New Toy: Breville/Polyscience Control Freak!

[Gnulio]

Anyone has the european version? I send it back because the temperature control was totally inaccurate.

[EsaK]

4 minutes ago, Gnulio said:

Anyone has the european version? I send it back because the temperature control was totally inaccurate.

Think mine is European version, at least the plug is. I swallowed my disappointment though and kept the machine, even though the temp control isn't what you'd expect for the price and requires certain types of pans. 

[Gnulio]

13 minutes ago, EsaK said:

Think mine is European version, at least the plug is. I swallowed my disappointment though and kept the machine, even though the temp control isn't what you'd expect for the price and requires certain types of pans. 

Is 240v? Temp control was everytime inaccurate also on probe control. Same on you? I tried different pans but nothing worked well. I sent it back to sousvidetools in uk but UPS lost the shipment so I'm waiting for refund. I don't know if I will buy it again this is why I'm asking if anyone has the eu version working properly?

[EsaK]

18 minutes ago, Gnulio said:

Is 240v? Temp control was everytime inaccurate also on probe control. Same on you? I tried different pans but nothing worked well. I sent it back to sousvidetools in uk but UPS lost the shipment so I'm waiting for refund. I don't know if I will buy it again this is why I'm asking if anyone has the eu version working properly?

220-240V yep. I haven't done more precise testing in a long time after purchasing it, but I think a large part of my issue was that the pan temp control doesn't work accurately unless your pan is precisely like the sensor would want it to be (anything other than a completely smooth flat bottom for example). Can't remember if I have had issues with the probe control being unreliable. 

 

I don't know what kind of issues did you have, what kind of inaccuracy? 

[Gnulio]

4 hours ago, EsaK said:

220-240V yep. I haven't done more precise testing in a long time after purchasing it, but I think a large part of my issue was that the pan temp control doesn't work accurately unless your pan is precisely like the sensor would want it to be (anything other than a completely smooth flat bottom for example). Can't remember if I have had issues with the probe control being unreliable. 

 

I don't know what kind of issues did you have, what kind of inaccuracy? 

The problem was that when I set a temperature with an external thermometer I read another temperature. I also tried with sugar that caramelized with the pan set at 110 degrees. With the probe control it took very long time to reach the desired temperature, for example to fry and when I putthe food it never recovered the set temperature.

[EsaK]

9 minutes ago, Gnulio said:

The problem was that when I set a temperature with an external thermometer I read another temperature. I also tried with sugar that caramelized with the pan set at 110 degrees. With the probe control it took very long time to reach the desired temperature, for example to fry and when I putthe food it never recovered the set temperature.

Alright. Could be a faulty one? Honestly pretty hard to say from here I'm afraid. I think, though I haven't checked this in a long time, mine at least gives the same temp with the probe and a Thermapen. I haven't deep fried with mine, but based on other stuff I've done, I would expect it to recover to the set temp pretty quickly (and overshoot some if using the speedier settings). All in all I think mine behaves more or less as expected, assuming the pans I use don't have grooves on the bottom or anything like that. 

[Gnulio]

1 minute ago, EsaK said:

Alright. Could be a faulty one? Honestly pretty hard to say from here I'm afraid. I think, though I haven't checked this in a long time, mine at least gives the same temp with the probe and a Thermapen. I haven't deep fried with mine, but based on other stuff I've done, I would expect it to recover to the set temp pretty quickly (and overshoot some if using the speedier settings). All in all I think mine behaves more or less as expected, assuming the pans I use don't have grooves on the bottom or anything like that. 

I don't know. I saw here on an old post another european user with the same problems. So I tought was a Eu issue. For sure mine doesn't work like the ones on youtube videos. In a lot of videos I saw the pan control be very accurate. Can you check if yours is good? Where did you buy it?

[EsaK]

33 minutes ago, Gnulio said:

I don't know. I saw here on an old post another european user with the same problems. So I tought was a Eu issue. For sure mine doesn't work like the ones on youtube videos. In a lot of videos I saw the pan control be very accurate. Can you check if yours is good? Where did you buy it?

Just did a quick test with a small pot and +5cm or so water in there. Heated to 50C. Pan control said 50C in a minute or something. Thermapen climbed very slowly to about 40C, at which point I started stirring. A few moments after and Thermapen read 50-51C. 

 

Bought mine from the same place as you did. I argued with them for quite some time after realizing that it works very inaccurately with many of my pots and pans. Can't really recommend the place if you're looking for great customer service. 

[Gnulio]

12 minutes ago, EsaK said:

Just did a quick test with a small pot and +5cm or so water in there. Heated to 50C. Pan control said 50C in a minute or something. Thermapen climbed very slowly to about 40C, at which point I started stirring. A few moments after and Thermapen read 50-51C. 

