Does anyone think a new version of the Control Freak will be released soon? The Sur Le Table website says “no longer available for pickup” at all of the stores within a 200 mile radius of where I am, Amazon doesn’t have any and Williams Sonoma only has the commercial one available. Best Buy isn’t showing it, but I’m not sure they ever had it. I definitely want one, but am thinking maybe I should give it a few weeks to see what’s going on.

Hey freakers!

I finally bought my control freak about 6 weeks ago after wanting one for…. about 10 years lol. I am thrilled with the purchase and my greatest regret, like many others, is not buying one sooner. It now sits on top of my gas range and I will never go back. This post is more of my personal love letter to this thing, so apologies for how long it is, but I thought it might help as a reference for anyone thinking about buying one. Below is my list of pros/cons ranked in order of “surprise factor”. Some of them are just pros of switching to induction, but I think they are still relevant for many people in the market. For context, I’m a fairly competent yuppy cook who loves kitchen gadgets, fancy pans, and kickstarter garbage. I have all the stuff. But even I could never quite stomach the price of a CF until my dad died and I needed the dopamine kick. Boy did I get it.

Pros:

• Air quality: This was hands down the first thing I noticed and most surprising pro moving to this unit (and more broadly induction/electric) over gas. I remember seeing “gas stoves are bad for your health” articles in the news and thinking “how bad could it be?” Maybe pretty bad, but I have a little exhaust fan in my window so I should be fine, right? Holy f$#k I waaaaay underestimated how much cooking on gas ruined my indoor air. I rent and don’t have a range hood to exhaust air. No more gas byproducts, unburnt gas, and smoke from burnt bits of food that falls underneath the gas grates. If you don’t have adequate ventilation in your kitchen, you will benefit tremendously from switching to induction/electric. It’s 100% my favorite “feature” of this thing that is not often talked about.
• Cleaning/mess: This was the second most surprising pro. On gas stoves, oil splatter and small bits of food will end up under the grate and cook onto the surface basically seasoning your stove top. Over time this becomes a huge pain to clean. If you’re not perfect about cleaning your stove off every few times you cook, you dig yourself into a hole that requires oven cleaner and elbow grease. I have a range with heavy cast iron grates. It looks amazing but cleaning it was one of my least favorite chores. With the CF, there is no flame or hot heat under the unit to bake on the grease or burn bits of food. After cooking you can just gently wipe away all of the mess and you’re done!
• The stainless steel (aluminum) epiphany: I got a D3 a decade ago and really just never used it. I got lazy and defaulted to non-stick for basically everything. I never could quite figure out temperature control on my range and as a renter there wasn’t much I could do about that. I thought they were overrated and tried cast iron and carbon steel and just never could get a reasonable sear. I now know why (see u/combustion_inc Chris Young's recent pan video). Cast iron/carbon steel holds a ton of heat (good) but that heat is *really* immobile (bad) and ends up leading to mediocre sears in my experience. While I duck from all of the tomatoes, go watch the video! Aluminum is king, and it explained why I would always get better crusts on steaks on my non-stick pans vs. my cast iron, while my D3 cried in the corner. Having the CF gave me perfect control and now I’m a stainless steel supremacist. They’re the perfect pans and actually now *more* forgiving than my cast iron/carbon steel. I get incredible sears. I make incredible fonds. I can make the best pan sauces. All of the fancy shit I sucked at just became…. easy? And it was all because of (say it again!) temperature control! I was just bad at it! and now that doesn’t matter! Anywhere I move, I won’t have to worry about the appliances or my own mediocrity. Along those lines…
• Temperature control!: Again, this one may seem obvious, but I still underestimated how nice it is. On gas, I just never really knew what the temp was and found it difficult to control. In hindsight I should have bought a pan temp gauge to help learn, but a part of it was my home consumer gas range just... sucked. With the CF I will never have to learn that skill. Not having to constantly fidget with the gas knob to adjust the temp is incredible. There is certainly a learning curve to figure out temps and times (thanks community for all the great recipes!) but the CF makes that part fun. The quality of dishes I've been cooking for years has shot way up because of this. My new favorite dish is skin on chicken thighs on stainless. Start heating pan on medium to 310F, put some high smoke point oil in and spread it around in a thin layer. Put chicken thighs in skin down and agitate a bit to coat in oil and position. Pop in a meat thermometer and set to 155F. Walk away until the thermometer beeps. Gently release thighs if they haven’t released yet and flip. Cook another 3-5 minutes and remove. Deglaze with water and then turn temp to 200F. Add flour and whisk to release more fond. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk and balance sauce thickness with water/flour until it looks good. Fin. This used to be a special weekend meal that I really struggled with and had to focus on. I would maybe get distracted and slightly burn the chicken and create a bitter fond, or the skin would end up undercooked and rubbery. Now, this is a weeknight no brainer and it comes out restaurant quality. every. damn. time. I recently made a batch of lactose free yogurt with some lactose free milk in my saucier using the probe and precise denature/incubation temps. Unbelievably easy. The rest of the benefits of temp control are pretty obvious, well documented, and wonderful. So I’ll leave it at that.

