Induction cooktop - meh

[n0iu]

We just did a whole kitchen update and one of the "improvements" was to replace the traditional electric cooktop with an induction cooktop. This is where an alternating electric current flows through the coil, which produces an oscillating magnetic field. This field induces an electric current in the pot. Current flowing in the metal pot produces resistive heating which heats the food. (Thank you Wikipedia for that explanation) IOW, the surface of the cooktop does not actually produce heat (other than what is incidental to the induction process), but the resulting eddy currents produced by the coil under the glass surface causes the vessel to get hot. It is a real paradigm shift to cook this way since the vessels can get extremely hot in a very short period of time.

It is kind of interesting that once you remove the vessel from the cooktop surface, you have just a couple of seconds before the unit shuts off! So if you are going to flip your food while cooking, you have a very short time to do this. OTOH, you don't have to remember to shut the unit off since it will do that automatically if you forget!

In the several months that we have had it, we have pretty much figured out how to adjust the power settings so that really is not an issue any more, but we are still scratching our heads wondering what makes this thing worth $1800 when we could have had a "traditional" glass top electic cooktop for 1/3 the price.

Anyone else have an induction cooktop and what do you think about it?

[K7SGJ]

I worked on a few when they first came out with them for home use years ago. The concept is rather neat, but, I doubt I'll ever give up cooking with gas. I can't manage electric cooking worth a damn, except for the oven, which is electric.

[NQ6U]

I worked on a few when they first came out with them for home use years ago. The concept is rather neat, but, I doubt I'll ever give up cooking with gas. I can't manage electric cooking worth a damn, except for the oven, which is electric.

Gas burners, electric oven. That's the way to do it.

[WØTKX]

Cooking with gas rocks.

http://www.cookerfitting.co.uk/image/images/Hob_Flame_Burning_cookerfitting.co.uk_animation.gi f

[n0iu]

Unfortunately out here in the Boonies, there is no natural gas service (except after eating my wife's chili!) so our only other option would be to use propane (and propane accessories!). And after what we have been going through this winter, I am really glad we don't have propane!

http://gifatron.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/hank_hill_scared.gif

Sorry Hank!

[kb2vxa]

So much for glass and ceramic cooking vessels that are so easy to clean. What a lovely "improvement" that costs a fortune with more expensive parts to replace you have to pay a repairman for when conventional heating elements are cheap enough and simply plug in. Too bad microwave ovens don't have automatic self protection when the magnetron has no load, they burn up but the HF inverter shuts down with no load. Now how do you like that? Extremely expensive stuff has idiot protection, an $1800 replacement for taking a pot off the stove would kill sales in a heartbeat.

"...we are still scratching our heads wondering what makes this thing worth $1800 when we could have had a "traditional" glass top electic cooktop for 1/3 the price."

If you asked about "cost" I'd tell you a shit pile of MOSFETS, toroids, timer chips and a bunch of expensive stuff, but since you asked about "worth" my answer is much easier: NOTHING. I see the table top single "burner" induction hotplates advertized on TV and a second before changing the channel like I do with all commercials I think "what an asshole" or "you must think I'm an idiot".

[PA5COR]

Natural gas cooking, electric oven, suits me fine. ;)

[n0iu]

"what an asshole" "you must think I'm an idiot"

C'mon man, don't sugar coat it. Tell me what you really think!

Well we own it now so there is no looking back, but if someone were to ask me BEFORE getting one, I would tell them it is not worth it.

[KK4AMI]

C'mon man, don't sugar coat it. Tell me what you really think!

Well we own it now so there is no looking back, but if someone were to ask me BEFORE getting one, I would tell them it is not worth it.

Did you have to buy all new cookware for it? It does sound like it has good safety features for old folks. My 80 year old Father used to brag he was doing his own cooking. A couple of times he left the electric burner on high all night. We stopped that sh#$ real fast. His microwave oven was looking like the inside of a cave with stalagmites. Decided he needed to move into a senior living facility so he wouldn't burn himself or get food poisoning.

