Freak, any idea what temperature is best to accomplish this?
 
Is it possible to set a temp that will fry and crisp and not burn if I got distracted?

@CanadianHomeChef, who started this topic, has some good temp guidelines here which don’t specifically mention crispy fried garlic or shallots but may give you good starting points. 

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1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

@CanadianHomeChef, who started this topic, has some good temp guidelines here which don’t specifically mention crispy fried garlic or shallots but may give you good starting points. 

thank you, thats where I started

 

I'm being lazy, I'll start testing temps and see if I can find a sweet spot

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9 hours ago, yimyammer said:

thank you, thats where I started

 

I'm being lazy, I'll start testing temps and see if I can find a sweet spot

I'd keep the temps on teh low side.  The key to crispy fried garlic/shallots is to boil all the water out slowly - once that's done, it starts browning fast.  If you use too high of a heat, the outside will brown before it's completely dry.  I'd probably try 275F or so to start.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys,

 

I have a question. I just cooked for under 2-3 times via Breville Polyscience Control Freak. Then the power button keeps blinking  over and over (again). The manual and diagnosis don't show this error. Does anyone have the same problem? How can we fix it? 

 BF243BF6-2D9B-449C-9451-53A23B71972C_AdobeExpress.gif.9b70a7c93042d97a633efb8c484d5645.gif

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I haven’t tried to plug in USB into the unit for update the software. So I don’t think it blinks because of this. 
also I am looking for the software update for trying fix the problem. I cannot find the firmware from internet. 

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I have a firmware update that was given to me back in 2018. Since then, they've stopped providing updates.

I would say use at your own risk though because there are several models of the Control Freak (mainly based on country of origin I think) and I'm not sure if the update is universal.

Sizzle and Sear

Owner/Editor

https://www.sizzleandsear.com/

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

This page has exact times and temperatures for different types of steaks, different thicknesses, and degree of doneness:

https://shop.hestancue.eu/blogs/blog-recipes/the-ultimate-guide-for-pan-seared-steak#:~:text=Temperature and Timing for Pan Searing and Cooking Steaks&text=Sear each surface for 2,thickness and your desired doneness.

I tried it and it was perfect. Surely we need / would benefit from equivalent information for a variety of foods if this is going to equate to what we have for sous vide? 

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12 minutes ago, mjbarnard said:

This page has exact times and temperatures for different types of steaks, different thicknesses, and degree of doneness:

https://shop.hestancue.eu/blogs/blog-recipes/the-ultimate-guide-for-pan-seared-steak#:~:text=Temperature and Timing for Pan Searing and Cooking Steaks&text=Sear each surface for 2,thickness and your desired doneness.

I tried it and it was perfect. Surely we need / would benefit from equivalent information for a variety of foods if this is going to equate to what we have for sous vide? 

Not sure exactly what you have in mind but @CanadianHomeChef has a nice compilation that I’ve found quite helpful. You can find it here, on his website. 

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Thanks very much Blue. I have been through every page of the thread so have visited the various resources, including the very helpful sizzling site and the incredibly helpful spreadsheet compiled by a member many pages back. These are hugely useful. 

I guess I was thinking  of the level of detail in terms of product size, cooking times, and variations that the Hestan page gives. Having downloaded it I suspect the Hestan app gives this level of detail, but it does not let you progress very far without connecting to a Hestan. I have a Breville (Sage here in Europe) so cant access that without splashing out on an additional Cue, which I would consider but will not do that if I cannot determine in advance how useful the app would be. 

But thanks again. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
28 minutes ago, CanadianHomeChef said:

Just a heads up, Breville is offering 20% off the Control Freak until October 17th; the 20% off seems to include Amazon as well.  Good deal for those waiting to pull the trigger.

Oh, perfect timing! I ordered one last week at full price. 😬

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  • 1 month later...
On 5/11/2022 at 5:53 AM, palo said:

I wonder why they put the 20 amp plug on it?

 

The device is rated @ 1800 watts @ 120 volts which equates to 15 amps - most modern kitchens have 20 amp circuits with standard sockets.

 

To increase its perceived exclusivity?

 

p

 

@palo -- to add to what @kelvie said, electrical devices are typically designed to run on a maximum of 80% of a circuit's capacity or less.  A typical "120V 15A" device will generally use less than 12A of power.

The Control Freak pushes the boundaries of energy usage for a 15A device.  I have tested my US units on a few meters.  It pulls up to around 14 amps (1600-1700 watts) and it might peak beyond that.  I understand that PolyScience used the 20 amp plug in Canada because of that.

In the U.S. we got the standard 120V 15A plug, with a warning not to plug into extension cables.  Extension cables often use a thinner gauge of wire than the normal gauge used for the circuit.  For instance, a lot of extension cords for 120V 15A outlets use 16 gauge (instead of 14 gauge or better) and are rated for 13 amps.  Again, multiply that by 80% and you shouldn't be pushing more than 10.4 amps through it continuously.  And because it's an extension cord and there are multiple couplings (places where you're plugging things into other things), you should derate it even more.

The Control Freak probably comes with a warning saying to plug it into the wall directly, not to use anything else on the same circuit, etc.  I actually run mine on an extension cord, knowing that it's not optimal, but I also used 10/12 AWG wire (which is rated for a continuous 20A/15A respectively) and really high-quality connectors.  I can't in good conscience recommend you do the same.  Plug it into the wall if you can.

As for your 20 amp plug...  If it came with a 20A plug, you probably want to continue using a 20A plug unless you know what you're doing.  The wires in the cord may be too thick in diameter to safely attach to a 15A plug.  It sounds like you have a 20A receptacle and are working with 20A connectors so you're already good in this regard.  For others who aren't lucky enough to have 20A outlets in the kitchen, the best thing to do is to replace the problem outlet with a 20A outlet (and with a 20A circuit breaker at the box).

With the exception of UK plugs (which use circuit breakers in the plug to protect the device locally), circuit breakers in the US and Canada are there to protect the wires themselves.  The wattage rating on the circuit and on the wire is there to keep it from overheating, from catching fire, etc.  If you plug multiple machines into the same circuit, the breaker should flip if you go over the wattage, but I prefer to use circuit breakers as an emergency backstop rather than as a mode of limiting power.

I hope it's okay to reply to a post from a few months back on this thread.  I looked at the rules and didn't see anything prohibiting it; if I broke an unwritten rule by responding to something older I apologize.  I just hate seeing questions without complete answers (although in this case kelvie gave a nice contribution as well).

 

afs

Edited by afs (log)
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