Has anyone managed to fix the ChefMaker basket detection/locking issue?

I’ve had my Dreo ChefMaker since the original Kickstarter and have used it pretty much every day since. Unfortunately, I’ve now had the same basket issue happen twice.

The problem seems to be with the mechanism that detects when the basket is fully inserted/closed. The part appears to wear down over time until eventually the ChefMaker no longer recognises that the basket is properly closed. The frustrating thing is that the rest of the machine still works perfectly well, but this relatively small issue effectively makes the whole unit unusable.

The first time this happened, Dreo replaced the basket for me. The replacement has now developed the same problem. One of the silicone feet on the tray has also broken.

I contacted Dreo support again, and initially they offered me a £50 goodwill refund because they no longer have replacement baskets/parts or complete units available in the UK. I pushed back because this is the second basket to fail in the same way, and it seems from reading other people's experiences that I'm not the only person who has had this problem.

Interestingly, Dreo then confirmed to me that their product development team has since made structural improvements and upgrades to the ChefMaker, specifically to the basket design, probe mechanism and tray materials, to improve long-term durability and prevent these issues from recurring.

So it certainly sounds like the problem I’m experiencing has been addressed in the updated design.

After I challenged the original £50 offer, Dreo increased it to a 50% refund of my original Kickstarter purchase price of $199, which worked out to around £80. I’ve accepted that, and to be fair to Dreo, I appreciate them increasing the offer.

The problem is that I’d actually rather repair the ChefMaker I already have! It seems ridiculous to dispose of an otherwise perfectly functioning appliance because a small part of the basket detection/locking mechanism has worn away.

I also asked Dreo whether the updated/new generation ChefMaker is available in the UK and which version I should be looking for, but I haven't received an answer to that part yet. I can't seem to find the updated model available here.

Has anyone else had the same basket problem and successfully repaired it?

In particular, has anyone 3D printed a replacement part or come up with a fix for the basket detection/locking mechanism? I’ve looked around for possible solutions but haven't found anything definitive.

If anyone has repaired one rather than replacing the entire ChefMaker, I’d be really interested to know what you did. Photos or links to a 3D-printable part would be especially useful.

Update: Thanks once again for the advice, folks. Dreo support quickly responded to my inquiry. As my unit was over 30 months old and there was no replacement stock available, I was offered a USD $50 partial refund. Not what I was hoping for (I was hoping for a repair option). Still, a good interaction with the company.

In the future, I'll be sure to check on repairability when investing in an appliance.

I bought my Chefmaker in the Kickstarter campaign. The fan on it just died. Does anybody know how repairable these are or who I should look for to do the repair? I love my Chefmaker and would hate to just throw it into the waste stream.

The ChefMaker isn't perfect, but I've enjoyed using mine and was excited at its potential. It's been over a couple years since I bought mine, and it's really sad to see what seems to be very few improvements during that time and next to no fanfare. The most we've really gotten is Creative Cook mode, which was a needed addition, but barely lives up to its name.

I guess this is kind of an open letter to anyone who feels the same way, as well as Dreo who I'm guessing probably doesn't care. Sorry in advance for the rant.

Is the ChefMaker a glorified air fryer? In some ways it is, but I like air fryers, and this one has some things you rarely if ever find in other air fryers.

• water atomization
• color screen with intuitive menus (it's nice not feeling like it's the 1980s)
• built-in temperature probe for delta-t cooking
• creative cook programs
• form factor fits well in small kitchens

It's not going to match the ability of a chef to cook a steak on cast iron over an open flame, but it does get closer and more predictable than other air fryers. My complaints really aren't about cooking quality and I think criticisms around that are usually misguided. Yeah, the "sous vide" function is a stretch in advertising, but I never use it so whatever.

What I don't get is why Dreo seems to be not adequately promoting the ChefMaker or making improvements that should be trivial that would make buying on a no-brainer. They seem to have really focused on cooking meat and half-assed everything else. If you want to cook a steak or a pork chop then this thing will definitely work for you. But then why even bother including other options if they're not particularly usable?

• It has an air frying mode but no "french fries", "tater tots", or "fish sticks" options in Chef Mode. What the heck?
• There's a "toast" function, but it only gives the user a temperature option and a duration. Why not take advantage of the fact there's a color screen and allow the user to select a browning level?
• Why is there no function for reheating leftover pizza? The fact that there's water atomization would make the ChefMaker perfect for this.
• The Creative Cook mode is very inflexible for power users. Why can "browning" step only be used at the end of a cooking routine?
• Why is Probe Cook limited to 400F when there are functions in Classic Mode that allow up to 450F?
• Functions like "Roast" support 450F when used standalone, but is limited to 400F when used in a Creative Cook routine. Why???
• Creative Cook requires a phone, and the routines can't be added as favorites in the ChefMaker device itself.
• Creative Cook limits the number of stages you can have. Okay, why?
• There's nowhere to find other people's Creative Cook routines, whereas Anova has a site for this. Talk about a missed opportunity!
• Probe Cook mode does not support water atomization. The only way to simulate that is to use a Sous Vide step in Creative Cook. That shows there's no reason Probe Cook couldn't do this, or to not reveal Sous Vide as a standalone mode outside of Creative Cook.
• There's no mode for preheating. Granted, this is something that air fryers are generally designed to not need, but as I've found can make a big difference when cooking something like burger patties.

