Breville Commercial CMC850BSS Control Freak Precise Temperature Controlled Induction Cooktop, Brushed Stainless Steel

UPDATE 2023:I've now had my Control Freak (actually bought a second unit, it's that good) and I've been using it pretty much every single day for over 6 years now. 6 years. Works as flawlessly as it did on day 1. The glass top looks close to brand new (bound to be some scratches after daily use for 6 years) with very minor (ie need to look close to see) scratches. I use lot's of stainless cookware on this top, from small to large pots and pans.The heating element on the unit is 9" which makes it provide very even heat especially with good multi-ply cookware.Would I buy it again? In a second.Original review:I can't speak highly enough about this unit. Yes it's very expensive, some might say extravagantly so, and I wouldn't disagree... however this is really an example of "you get what you pay for".I've owned the unit for a couple months now and have used it for various cooking tasks. What has really blown me away is that the temperature control capabilities really are as fantastic as Breville claims. I've cooked hollandaise, melted chocolate, cooked eggs of various types, boiled stock and made chili.... I've used it plenty. I've made hollandaise and walked away knowing that when I set the pan temp to say 140 it will stay at 140. On top of that when you use the "fast/med/slow" heat rate speed setting appropriately you will KNOW you won't accidently overheat a delicate sauce, for example. No other induction cooktop (or any that I know of) is capable of this.From a quality perspective this thing is top notch. I've used my Smarthings linked power units to measure the power draw from this unit vs a cheaper induction cooker and the Breville shows a couple of important things. 1) it pulls consistently. You don't see spikes like you do on other units that indicates a lack of precise control and 2) it can pull more watts to heat up a bit faster than others.Lastly it looks great and the ceramic glass top is very sturdy and I've seen ho visual scratches after using many types of pots and pans, some with rougher bottoms than others.If you are looking for the best and wanting to really change your cooking experience (this isn't just heat, it's super control over the heat) you can't go wrong.

Genius. Precise temperature control. It’s so convenient, and well designed. It very quickly goes to the set temperature, and stays there. I use to use an infrared thermometer, to measure the pan temperature. It worked, but this is much more convenient and accurate. The temperature probe works good too. As noted in a few other reviews, the induction area is medium sized. For the price, it could be bigger (like my induction stove top). But it’s not a big problem, I use a high quality (thick) pan, that distributes the heat, pretty well. The only big down side, is the insanely high price. I used camelcamelcamel, and got notified of a sale. It was still very expensive, but worth it, because of how well it works, and how much I use it.

The Control Freak was not a cook top I was actively searching for. What I was looking for was an induction Hob with tighter temperature control. The Control Freak was basically the only game in town as it was the only Induction Hob that kept popping up.I have a couple of very nice commercial induction hobs which I love but the real gap is in the fine temperature control. The Control Freak fills that gap.Things I've done, so far;Cooked a Salmon fillet to 120 degrees with the probe, to retain that buttery texture. Then a french omelet to perfection at 225 degrees for 2 min. Added the flaky salmon to the omelet, folded and plated. After a slight drizzle of IGP balsamic vinegar and a tiny garnish, the dish was excellent.2 month addendum:The Freak made the Thanksgiving sauces. Everything else was on the traditional hobs. After Thanksgiving, made a turkey bone broth. I set the timer for 18 hours and set temp to 205. The broth came out clear and excellent. The temp control through the glass and probe control is the piece of the puzzle I was missing. My other commercial hobs do most of the cooking but the fine work went to the freak.Some Conclusions:The larger the coil under the glass, the better the cooking experience. Cheaper Hobs have a small coil which tend to concentrate to much heat into a small area, burning food and warping pans mercilessly. The best cooking experiences I've had are with the Commercial Hobs with Larger coils and high quality electronics. This unfortunately drives the prices up.So far the Freak satisfies.I was initially disappointed the Freak is limited to 1800 watts as this is the limit of power to heat a pan. I realize now the lower wattage is not limiting the Hob but easing the heat into the pan slowly, tempering and protecting the pan, also giving more of a gas stove like experience.So far my experience with the Freak is a positive one. I could probably live without it but since I use it every day, I would miss it.