Edit History

1 hour ago, TheAvidHomeChef said:

Something I also noticed that's different from the control freak is: the screen on this Cafe cooktop doesn't tell you the actual temperature. It only give you the number for the set temperature. This kind of defeats the purpose of the precise temperature. Knowing where I'm in the pre-heating is at is quite important. Here's a review that reveals something not so great about it:

Well you've convinced me to pull this one off my list of cooktops to investigate, at least in its current iteration.  An accurate measurement of the current temperature is something I use all the time on the Control Freak, and accuracy within a degree or two is pretty darn useful as well.


src: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cafe-5-7-cu-ft-slide-in-electric-induction-true-convection-range-with-steam-cleaning-and-in-oven-camera-customizable-stainless-steel/6360807.p?skuId=6360807

BTW, here's the photo from the reviewer on Best Buy's website who says that GE's cooktop temperature sensor isn't sealed well, and that it's a design issue rather than a faulty unit.  It looks like this is more of a spring-loaded temperature probe than the kind of clean integrated solution I'm used to with the Control Freaks.

I also noticed that the temperature sensor is on a small-to-medium coil, not on the larger coil.  I am not sure if it's useful for 24-28cm pans (~9-11") pans, or more useful for 14-20cm (~6"-8") pans.

Maybe one of these otherwise-capable companies could do a deal with Breville and bring their tech (still under patent in the U.S. market for probably another decade) to a range unit.  Or maybe other markets will see innovative large-format cooktops first, and then they can import them to us after we've salivated over them for a few years.

I hate to analyze appliances based on the reviews and photos of others and based on manuals which don't deep-dive into the kind of details that matter to me.  One of the GE stoves has gotten pretty great reviews otherwise, so perhaps this is just an unfortunate chink in otherwise good armor, a feature that shipped too early.

1 hour ago, TheAvidHomeChef said:

Something I also noticed that's different from the control freak is: the screen on this Cafe cooktop doesn't tell you the actual temperature. It only give you the number for the set temperature. This kind of defeats the purpose of the precise temperature. Knowing where I'm in the pre-heating is at is quite important. Here's a review that reveals something not so great about it:

Well you've convinced me to pull this one off my list of cooktops to investigate.  An accurate measurement of the current temperature is something I use all the time on the Control Freak, and accuracy within a degree or two is pretty darn useful as well.


src: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cafe-5-7-cu-ft-slide-in-electric-induction-true-convection-range-with-steam-cleaning-and-in-oven-camera-customizable-stainless-steel/6360807.p?skuId=6360807

BTW, here's the photo from the reviewer on Best Buy's website who says that GE's cooktop temperature sensor isn't sealed well, and that it's a design issue rather than a faulty unit.  It looks like this is more of a spring-loaded temperature probe than the kind of clean integrated solution I'm used to with the Control Freaks.

Maybe one of these otherwise-capable companies could do a deal with Breville and bring their tech (still under patent in the U.S. market for probably another decade) to a range unit.  Or maybe other markets will see innovative large-format cooktops first, and then they can import them to us after we've salivated over them for a few years.

1 hour ago, TheAvidHomeChef said:

Something I also noticed that's different from the control freak is: the screen on this Cafe cooktop doesn't tell you the actual temperature. It only give you the number for the set temperature. This kind of defeats the purpose of the precise temperature. Knowing where I'm in the pre-heating is at is quite important. Here's a review that reveals something not so great about it:

Well you've convinced me to pull this one off my list of cooktops to investigate.


src: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cafe-5-7-cu-ft-slide-in-electric-induction-true-convection-range-with-steam-cleaning-and-in-oven-camera-customizable-stainless-steel/6360807.p?skuId=6360807

BTW, here's the photo from the reviewer on Best Buy's website who says that GE's cooktop temperature sensor isn't sealed well, and that it's a design issue rather than a faulty unit.  It looks like this is more of a spring-loaded temperature probe than the kind of clean integrated solution I'm used to with the Control Freaks.

Maybe one of these otherwise-capable companies could do a deal with Breville and bring their tech (still under patent for probably another decade) to a range unit.