The mobile app enhances use by allowing for quick setup options and remote monitoring so you can be in another room while cooking. Paragon also has its controls on the cooktop, so the app will always be an enhancement, not requirement to operate.
Here is an example of how simple and informative our app will be at setting your sous vide time and temperature:
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We get it. We are subsidiary of GE, so why are we doing an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign?
FirstBuild is an open innovation hub that designs and builds new products for the home. Paragon is based on the input of dozens of our enthusiastic FirstBuild community members who want to see the product come to life. Crowdfunding on Indiegogo gives us the opportunity to validate that a cutting edge group of early adopters wants Paragon before we make hundreds of thousands of them.
Make sense? If you have any questions, you can always email us at social@firstbuild.com.
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Your purchase tells us there is a place in the world for Paragon. We want to thank our first adopters by giving early bird pricing, perks to purchase Paragon with specially priced Chantal Induction Cookware, and you'll be the first to receive upon shipment!
About Chantal Cookware:
Ideal for the modern family, Chantal's new Induction 21 Steel™ stainless cookware is made with superior 21/0 Japanese stainless steel. This steel is stronger and, thanks to the removal of nickel, healthier than steels that are used in other cookware. Induction 21 Steel™ performs on all cooktops but, as its name suggests, is supremely proficient on magnetic-induction stoves. Ergonomic handles, dripless pouring rims and glass lids create a visually stunning line that delivers premium cooking performance.
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Chris has been designing appliances for over 13 years. He has technical expertise in reliability, structural design, and dynamic system modeling for mechanical and thermal systems. Chris’ passion for precision cooking started 3 years ago when he tried sous vide cooking for the first time. Chris realized that emerging induction technology combined with precise temperature control on the cooktop would make a wide variety of precision cooking methods possible on a single product.
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With 3 kids 8-and-under, Taylor does a lot of cooking in his home. Taylor’s passion for Paragon is as much about making cooking easy (warming spaghetti sauce to the right temperature for the kids) as it is about making a perfect steak for a romantic home-cooked dinner. Taylor and his wife, Julia, love trying new recipes and entertaining friends.
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Justin developed FirstBuild’s open innovation platform. He is a tireless advocate for FirstBuild community members, making sure that the best-performing ideas are made into real products. Justin is also a lover of fine foods, which has led him to work with the FirstBuild community to expand Paragon’s capabilities beyond sous vide…to deep frying, poaching in butter, and tempering chocolate. He’s currently experimenting with beer brewing and candy making.
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Symon specializes in combining form and function into a final product that is intuitive to use, beautiful to see and effective to produce. As Paragon’s head product designer, he listened closely to the FirstBuild community to translate community contributions into an elegant design enables the functional specifications of the product. When he’s not working, Symon loves spending time in the woodshop making fun gadgets and widgets.
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Jungin believed early on that wireless technology would create a much better user experience on Paragon. He is developing a mobile app that will allow easy time and temperature setting for Paragon while extending functionality into custom temperature profiles and recipes beyond sous vide. In his spare time, he grows vegetables to feed his appetite for healthy and delicious food.
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Paragon could not have been possible without countless contributions from community members who share our vision for precision induction cooking. FirstBuild’s development of Paragon started with an idea submission by Brad Walchak. Aaron Ma’s winning app design and Cosmin Mandita’s winning hardware design, along with dozens of ideas and challenge entries made Paragon a product that real people will use.
REFUND UPDATE: The refund period has closed for this campaign.
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Cooktop FAQ's
What makes Paragon different?
Can I use Paragon for sous vide cooking?
What cooking methods does Paragon support?
Why is temperature control so important?
How does it work?
What is included when I buy Paragon?
How does the wireless temperature sensor work?
How do I recharge the wireless temperature sensor?
What type of cookware do I need?
How big is Paragon?
What is so special about induction cooking?
How much does it cost?
Do you have more detailed feature information?
Do you have detailed product specs on the Paragon?
App FAQ's
Can you use the cooktop without the smartphone app?