[n0iu]

Did you have to buy all new cookware for it?

We did have to buy some new things. The crucial factor is that the vessel (or at least the bottom of it) has to be made of ferrous metal. IOW, if a magnet won't stick to it, it won't work. We have a big cast iron skillet that works quite well with the induction system. They (whoever "they" are!) make these metal plates that can go on the cooktop and heat up through induction and in turn heat up whatever vessel is sitting on the plate no matter what it is made of. From what I have read, these don't work all that well and if you are going to do that, you might as well use a "normal" electric heating element.

We are committed (or should be!) to this new cooking paradigm and it is OK... just OK. It is just not the WOW! I expected

[KB3LAZ]

My stove is some sort of hybrid. 50/50 electric and gas cook tops. I don't know why, it is silly. I hated to cook on electric when I first got here but I am used to it now. Things cook much faster.

[kb2vxa]

Re AMI:
"My 80 year old Father used to brag he was doing his own cooking. A couple of times he left the electric burner on high all night. We stopped that sh#$ real fast."
There was one of those where I used to live only he was an alcoholic who would start cooking and pass out drunk. He nearly set the house on fire once a year, filled the house with smoke and one time fried a wall outlet, one of those overloaded "octopus outlets". Eventually he went into assisted living he claimed he hated and got into rehab. He came back for a visit looking good, no more drinking, no more fires or fried outlets and he said he loves assisted living. When somebody says it's for your own good they're usually right.

That's because electric elements heat the bottom of the pot or pan evenly while circular gas burners send most of the heat up the sides into the open air wasting it. Why they're not all like commercial gas burners, star shaped, that heat evenly without waste I have no idea. They cook fast because they have to or when eating out you'd wait all day for your food. Chefs make it go even faster by stir frying in oil, even vegetables. In Chinese restaurants some of the burners have rings to support woks and one big regular burner for a large pot of chicken broth stock they use to make all sorts of things. That starts out as water in the morning they partially cook whole chickens in and use as stock. I've seen cooks in action while goofing off at one place I worked and once I made friends with the guys at a Chinese eatery I had the run of the place. I was at the prepper's home a number of times and saw the same kind of stove in his kitchen.

[KK4AMI]

That's because electric elements heat the bottom of the pot or pan evenly while circular gas burners send most of the heat up the sides into the open air wasting it. Why they're not all like commercial gas burners, star shaped, that heat evenly without waste I have no idea. They cook fast because they have to or when eating out you'd wait all day for your food. Chefs make it go even faster by stir frying in oil, even vegetables. In Chinese restaurants some of the burners have rings to support woks and one big regular burner for a large pot of chicken broth stock they use to make all sorts of things. That starts out as water in the morning they partially cook whole chickens in and use as stock. I've seen cooks in action while goofing off at one place I worked and once I made friends with the guys at a Chinese eatery I had the run of the place. I was at the prepper's home a number of times and saw the same kind of stove in his kitchen.

Is this another damn Pot discussion?

[W9JEF]

.



It was maybe 60 years ago, that I remember a DIY project (likely in Popular Science).
An "induction cooker" constructed by winding enameled wire around a large core
of coat hangar segments bundled together to form this huge electromagnet.

The article claimed that the eddy currents induced in any metal pan would do the cooking.
And you could amaze your friends with an aluminum ring shown in a photo, floating above it.

[w3bny]

Gas stove person myself. Even if the power goes out, I can take a bic and make fudz

[PA5COR]

Gas cooking and oven, never had a gas out here in 28 years.
Supplemental to that an kerosene cooker with 2 burners in it, good enough to simmer meat on it for long time and keep the 4 other gas burners free for other cooking.