 

Bought mine from the same place as you did. I argued with them for quite some time after realizing that it works very inaccurately with many of my pots and pans. Can't really recommend the place if you're looking for great customer service. 

Got the same problem with them. I tried a lot of different pans and pots, lot of them from ikea. Mine has a very opposite behavior than yours, the external thermometer indicate a much higher temp than the pan control, so I burnt a lot of food. Which pan you use?

[Paul Kierstead]

18 minutes ago, EsaK said:

Just did a quick test with a small pot and +5cm or so water in there. Heated to 50C. Pan control said 50C in a minute or something. Thermapen climbed very slowly to about 40C, at which point I started stirring. A few moments after and Thermapen read 50-51C.

 

I'm not sure I follow the problem here. It hit your temperate quite accurately. The pan was, in fact, at 50 and eventually the contents followed suit.

[EsaK]

Just now, Paul Kierstead said:

I'm not sure I follow the problem here. It hit your temperate quite accurately. The pan was, in fact, at 50 and eventually the contents followed suit.

And there wasn't a problem. Apologies if my post came out as if there was! The issues I had were with different pots and pans, not the one I did this quick test with. 

 

4 minutes ago, Gnulio said:

Got the same problem with them. I tried a lot of different pans and pots, lot of them from ikea. Mine has a very opposite behavior than yours, the external thermometer indicate a much higher temp than the pan control, so I burnt a lot of food. Which pan you use?

Hmm, can't remember having the issue that way around, at least not with a medium like water. If you just put a pan in there, turn the dial to 120-150C or whatever, intensity on the highest, and a piece of some protein for example, you'll likely get quite a pretty hard sear on it, might even burn. But if you wait until the pan control shows 120C or whatever, then put your protein in, I doubt you'll burn anything. I'm not an expert, but my amateur guess is that the temperature ramp up is so intensive that it overshoots quite a bit in that phase, and if you have something in the pan during that time, it's very possible it burns? My pots and pans are from various places and various kinds (some IKEA, carbon steel De Buyer, miscellaneous stainless steel pots). 

[Gnulio]

1 hour ago, EsaK said:

And there wasn't a problem. Apologies if my post came out as if there was! The issues I had were with different pots and pans, not the one I did this quick test with. 

 

Hmm, can't remember having the issue that way around, at least not with a medium like water. If you just put a pan in there, turn the dial to 120-150C or whatever, intensity on the highest, and a piece of some protein for example, you'll likely get quite a pretty hard sear on it, might even burn. But if you wait until the pan control shows 120C or whatever, then put your protein in, I doubt you'll burn anything. I'm not an expert, but my amateur guess is that the temperature ramp up is so intensive that it overshoots quite a bit in that phase, and if you have something in the pan during that time, it's very possible it burns? My pots and pans are from various places and various kinds (some IKEA, carbon steel De Buyer, miscellaneous stainless steel pots). 

I made a lot of test talking with the sage customer service, I made an experiment with sugar and the pan set 110 celsius slow mode. After few minutes the sugar start to caramelize. In your case how work the pan control with ikea pans?

[EsaK]

10 hours ago, Gnulio said:

I made a lot of test talking with the sage customer service, I made an experiment with sugar and the pan set 110 celsius slow mode. After few minutes the sugar start to caramelize. In your case how work the pan control with ikea pans?

IKEA stainless steel pot with sugar to cover the bottom, 110C, slow mode. Sugar stays granulated after heating to 110C and staying there for 5 minutes or so. 

[Gnulio]

3 hours ago, EsaK said:

IKEA stainless steel pot with sugar to cover the bottom, 110C, slow mode. Sugar stays granulated after heating to 110C and staying there for 5 minutes or so. 

So yours it work well. Good to know. 

[Gnulio]

This is the video about frying 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mf6c8rt4wmxsinu/VID_20210109_141120.mp4?dl=0

the pot is a stainless steel from ikea. 

Anyone experienced something like that?

[Gnulio]

This is the email that I sent today to polyscience.

I'll tell you about my experience with the retailer sousvidetools. In December 2020 I decide to buy your Control freak product and the only retailer I find in Europe is the sousvidetools store. I make the purchase for 899 euros + ss. After a week the item arrives and after a few I experience several problems, the temperature control does not work in any way, I contact you and the shop and after several emails you tell me that they will be the ones to take care of the change of the machinery. Sousvidetool asks me to send the item back at my expense, which I do, telling me that there will be no problems as soon as the package arrives they will send me the new product. Unfortunately, from January 2021 with the brexit there are several problems with the English customs for those who ship from Europe, UPS (the shipper recommended to me) loses a lot of time until 20 days ago it informs me that the package has been lost. Sousvidetools in these 4 months has never helped me with this problem by saying that obviously it was not their problem, UPS instead informs me several times that they have tried to contact the store to carry out customs clearance. In any case, UPS would have to give me a refund for 800 euros so from the purchase I would have already lost more than 130 euros. I communicate the situation to sousvidetool by saying that I would be interested in getting a working control freak, however, they tell me that the price is now 1399 euros and that at the limit they could give me 10% discount then 1259 therefore a loss for me of 459 euros. Does it seem correct to you that a reseller manages the assistance on your product in this way? Unfortunately, I will keep the money and will not buy another machine. Of course I will advise my clients to do the same. I'm sorry because I believed in the product.

