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Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

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Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#131

Post by plqbfbv »

cassianoleal wrote: post #59
pornel wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Induction is the good one - it has instant response like gas. Resistive electric stoves suck and deserve their reputation, but induction is the best of both worlds: high power, accurate control, and you don't waste half of the energy due to the flame's heat going around the pot. But the touch-sensitive controls are infuriating indeed. Nothing about induction requires them, it's just a dumb design fad.

Induction is shit. Horrible stuff. Not nearly the same level of control and heat dissipation as gas. Much better than resistive, but about 10% as good as gas. Where it has a clear advantage is in boiling speed when used at full power. I've ditched my electric kettle for a stovetop one. There's not a day I'm cooking that I don't somewhat regret having replaced the old and crappy gas stove. Even with very thick cast ir…

I have stainless steel and anti-stick pans from a high end brand, and with one of the cheapest induction stoves a liter of water boils in literally 2m, compared to 10m+ of gas.

Cast iron pots have additional challenges unless they're designed for induction (flat bottom surface), and even then, due to the high thermal capacity they are basically bad heat conductors, so if you put a large cast iron pot on a small induction coil, the center will heat rapidly, but it'll take a long time for the whole pan to heat up. Your only option is to make sure bottom-pot size and coil size are matching, and even then it'll take a while longer to heat compared to stainless steel or copper.

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#132

Post by cassianoleal »

plqbfbv wrote: post #131
cassianoleal wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Induction is shit. Horrible stuff. Not nearly the same level of control and heat dissipation as gas. Much better than resistive, but about 10% as good as gas. Where it has a clear advantage is in boiling speed when used at full power. I've ditched my electric kettle for a stovetop one. There's not a day I'm cooking that I don't somewhat regret having replaced the old and crappy gas stove. Even with very thick cast ir…

I have stainless steel and anti-stick pans from a high end brand, and with one of the cheapest induction stoves a liter of water boils in literally 2m, compared to 10m+ of gas. Cast iron pots have additional challenges unless they're designed for induction (flat bottom surface), and even then, due to the high thermal capacity they are basically bad heat conductors, so if you put a large cast iron pot on a small induc…

I did say it's excellent at boiling water, didn't I? Everything else is horrible.

In terms of cast iron, even if I leave it to heat for over 20 minutes, the hot spot is still there.

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#133

Post by plqbfbv »

cassianoleal wrote: post #132
plqbfbv wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have stainless steel and anti-stick pans from a high end brand, and with one of the cheapest induction stoves a liter of water boils in literally 2m, compared to 10m+ of gas. Cast iron pots have additional challenges unless they're designed for induction (flat bottom surface), and even then, due to the high thermal capacity they are basically bad heat conductors, so if you put a large cast iron pot on a small induc…

I did say it's excellent at boiling water, didn't I? Everything else is horrible. In terms of cast iron, even if I leave it to heat for over 20 minutes, the hot spot is still there.

> I did say it's excellent at boiling water, didn't I?

Indeed, sorry, long workday :)

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#134

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

chomp wrote: post #45
syntaxing wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No way. I cook everyday and induction is vastly superior than gas. The only time fire is vastly superior is when I use a wok which I have a stove I use outdoors. Most induction stoves have temperature maintained too. So it can keep your oil at a specific temperature let it be frying or confit or roasting spices.

Can’t (properly) cook a tortilla on an electric burner, though you can get subpar results in a pan Can’t char a pepper on an electric burner Can’t heat a nabe on an electric burner Also during hurricane season, my gas burner still works when the power goes out. The list goes on of things that electric simply cannot do. To claim one is superior over the other ignores a lot of the ways people cook. They are just simply…

Depends on your electricity. Induction will stay shitty at 120V AC. It needs at least 2500 Watts sustained per pot/pan, to be good.

> Also during hurricane season, my gas burner still works when the power goes out.

'Powerwall' or similar?