The kerosene cooker uses just a pinch of kerosene to keep the meat slowly cooking for hours, easy to maintain, kerosene is cheap, and new wicks are cheap as well needed once every 10 year with good use.
After this no-winter i have lots of kerosene left here, more then enough to cook through the summer and us as spare heating for the next winter, if that one comes.

[WX7P]

We use this bad boy all the time. Nothing like Rotisserie chicken or ribs.

11896

Only 10 bucks at the junk store

[KK4AMI]

Good grief, you all must have crowded kitchens full of appliances. My wife can cook anything and I do mean everything with a two inch plastic card! :lol:

[W9JEF]

Gas cooking and oven, never had a gas out here in 28 years.
Supplemental to that an kerosene cooker with 2 burners in it, good enough to simmer meat on it for long time and keep the 4 other gas burners free for other cooking.

The kerosene cooker uses just a pinch of kerosene to keep the meat slowly cooking for hours, easy to maintain, kerosene is cheap, and new wicks are cheap as well needed once every 10 year with good use.
After this no-winter i have lots of kerosene left here, more then enough to cook through the summer and us as spare heating for the next winter, if that one comes.

Been heating our home of almost 32 years on natural gas.
One morning, the flame in our whole house heater
is looking rather weird--and it's making strange noises.

Soon a gas company man is at the door,
needs to shut us down so he can replace a leaky regulator
that our "smart" meter had alerted them to.

When I asked about our safety, I got the obligatory reply:

"No, you were never in danger." :sick:

[w3bny]

Good grief, you all must have crowded kitchens full of appliances. My wife can cook anything and I do mean everything with a two inch plastic card! :lol:

Thats about my wife's speed. She needs a tech manual to boil water.

[PA5COR]

Plastic cards enough here, but i prefer homecooking, cheaper and much more tastier.
Fresh veggies from the field too.
Natuural gas heating Faber hearth, above a wall gas heater same brand.
Cleaning the chimney every year, since i'm up on the roof anyway to do maintenance on the antenna's, clan out the hearth, check valves connections etc, Co2 level the works.

That old Faber hearth is now 25 years old, heavy like a ton, cast iron, and running for the next 50 years or so.
No central heating for me, saves 900 cubic meters gas, and electricity for the C.V and waterpump as well.
Warm water through the geyser, 5 litres of 70 C water a minute.
Saves me compared to central heating 600 euro's a year.
All little bits do help ;)
Will be down to 800 cubic meters of gas this whole year running from June to June including this winter, dishes, heating showering daily for 2 persons.
Water use was 50 cubic meters or 6 euro a month including transport and metering costs....



Been heating our home of almost 32 years on natural gas.
One morning, the flame in our whole house heater
is looking rather weird--and it's making strange noises.

Soon a gas company man is at the door,
needs to shut us down so he can replace a leaky regulator
that our "smart" meter had alerted them to.

When I asked about our safety, I got the obligatory reply:

"No, you were never in danger." :sick:

[KG4CGC]

These induction cooktops were supposed to change the destiny of of cooking forever.
Just another chocolate covered dog turd, eh?

[K7SGJ]

These induction cooktops were supposed to change the destiny of of cooking forever.
Just another chocolate covered dog turd, eh?

With nuts?

[KG4CGC]

With nuts?

Better get some breath spray after that meal.

[N2ADV]

We looked at those when we built our house and couldn't really justify the huge price difference. No natural gas here and propane is expensive so we ended up going with a ceramic electric cook-top. I prefer gas but the view from this high up makes it worth swapping gas for an electric range/oven.

We have some propane bottles and a camp burner if the power goes out. Of course, we also have a massive generator so we could probably still use the range/oven. :)

[kb2vxa]

When you have to swap gas for an electric range, induction is the way to go. OK, the initial cost is higher than standard resistance heating elements, but with the savings in electricity it will pay for itself in time. Considering how the cost of current has gone through the roof I'd say it's one of those lesser of two evils kind of things.

Just another chocolate covered dog turd, eh?
With nuts?
With nuts.