Breville Polyscience The Control Freak CMC850BSS

Has completely replaced my cooktop. Some day I might even get another one – I have always been a big fan of gas cooktops because of their terrific responsiveness, but since purchasing the Control Freak, I’ve been completely converted. Not only do you get comparable speed in reaching the desired temperature, but you can control your heat in degree increments, which is essential for applications such as tempering chocolate, sous vide, and deep frying.

This is my first induction cooker and it is very easy to get the hang of. Controls are quite intuitive and I have had no problems at all in getting used to cooking with this unit.

Once you know what temperature you need you can even walk away knowing that burns, scorching and boil overs are things of the past. Things like caramelising onions are a breeze now.

Another big plus is that it is extremely portable which will be useful if I ever wanted to take it when traveling. It comes with its own sturdy bag which I have not used since it arrived because I have turned to it every time I would have otherwise used a conventional cooktop, hence have never needed to put it away.

Its portability also means that if need be I can take it outside to cook with, for example if I was making something that was particularly smoky or strong smelling.

The price might be a deterrent but it’s definitely a good investment if you love cooking and I think that it’s very much worth it.