David Chang Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 i'm keen to try out this machine and see how accurate it is, but the asking price is a bit high.. it seems like a fairly simple thing to control induction cookers to the degree, but all the home use pedestrian induction cookers are low, medium, or high... the one i have for hot pot is basically controlled by steps in wattage. i could see this being useful tempering chocolates, cooking sabayon, or searing without burning.. https://www.amazon.com/PolyScience-Temperature-Controlled-Commercial-Induction/dp/B01G5MZZ5Q?ref_=ast_sto_dp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 $1500! For a glorified hot plate, GTFO! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffshoaf Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 The Vermicular Musui-kamado controls the temp to the degree in sous vide mode but it's set up to just use the included enameled cast iron pot. I don't think it gets as hot in sous vide mode as the Breville does but might meet your needs. I tested the control with a pot of water and it was really accurate. It's not inexpensive in the USA but I don't know about over yonder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 (edited) I was slow to figure out what I wanted to cook with the Vermicular Musui Kamado when I first bought it but it has become one of my very favourite kitchen tools. It makes a mean stew, chili, onion soup, steamed beets are out of this world, steamed bao, let's not forget the steamed corn on the cob, the list just goes on and on. The country bread that is in the recipe books is awesome too. It has become my go to item. One other feature is the timer, love that, no standing around waiting to turn it off. Edited January 7, 2023 by MacKenzie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 I own a Vermicular Musui-kamado in both kitchens. We have beans soaking now, ready to start soon. I always make nixtamal in the VK. Many stews, such as lion's head meatballs... A good analogy is adaptive cruise control for cars. Some people can't imagine why one would want such a thing, even some people who own cars so equipped. We're so used to, um, what do you call it? driving, that we become inured to the annoyance workload of manually guiding a car. We probably think of commercial pilots as flying the plane, when they're primarily system managers who can step in to fly as needed. Fiddling with the heat while cooking is the same idea. Some of us use barbecue controllers and can leave for errands after starting a cook. Others watch their KK get up to cruising altitude, marveling over how easily one can manually control a KK. And there goes an hour. My point is that as a good cook one isn't really conscious of the time sink that fiddling with temperatures represents. The energy needs of a dish evolve as the dish cooks. Providing a set flow of energy is fundamentally different from maintaining a set temperature; the latter adapts as the dish cooks. I choose the VK whenever I want autopilot. As a rule, I don't feel comfortable with any technology till I stop thinking of it as special. Cookbooks are for dinner parties? Um no, we like to eat well on Tuesday nights. A sous vide water bath and chamber vacuum is for Michelin skyscraper food? Um no, it's a more reliable way to tenderize and cook steak, or lamb shanks, or... Of course when I want excitement I finish over fire. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffshoaf Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 7 hours ago, tony b said: $1500! For a glorified hot plate, GTFO! While I tend to agree, I feel the need to point out that lots of folks say similar things when they see the price of our KK's... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Chang Posted January 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 i'm not an electrical engineer, but if they make a PID controller to modify the wattage of a cheap induction plate to the temperature set, then you've got yourself a cheap control freak... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffshoaf Posted January 8, 2023 Report Share Posted January 8, 2023 1 hour ago, David Chang said: i'm not an electrical engineer, but if they make a PID controller to modify the wattage of a cheap induction plate to the temperature set, then you've got yourself a cheap control freak... I think the issue would be retrofitting a temperature sensor in an effective location and then calibrating it across a fairly wide range of temperatures and materials. Most (all?) of the pid controller temperature sensors I'm semi-familiar with are immersed in the controlled medium (air or some fluid), but it's been a couple of decades since I was immersed in electronics so I'm definitely out of date. Any idea on how the Breville manages it? The Vermicular and Instant Pots with sous vide modes have it a bit easier since they only have to work with one pot. I assume all of these are using some type of sensor that is physically touching the pot/pan but I guess an infrared sensor is a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Chang Posted January 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2023 (edited) @jeffshoaf there is a through the glass sensor in the middle of the unit which i guess is infrared and there is also probe sensor that bypasses the pan sensor. how it all works is a mystery me, but it's a very neat machine... here's a video of an omelette being made. you can walk away in the middle of the cook, take a number 2, and come back with a perfect omelette..😄 and never break a sauce with the probe... Edited January 8, 2023 by David Chang 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