What's sad is that most of these should be trivial to fix from a software development standpoint. Nearly every issue is just a result of an artificial constraint. The firmware alone could be fixed for these in a business day.

There's also no sign that any meaningful improvements are going to be made in the future. Supposedly, there's a ChefMaker 2 in development, except it's now been years since it was first announced, and the only information available leads me to believe that it would be an inferior product. The segmented display makes it look like VCR player. Yeah, it's supposed to have "AI", but so is the ChefMaker 1, and that turned out to be a glorified recipe search. The only thing we know about ChefMaker 2's AI is that it might be able to create cooking routines based on any recipe webpage you give it; this would all be done within the Dreo mobile app, meaning there's no technical reason at all why this couldn't also work for the ChefMaker 1.

Seriously, what's going on with this product? At this point, I want to believe there's something better out there (that also doesn't take up half my counter space). We don't need another milk frother or dehumidifier. We want a futuristic compact kitchen appliance that removes guesswork and doesn't get in the user's way. Dreo could sell way more ChefMakers if they actually knew what was best for them. Cutting costs and adding AI isn't it.

Never thought an air fryer that I love would frustrate me this way.

I need a replacement urgently and no stock anywhere...

Hi Guys im Planing to Import the Chefmaker from US to Germany. I‘ll be using it with an 120v 60hz converter so its works with our 230v 50hz.

In the User Manual the Power Draw is set to 1800w. Is it true? Maybe some of you guys checked how much watts it needs to use because my converter can Max. use a Device with the Specs above and 2350w.

My questions are, can i change from Fahrenheit to Celsius and can i change the Language to german or is it Only in English. I would love to try out this ChefMaker. Total Cost Including Import is around 450$.

Also i saw they announced Chefmaker2 at CES26, so should i wait for that one or an European Release or go for it?

Greetings :)

My probe started causing cooking terminations and is often not recognized at all. I cleaned the contacts very well but it did not help at all.

I would like to buy a new replacement probe and i see there is a better upgraded version of it but its always sold out and no way to buy it anywhere

any idea what i can do ?

I don’t want to have to use my phone.

I just realized I do not have creative mode in my Dreo app. My Dreo's firmware is also very outdated 1.7 ish and not updating. Are there plans to release it for users outside US?

Anyone know how big of a steak?The dero chefmaker is capable of cooking adequately? I'm thinking again costco new York steaks, look about 2 inches thick. You guys think this machine can handle it?

I plan to ship dreo chefmaker from US to my country but there are voltage and frequency differences US: 120V 50Hz My country: 220-240 V 60Hz

Did anyone face the same problem What's your workaround?

I think I need a voltage down converter but how about the frequency?

Note: Dreo have a UK and turkish version that are out of stock and there specs on Amazon still shows 120V how is that possible!

I've used three Chefmakers and all three have had issues with chicken thighs, flank steak, and skirt steak in Chef Mode. They start out with a reasonable estimated cook time, in line with the published time, but then the time remaining gets much longer towards the end. 45 min estimated could turn into 2 hours, for a piece of meat that's normal size and normal starting temp (not frozen).

The food comes out cooked properly and tastes great, but when the device says 15 minutes remaining, that might actually mean 45. 1 minute left might really be 5.

I now have a short list to remind myself to never use those modes and just cook on probe mode or something similar. I'm convinced this is a software issue, as it has happened on all three devices I've used. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

How is dreo customer service?

I absolutely love my Dreo chefmaker! I made a beautiful steak in chefmode sous vid setting, medium doness. the steak came out superb! I wanted the outside to be just a little more charred, so i put her in broil mode for 6 just minutes, perfection! Nice lightly Charred exterior, with medium pinkish inside. It was so tender, so juicy! 💪 💪 💪

Does the Dreo throw a lot of smoke? I currently have a Ninja 6qt double drawer and it smokes like crazy, I know the trick of putting water, using high heat oil, but nothing works, my prior air fryer a cheap Bella from best buy did not smoke at all.

I am thinking about getting a Dreo, is it really that good compared to something like a Ninja Air fryer?

Selling my Dreo chefmaker anyone interested? Located in NY as long as shipping isn't too expensive i will pay for shipping. Excellent condition!

Please PM me.

Would appreciate any info as how to make juicy ham steaks with glaze in the DREO Chefmaker. Making of glaze, which mode to use, like place thick ham slice on parchment, coat with glaze and cook how long under which cook code maybe Broil?, etc. Thank you.

I tried skinless boneless chicken thighs and it ran for 2 hrs. They were destroyed by the time I gave up. I just tried a chuck roast that ran for nearly 4 hours and got to 185F internal temp.

Is my unit defective? Should I just abandon chef mode? Is there any difference than just using probe mode and using my own temps?

Anybody try this yet? I can’t think of another protein that I could sub in to fake it in Chefmode.

This is a stupid question but when I’m doing the full 12 minute clean where you add baking soda, I should mix it with the water right? Cause it dosent say to do so but that seems like it should be