How does the app work?
Can I save my own recipes in the app?
Indiegogo FAQ's
Is there an international version of Paragon?
Do you ship internationally?
What makes Paragon different?
The Paragon Induction Cooktop monitors food and water temperature directly, offering precise control of food temperature. Precision cooking with Paragon is easier and produces restaurant quality, repeatable results.
The Paragon Induction Cooktop uses Bluetooth technology to maintain food and liquids at a precise temperature. Feedback from a wireless temperature sensor controls the heat to maintain the exact desired temperature with virtually no fluctuation during the entire cooking process.
Can I use Paragon for sous vide cooking?Yes, you can do sous vide cooking with professional results.
Paragon offers sous vide cooking and searing - all in one device. But it can also deep fry, simmer, and hold foods at temperature with a level of precision that just was not available before in a single device for home cooks.
What cooking methods does Paragon support?The Paragon Induction Cooktop is capable of cooking using several methods that have not been available to home cooks in single device. Sous vide, deep frying, simmering, and holding at precise serving temperature are all assisted by the wireless temperature sensor.
Paragon is powerful enough to sear meats, and also provides a standard (non-feedback controlled) cooking mode by setting burner power to levels 1-10.
Why is temperature control so important?Controlling temperature is one of the most critical components of cooking. Consider the following examples:
Steak is notoriously difficult to cook just the way you want. Just a few degrees too high, and your medium rare steak turns to medium well. With Paragon, you can get edge-to-edge medium rare, medium well, or whatever you like. You get the same results every time.
Cooking candies like caramel requires constant monitoring of a thermometer or testing the hardness. Paragon monitors the temp for you and ensures that the temp never exceeds your target temperature.
Imagine the possibilities. With Paragon, we can constantly monitor the cooking temperature. FirstBuild community members are working on new applications that reduce the complexity of tasks like brewing beer and cooking rice. Ultimately, we envision a system that can replay any cooking temperature profile to ensure that whatever you are cooking is made perfect, the same every time.
How does it work?
The wireless temperature sensor continuously monitors the temperature and wirelessly sends this information to the cooktop, which automatically adjusts the burner’s heat output to maintain the set temperature.
The temperature can be controlled by either directly on the cooktop or via the Paragon app.
What is included when I buy Paragon?
– Wireless temperature sensor
– Cooktop
– Paragon App (which will be downloadable on your smartphone for free)
How does the wireless temperature sensor work?The wireless temperature sensor constantly monitors the temperature of whatever you are cooking. The temperature is transmitted via Bluetooth to the cooktop, which adjusts burner heat to ensure your food is cooked to perfection.
How do I recharge the wireless temperature sensor?
The wireless temperature sensor has a battery life of about 3 months with frequent use (2 hours per day). The battery life indicator will blink when the battery is low. To recharge, connect to a computer or wall outlet via the micro-USB port.
What type of cookware do I need?
Cookware must be compatible with Paragon’s induction technology. To test your pot or pan, just verify a magnet clings when held against the bottom of the cookware. Many, if not most, pots and pans work with induction cooktops. Induction-ready pots are widely available, and start at very reasonable prices.
If you don't yet have induction pots or pans, we recommend Chantal Induction Cookware because their line of enamel-on-steel cookware provides a chemical-free, energy-efficient, naturally stick-resistant way to cook on any stovetop, including magnetic-induction stoves. The nonporous surfaces of this cookware makes it the ideal choice for healthy cooking. Additionally, all Chantal cookware is specifically designed to go from freezer to stove to table and then directly into the dishwasher.
How big is Paragon?
The glass cooktop surface is about 11.75 inches in diameter. It stores comfortably under the counter.
What is so special about induction cooking?
Traditional electric cooktops can provide only one power level: HOT! They create a range of temperatures by cycling the heater on and off at varying frequencies.
Paragon monitors the food temperature and applies heat only when needed, allowing for accurate and consistent control of the cooking process. That’s why induction cooking is great for delicate cooking needs like melting chocolate.