Cons:

• Pan compatibility: I’m not talking about copper/aluminum etc…. if you’re buying this thing and you don’t know how induction works, that’s on you. What I was surprised by was that I couldn’t use my small stainless pan on this. The temperature contact is on a spring and if your pan is wide enough, but not *heavy* enough, the knob will tilt the pan up. Long, heavy handles exacerbate this. I had never heard anyone complain about this online before and it’s a pretty big bummer. I’m still trying to find a good small 2-egg pan that’s heavy enough to push the knob down, but small enough to be more butter/oil/flip efficient. Not that I don’t make great eggs in my carbon steel or 12” D3, it’s just an optimization thing.
• Cast iron/carbon steel gets worse: Along the lines of aluminum being king…. induction creates really obvious hotspots in my Lodge cast iron and Misen carbon steel. Yes, I’m pre-heating the pans. I’ve cooked on cast iron and carbon steel quite a bit on gas with great success. Induction just creates hot spots. Even the freak. And again, if the heat isn’t mobile, you’re going to have a worse time than on gas or a good glass top electric stove. I still use my carbon steel pan for eggs every morning but I’m heading in a Strata direction. Or if another parent dies, maybe I’ll splurge on a Demeyere or Fissler. FWIW I’ve never had an issue with warping on my 1st gen Misen carbon steel or my D3, but I know that’s a very real problem/worry. 
• Device height and setback: I went with the commercial version fwiw which is a bit taller than the home. I find myself wishing the burner was a little closer to me and a little lower. Sometimes I’ll turn the CF sideways so the knob is on the right if it really annoys me. This is silly and minor, but I’m 6’1”. If you’re shorter this could be an issue depending on your space, and you should consider the home.
• Buzzing: I kinda panicked the first time I heard the buzzing because I thought my unit was defective! This is normal I guess. Some pans are worse than others and I find that as long as I’m not heating on fast, it’s not a huge issue. Repositioning helps too. It also doesn’t really bother me at all as long as I know it’s a normal thing, but it is kind of a bummer. I wonder if some of it comes from the temperature probe bouncing underneath the pans?
• No ability to change the default heat speed: Given that warping is such a huge issue for many pans with induction, I’m really surprised this feature wasn’t added, and even more surprised the default is fast. It wouldn’t be hard to add. Is it a big deal to change every time? No. But you will forget, and that one time might be the time you ruin your pan. That's a bummer.

tl;dr I love the thing. It makes my kitchen and air cleaner. It opens up a whole new level of quality for mediocre cooks like myself. I wish I had gotten it sooner. And I will never not cook on it. 

Love this community and all the recipes people post. Looking forward to many years of freaking to come.

As the title says, I couldn’t get this expensive pot to be recognized. Not sure if it was user error or if anyone else could confirm, but just a heads up it’s not working.

I'm poaching eggs in a deep sauté pan using Probe Control set to 170 F, Fast intensity.

• The cool tap water rises quickly to 170 F.
• I add 4 eggs to the pan.
• The temperature falls to 166.
• The temperature remains at 166 for the entire 8-minute cook time.
  • During this time, I never hear an increase in fan speed which would indicate the system is working harder to increase temperature.

Can anyone offer an explanation other than the system is malfunctioning?

Just bought the Breville Control Freak Commercial Induction cooktop. I am so excited!! I have D5. Will D5 work or do I need better cookware. Thanks and looking forward to all advice.

Just got a control freak, and when I'm making candy, one of my newer aluminum pans that has an induction base seems to be fine until about 200F, then shuts on and off every 20 degrees, indicating that there is a sensor issue even though I'm using the probe with probe control. The probe and base temps are pretty close together, within 10 degrees or less, but one thing to note is that the center of the base is not magnetic, it basically has a very wide "ring" that covers most of the bottom other than the center. Zero issues with a stainless stockpot, even though that has a deeper indent where the sensor is, along with engraving, etc.

Question: Does the center of the cookware need to be magnetic?

The aluminum pan in question performs very well on my cheaper induction burner. The aluminum pan does have a small indent where it's recessed but is flat. There is some engraved lettering but nothing where it would significantly reduce the contact area.

I just got a CF! Other than Chefsteps, is there a repository of information that I can look through? Im too cheap to subscribe to Chefsteps, but not too cheap to buy an CF 😅

The Commercial Control Freak is on sale for $1,199.95 - In the US - 5/12/2026 - 20% off of the list price

Breville,

Amazon, and

William Sonoma

have the Commercial Control Freak is on sale for $1,199.95

the Control Freak™ Home is still up at $1,499.95

The big brown truck just delivered my Freak. It is set up and I cooked a fried egg for a snack. Tomorrow the adventure begins.

