We are building an open source precision cooktop and want to know what you think

[Vapre]

28 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

What am I thinking of? There was some crazy-priced induction thing that several bought for less off ebay.

Maybe the Breville Control Freak, it goes for 1.5K

[trfl]

20 hours ago, chromedome said:

I remember you! Glad to hear that the LoafNest was a success, however modest (I gave you a quote for the campaign). 

 

I am on record here on the site (probably more than once) as saying that induction would be perfect for seniors (for safety/convenience reasons), if only someone would build an affordable induction hob with a simple dial rather than [expletive] touchpads. I'm not nearly as exacting in my use of induction as some of the others here on the site, largely because I have no meaningful use-case for sous vide, but a unit with better control than the two I currently use (both of them increment the power in 10 steps, so I'm often choosing between "a bit too fast" and "a bit too slow."

 

At this point app-controlled/IoT devices are a hard no for me, and I'm an open-source guy by inclination (Ubuntu Linux is my OS of choice since 2007), so you check the right boxes for me on that front, as well.

Several people here on the site bought an induction hob called Paragon, which also aimed for precision at a low price (perhaps some owners could weigh in on similarities and differences?) but sadly didn't make it commercially. Hopefully you fare better with this device.

 

I remember you too! You quote is permanently enshrined on the Kickstarter, thank you once again!

Also, thanks for all the positive words about our next project.

 

I think it is worthwhile for me to clarify here that this product is not an Induction based one. It is based on resistive heating (similar to old electric stoves, but a lot more responsive).

 

This was one of the hardest decisions (so far!) for us to take on this product. Induction has its advantages. It is responsive, it is efficient, the cooktop remains cool and easier to clean.

 

But, our decision to go with non-induction based technology was because:

• Induction is notorious for being not-uniform in heating. The best multi-layer pans still have a 10-50 F variation [Source. In this case, using a Control Freak, arguably a high performance induction cooktop in every aspect]. Something like cast iron can have 80 F non-uniformity. In our view, for a precision cooker, all the accuracy of 1 F is kind of pointless if the uniformity is 10 to 50 times worse. The figurative lipstick on the pig. So we took an approach more favoring the uniformity.
• Induction restricts your pan choices. While for most purposes this is not a big issues, we think for precision cooking the compatibility with better spreading materials like copper of aluminum pans is of added value. Apart from material, induction also does not work for very small pans because the detectors do not detect it.
• Induction is noisy. The coils through which the induction currents run, need to be actively cooled. This often mandates a fan of reasonable size. Not much of an issue during regular cooking, but if you want to use your precision cooking for a 72 hour fermentation cycle or for a fondue on the dining table, this gets very annoying.
• Induction makes the electronic design a lot more complex. The power electronics get more complex which increases the cost of the whole thing. We do not think it would be feasible to do justice at this price point for an electronic design that would be sufficiently robust, reliable and durable.

Paragon, Hestan Cue, Tasty one top, Oliso are all the products that tried to make precision cooking induction around this price point but failed to sustain it commercially. Of course, I do not know the reason, but I can hypothesize that the market size is too low to give economies of scale for such devices at this price point. The available ones with similar function like Contro Freak, Ztove or Impulse cooktop all retail for 1500-6000 $.

 

We believe that staying away from Induction will give this product its best chance of materializing and staying commercially sustainably.

 

Oh, there is one more non-technical reason we are not doing Induction. The patent landscape here is really a landmine and as a tiny two-person company, we do not want to rub the big guys wrong way. We are probably a rounding error for a large company, but we will never know.

 

In the future, may be as you say, we will just create a simple induction cooktop with mechanical controls because how much we hate touch controls.

[gfweb]

Given that the public  is still pretty clueless  re induction, perhaps a more focused market...eg safe deep frying, would be an angle for you.

 

I like the "safe for elderly" spin somebody suggested upthread as well

[JoNorvelleWalker]

19 hours ago, gfweb said:

Wasn't paragon about $2000?

 

 

 

I have three.  I paid $69.  I use them daily.  I have not turned on my stove so far this year.  At the moment breakfast is pancakes.  The Paragon holds the griddle at 375F so I don't have to think about it.  Yes, I know it's Fahrenheit but no device is perfect.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

If the device were not induction I would not be interested.

 

[TdeV]

I am interested though. 😀