Paragon uses magnetic induction to heat the pan, not the glass cooktop. This provides for quick, efficient and safe heating of your food and faster cooling of the glass cooktop.
How much does it cost?
The Paragon Induction Cooktop will be sold at an estimated retail price of $249. We are offering a discount for our Indiegogo backers who support Paragon early.
Do you have more detailed feature information?
Cooktop
Bluetooth technology allows the cooktop to adjust temperature based on feedback from the wireless sensor band
With the sensor band connected, Paragon can maintain temperature within about one degree Fahrenheit (0.5 degrees Celcius)
The Paragon Induction Cooktop heats your pan directly (instead of heating the glass cooktop) for superior heat transfer efficiency
Induction technology responds instantly to cooking temperature adjustments
In contrast to the typical cooktop which cycles power on and off at a fixed rate, heat is applied only as needed to maintain a constant temperature.
The cooktop can be plugged into any standard 120V outlet
12” diameter accommodates large stock pots
Stacks and stores easily in standard kitchen cabinets
Capacitive touch user interface with 1.5-inch temperature display works with or without app connectivity
Wireless Sensor Band with Bluetooth technology
Bluetooth technology allows the cooktop to adjust temperature based on feedback from the wireless sensor band
The magnetic sensor band attaches easily to induction-ready cookware
The sensor band is wireless for flexible placement and easy adjustment during the cooking process
The long-life battery will stay charged for over 3 months, even with daily use*
Conveniently recharge the sensor band via a micro-USB port
Mobile App
The iOS AND Android compatible app connects to the cooktop via Bluetooth
Includes a guide to sous vide cooking for quick selection of cooking temperatures and times
The app contains recipes for cooking various appetizers, entrees, and desserts
For complex, temperature-critical recipes the app can walk you through the entire cooking process while adjusting burner heat and target temperatures for you at each step
Provides mobile status updates and notification when target temperature/time has been reached
Open-source and supported by the FirstBuild online maker community
*Assuming 2 hours of use per day
Do you have detailed product specs on the Paragon?
Temperature Control Specifications
Temperature set point resolution: 1° F/C
Temperature stability: +/- 1° F
Sensor Band Operating temp range: 80° F to 375° F (cooktop reaches 500° F)
Wireless Sensor Band
Connectivity to burner: Bluetooth
Power: Rechargeable Battery
Battery Life: 3+ months*
Battery Charge Port: Micro USB
Max operating temperature: 375° F
Max operating relative humidity: 100%
*Assumes daily use of 2 hours
Burner
Capacitive touch User Interface (UI) functions:
On/off button with power-on indicator
1.5-inch temperature display shows the set temp and toggles to show the measured temp
Up/Down Buttons allow temperature setting to 1° F / 1° C
Link button allows pairing and indicates when wireless sensor band is paired
Function button toggles from regular to sensor cooking to allow app-free control
Mobile App
iPhone compatible
Burner will connect to mobile app through Bluetooth
Sous Vide time/temp guide
Includes recipes for temperature critical foods
Open source for development of new applications
APP SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
Can you use the cooktop without the smartphone app?Yes, the cooktop will be able to cook in both precision mode and standard mode without the app.How does the App work?
The Paragon app connects to your Induction Cooktop via Bluetooth.
Select the type of food, the desired “doneness” and press start. The app will automatically set the temperature and time to cook. Your phone will notify you when your food is cooked.
Can I save my own recipes in the app? We plan to add personal recipe and community-contributed recipe functionality to the app in the future. This way, the library of recipes and applications will grow over time as users share recipes with the Paragon community. Since the software for Paragon is open source, users will be able to design apps for specific cooking needs. We are constantly on the lookout for new uses.
INDIEGOGO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:
Is there an international version of Paragon?
Paragon requires 120V and has a standard US plug.
Do you ship internationally?
No. We do not ship internationally.
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We get it. We are subsidiary of GE, so why are we doing an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign?