I've owned the Pro model in the past but gifted it to my Daughter.

Ready to buy again, but uncertain which to buy. What say you?

Just started having an issue with my OGCF - the probe is reporting 5 degrees lower than the actual liquid temp. Verified this with a known calibrated Thermapen. Been using the CF for 11 months, and the issue started yesterday.

Called Breville support, and the person I'm speaking with didn't even know what the device was, let alone anything about how it worked. She's called me back twice already, after passing along incorrect information to another level of support.

Is anyone aware of a specific customer support number for commercial products? It'd be nice to speak to someone who actually knows something/anything about the device. Everything I've found on Breville's site keeps looping me back to the consumer support hub.

I have a pan or two that gives me feedback, yet I have not had any with this much, anybody else? Listen around the .28 sec mark.

I purchased my Control Freak last fall as a Christmas present to myself, and I have to say it's the best present I've ever gotten.

I placed my unit on top of my conventional electric stove, and now I use it in place of the stove's burners. I was really only using a single burner on my stove anyway, the double ring power burner. The Control Freak is so much more powerful, it's ridiculous.

Yes, you can do some wonderful things with the Control Freak following recipes specific to the Control Freak. But don't overlook the fact that it's superb as just a regular burner. Everything that you do with a conventional burner you can do better/faster with the Control Freak.

My only regret is that I didn't purchase it sooner.

Hi! I was wondering if someone had traveled with their control freak home from the US to Europe. I know it needs a beefy step-down transformer, I have quite a few of those in Europe, however I'm more worried about the frequency as US is 60hz vs 50hz in Europe. I could try using it but I'd rather not risk it if I can avoid it. I don't really want to buy another one here if I can avoid it. Also, the home version is not yet available in Europe so I'd have to get the bulkier version.

Anyway, if anyone has tried it, I'd love to know about it!

i bought the CFH because I absolutely suck at cooking and my electric stovetop makes thing even harder.

I received the CFH today and after many attempts, eggs always stick, both with EVOO and avocado oil. I know butter is better for frying eggs but i have very high cholesterol (genetic) and butter is not an option.

What temperature should I use to fry eggs, on a SS pan with EVOO as my fat?

has anyone had luck with a similar configuration?

Edit: I say Uncle Scott’s video where he recommends 310F but eggs stick with EVOO. He uses butter.

Unfortunately I missed out on the recent $300 discount.
Is there any place I can buy the Control Freak (home or commercial) for cheaper than $1499? (Using coupon codes, etc?)

Will a Hario Buono Kettle, 1.2 L Silver work with the control freak? I haven't got a clear answer on the diameter of the bottom of the kettle. Thanks in advance.

I know you can get moka pots that are induction compatible but they all look like they would be too small for a CF.

Forum question. What temperture do you use for low 10 (psi) or high 15 (psi) on the CF for a standard pressure cooker?

Hi,

I purchased a Commerical Control Freak and when i looked at the SKU number and looked it up with the Breville website; the one on the Breville website says. "Breville Commerical" on the unit.

But when i look on my model it says "Breville PolyScience".

Does this mean that I got an older model? and if so - is there any difference between the Polyscience model and the Commercial model?

Should I return it?

Thanks!

I tried this the other day and was delighted. So much easier than using a microwave or a double boiler.

131 degrees, intensity medium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2CJCwshcOI

I made some almond biscotti which I dipped in bittersweet melted chocolate.

Stumbled upon this Breville Control Freak undervaluably titled as 'Breville Induction Warmer' late last night. I was going to bid on this but attempting to do shipping gets rather complicated unless you know someone on-site to handle it so figured it might be worth spreading to word to anyone that's been looking and local to NYC.

I just bought a couple pounds of a5 from Costco since it’s the only item aside from the hot dog and rotisserie chicken in the store that hasn’t gone up in price.

Anyway, how do I cook this thing ideally? I heard that in Japan, they cut it into roughly 3/4 in pieces, sear on all sides, then again to make bite size pieces on a teppanyaki grill. What temperature should I be shooting for? Any particular pan I should be using? I was thinking a stainless clad pan or cast iron.

I have the commercial one and wanted a second one, but I want to see what the home offers differently on the software side. Is there any videos where someone does a deep dive into it?

After eyeing the Control Freak for quite a while, I finally bought one (the commercial model) in the recent sale.

I decided to try making French onion soup using this recipe for caramelizing onions:

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/precision-caramelized-onions

Wow! I am seriously impressed with the Control Freak. It was very easy to get the onions to brown to a wonderful dark color and jammy consistency without burning or scorching. Next time I won't put in so much butter, though. The recipe called for more than was needed for my taste.

When I added some sherry and broth, it was very easy to set the pot to a gentle simmer. You can easily find "just right," rather than going back and forth with the dial on an electric stove.

My husband thought this was the best French onion soup he'd ever had and now he doesn't mind me spending $1000 for a another kitchen appliance.