Cinder Review: This Smart Grill Isn't Well Done

Our Verdict

Although it bills itself as an alternative to sous vide, the Cinder grill isn't as versatile or cost-effective.

For

Cooks steak, craven well
Easy to clean
Straightforward app Prissy pattern

Against

Expensive
Beefy
Not as versatile equally sous vide
Doesn't melt scallops well

Tom's Guide Verdict

Although it bills itself as an alternative to sous vide, the Cinder grill isn't as versatile or cost-effective.

Pros

+
Cooks steak, chicken well
+
Easy to clean
+
Straightforward app Nice pattern

Cons

-
Expensive
-
Bulky
-
Not as versatile equally sous vide
-
Doesn't melt scallops well

As a techie and a foodie, my eyes get wide at the latest cooking gadget; I jumped on the sous vide trend a few years ago, picking upwards the Anova Precision Cooker, and loved the fact that not only could I cook actually tender, juicy steaks, only that I could control everything from my phone. So I was very interested to test out the Cinder, a smart grill currently available through Indiegogo for $400 that purports to offering all the benefits of a sous vide, but with the added ability to sear meat. While this device works well, at that place are a few reasons why the Cinder feels one-half-baked.

Design

The stainless steel-clad Cinder volition fit well with the decor of other gimmicky kitchen appliances. A big, sturdy handle makes it piece of cake for you to open the substantial chapeau, whose sides comprehend the lower part of the grill. On the inside are ii interchangeable, nonstick grill pans made of ceramic-coated aluminum that popular out with the button of a button. This makes cleanup a cinch.

Credit: Cinder — (Epitome credit: Cinder)

In the front, a slide-out tray collects drippings. You'll too find a small-scale LCD console and a silverish control knob.

Measuring 17 ten 13 x vii inches, the Cinder is huge, especially for those people with pocket-size kitchens. It took upwardly nearly twice equally much counter infinite as my KitchenAid stand up mixer. By comparing, my Anova sous vide auto, which is essentially a big cylinder, tucks away neatly when not in use. Yes, you also need a large pot to employ the Anova, but the pot tin can be used for other things, too.

At 27 pounds, the Cinder is besides really heavy. Even though I have a small countertop, I kept the Cinder in place for a week — taking up valuable kitchen real estate — because I but didn't want to move it.

Permit's get cooking!

Steak

I bought a squeamish, 1-inch-thick New York strip steak, and, after seasoning it with salt and pepper, put it on the Cinder to cook. It took about an hour for the steak to be cooked through to medium rare — about the same corporeality of time equally the Anova would take.

Credit: Mike Prospero — (Epitome credit: Mike Prospero)

1 factor weighing in the Cinder's favor is that it's a lot faster to oestrus upward compared to the Anova, which has to warm upwardly a large h2o bath earlier yous can get-go cooking anything.

After the steak was finished cooking, the Cinder sent an alert to my phone and then kept the steak at the proper temperature (nearly 133 degrees) until I was ready to bargain with it. Following the Cinder's instructions, I removed the steaks, cleaned the grill plates of whatsoever liquid and turned the Cinder's punch until the LCD console read Sear. I so waited a few minutes for the grill to oestrus to 450 degrees, later on which I put the steak back on, closed the lid and let the Cinder do its work. About a infinitesimal later on, I took the steak off. Information technology was perfectly seared, and the within was evenly pinkish throughout — simply as good as when I've used my sous vide and a cast fe skillet. As I'm writing this, I'm getting hungry only thinking about information technology.

Cheeseburgers

Y'all tin fit a pair of pretty adept-size patties on the Cinder, which did a good job of cooking them to an fifty-fifty temperature throughout. I then used the searing option to get a nice crust on the burgers.

Then, with the Cinder still set to Sear, I opened the hat, put some slices of cheddar cheese on tiptop of the patties and and so held the lid ajar slightly, so that the cheese would melt, just non stick to the top grill pan. Information technology was an imperfect solution, but it worked.

Craven

Two chicken breasts cooked in the Cinder also came out quite juicy, though the heavy chapeau did squeeze out some liquid, which I had to make clean out before searing the breasts. Still, the skin was nice and crispy, and the craven was juicy throughout.

Scallops

But the Cinder actually disappointed when it came to cooking scallops. Following the instructions in the app, I let the grill heat upward, placed the scallops inside, then closed the chapeau. Sadly, the weight of the height lid squished the scallops, pushing out all the liquid. After the beginning part of the melt, the scallops were rubbery and about half as thick as when they started. Considering that all scallops really demand is a quick sear on both sides — something that Cinder itself suggests on its web log — for this job, y'all should just stick with a pan on the stove.

App

Cinder's app is easy to use and lists suggested cooking times for a wide diverseness of meats, poultry, fish and produce.

Unlike Anova's app, though, there are no recipes for, say, what herbs and spices you should apply with a particular cut of meat. Also, only an iOS is available at this indicate — the Android app will be developed once the company hits its fundraising goal.

The Cinder app also features a large slider that lets you adjust the Cinder'southward temperature remotely. However, it only goes up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

In order to use the searing function, you have to manually turn the punch on the machine itself. While this is undoubtedly a condom precaution — I don't desire to leave a 450-degree device sitting unattended on my counter — it is an extra step you have to consider.

Why I'thou nevertheless sticking with my sous vide

Despite its larger size, I constitute the Cinder less versatile than the Anova. For example, with the Cinder, I could simply melt three — maybe 4 — craven breasts at the same time, and that's if I packed them in tight. With the Anova, I could make at least a six. More to the point, with the Anova, which can exist used with nearly whatsoever size pot, I could cook large cuts of meat, like brisket.

Because the meat was submerged in a h2o bath with the Anova, I could melt things for a longer period of fourth dimension; and because the meat was too sealed in a bag, the Anova offered more options for infusing the meat with dissimilar spices and flavors.

Bottom Line

The Cinder's all-in-1 functions for cooking and then searing work well, but in the long run, I'd rather apply my $179 Anova and a regular old cast iron pan. It'southward less than one-half the price of the Cinder, takes upwards much less space and lets me cook a wider range (and size) of meat. That makes both my stomach and my wallet happy.

Michael A. Prospero is the deputy editor at Tom's Guide overseeing the home, smart home, drones, and fitness/wearables categories, as well equally all buying guides and other evergreen content. When he'southward not testing out the latest running sentinel, skiing or preparation for a marathon, he'due south probably using the latest sous vide machine or another cooking gadget.