Of course I can send several emails proving the situation.

[horseflesh]

Here's a Kickstarter for a product like the Control Freak, the Njori Tempo. Looks like it will be about $500. Looking forward to seeing a comparison review. 

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/njori/njori-tempo-the-smart-cooker-for-adventurous-chefs

 

 

[jandreas]

On 5/26/2021 at 6:07 AM, Gnulio said:

the pot is a stainless steel from ikea. 

Anyone experienced something like that?

 

 

The first thing I would do is use more oil.  Have you tried thicker pots & pans?  The only thing thinner than an ikea kitchen pot is the sheet metal on a Chery car.      

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, horseflesh said:

Here's a Kickstarter for a product like the Control Freak, the Njori Tempo. Looks like it will be about $500. Looking forward to seeing a comparison review. 

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/njori/njori-tempo-the-smart-cooker-for-adventurous-chefs

 

 

At 1800W (at 240V) it would be fine for sous vide, but I don't think it would replace a high powered, accurate induction burner.

[Anna N]

I’m always amused that the marketing is to the adventurous cook and then guarantees the same result every time. Where is the adventures in that?

[Paul Kierstead]

Consistency of process means your outcome is due to your changes, which means you can experiment and know that your mistakes are your own. Inconsistent process is surprises, not adventure (Though, tbf, surprises can definitely be adventurous!)

[Gnulio]

On 6/13/2021 at 8:35 PM, jandreas said:

 

The first thing I would do is use more oil.  Have you tried thicker pots & pans?  The only thing thinner than an ikea kitchen pot is the sheet metal on a Chery car.      

You have ti check more often Ikea's products. They made probably the best quality/price ratio inox pans. Sensuell pans are thick like all clad pans.

[dtremit]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:41 PM, KennethT said:

At 1800W (at 240V) it would be fine for sous vide, but I don't think it would replace a high powered, accurate induction burner.

 

Same wattage as the (US) Control Freak, no?

 

The sous vide bit is useless to me, but in other respects I really like some of what Njori has designed. The storage case is really beautifully designed, and the "reduce by weight" feature enabled by the built-in scale is pretty cool. I secretly hate recipes that say "reduce by 1/2" because it's so hard to gauge that in the quantities one uses for a lot of home recipes.

Price is too high for me to take a chance on it from an untested vendor, though.

[horseflesh]

1 minute ago, dtremit said:

 

Price is too high for me to take a chance on it from an untested vendor, though.

 

Yep, exactly. 

 

I have 2 other sous vide gadgets but could maybe see myself using this. I would likely dedicate counter space to it, if I had one... and hooking up its circulator MIGHT be easier, or as easy, as hooking up one of my other gizmos. 

 

But, without more reviews, it is too risky. 

 

Even the Control Freak seems to have some quirks at 3x the cost.

[Aki]

Hi all,

 

I too was considering the price of the Control Freak too crazy. I was hoping it would come down to price one day and I've seen it swing from £900 all the way to £1500. After reading this thread, I got convinced that it was a good investment to make and I got lucky spotting a £600 deal on Sous Vide Tools for a refurbished unit. I received my refurbished unit and other than a few marks here and there and a slightly melted rubber seal on the edge of the plate it all looks good. 

 

I decided to test the unit to make sure it performs to spec and I noticed what I think is an odd behaviour but I am not 100% convinced it's a problem. Basically, I took these steps for my testing:

 

• I used my All-Clad 12" D3 pan where I attached one temperature sensor on the centre of the pan, and one on the edge
• I made sure the Control Freak and especially the pan sensor were clean and dry
• I set the pan on the stove and the intensity to "Low"
• Finally, I cycled through all possible temperatures in 25 C increments

 

Here is a picture of the setup where T1 on the multimeter (bottom) is the centre sensor and T2 (top) is the edge sensor:

 

 

And here are my test results (in Celsius):

 

 

As you can see, the higher the temperature, the bigger the variation between the pan sensor and the temperature probe on the pan. The worst case was a 25 C degree difference at 250 C.

 

I don't think this affects the performance of the device much, but has anyone else seen these results? Can you consistently get the set temperature regardless of how high it is?