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#135

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

pkulak wrote: post #90
hellisothers wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let’s assume we both have nice ranges. - I can temper on my 7k BTU burner - I can boil water quick AF on my 18k BTU burner - setting pan temp isn’t a thing, there are no recipes that call for a pan temp. Oil temp? Sure and that is why you have a thermometer, very solved problem. For browning etc you do it by time and feel, even if you could set a pan temp you wouldn’t just leave your meat on it for some temp x time a…

I'll take your word on those first two. I've used gas ranges, and the smallest burner has never been small enough to avoid putting itself out. And the largest one has always taken ages to boil water. Especially since the largest one usually pops the damn flame beyond the edges of the pot. But it's possible I've never used a really nice gas range. Though, FWIW, my current induction range is the cheapest model they had…

> It's not about having a "recipe", you learn 4-5 important temperatures after a couple weeks of using it.

Yes. Because of the quick reaction times, and being able to precisely set temperatures, and even temperature profiles over time with more advanced models.

Of the contents, in the pot or pan. Not just the outside.

For me it was a revelation. Needs much less experience and intuition. Eliminates much guesswork if you don't have much of the former.

Given you have a sufficient electric installation. If not, there are some crazies offering induction-cooktops with built-in battery, to compensate for the lack of that, boosting it up, sufficient for most cooking they claim.

I'd rather not ;->

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#136

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

cmclaughlin wrote: post #114
hellisothers wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it’s because my wife is literally a chef but you’ll have to pull her gas range/oven out of her dead hands. She’s worked with induction before for years, it is not the same league. For instance, you can’t tilt the pan.

I have a Bosch induction range and it doesn't immediately turn off the "burner" or beep when the pan is lifted up, so yeah I can tilt the pan.

Me too. I'm not following it that much, but I heard more and more chefs using and recommending it.

It's only here on HN, where I stumble upon the stubborn naysayers :-)

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#137

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

PhotonHunter wrote: post #128
acdha wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are either artifacts of a bad stove or using extremely thin pans. We have a fairly low-mid range model and the low mode doesn’t burn anything and the coils match the sizes of the pans we use. I agree it’s not great to get rid of a pure copper pot but those (and even many of the Korean dolsot pots) seem to be easily available with induction bases now. The flip side was that our cheap $5 IKEA cast iron works even…

> Those are either artifacts of a bad stove or using extremely thin pans. We have a fairly low-mid range model and the low mode doesn’t burn anything and the coils match the sizes of the pans we use. It’s a smaller than advertised coil, 6”, causing the problem, which is endemic but not limited to portable hobs. Warped a Lodge carbon steel pan the first time I used induction (2mm thick). Then I dove deeper and saw the…

The cheap cooktop which I got out of curiosity about 15 years ago now, had segmented coils(not only rings, but like pieces of pie), adjusting to the diameter and/or position of the the pot/pan. Had 25cm diameter. And didn't do that on/off thing. I measured that with an 'E-smog-meter', with multicolor LED-bar :-)

And that was an entry level thing, equivalent to the stuff you'd get at Ikea for about 50 to 60 bucks now. Mine was €25.

And still working, when I'm back where I lived at the time.

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#138

Post by snapplebobapple »

lkramer wrote: post #6

I find it significantly harder to cook with electric than gas, and the first hurdle these days is always that for some reason all modern stoves use awful touch interfaces instead of just plain knobs. I don't understand how we got there. It should be obvious to anyone that it's a terrible interface when you are trying to multitask several pots and might also have greasy hands

https://www.impulselabs.com

their stove appears to solve all that. I cant wait for their competitors to respond and fix their beyter priced products

Re: Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution (2025)

#139

Post by PhotonHunter »

LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #137
PhotonHunter wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Those are either artifacts of a bad stove or using extremely thin pans. We have a fairly low-mid range model and the low mode doesn’t burn anything and the coils match the sizes of the pans we use. It’s a smaller than advertised coil, 6”, causing the problem, which is endemic but not limited to portable hobs. Warped a Lodge carbon steel pan the first time I used induction (2mm thick). Then I dove deeper and saw the…

The cheap cooktop which I got out of curiosity about 15 years ago now, had segmented coils(not only rings, but like pieces of pie), adjusting to the diameter and/or position of the the pot/pan. Had 25cm diameter. And didn't do that on/off thing. I measured that with an 'E-smog-meter', with multicolor LED-bar :-) And that was an entry level thing, equivalent to the stuff you'd get at Ikea for about 50 to 60 bucks now.…

Can you share a link? I’d love to get one. Haven’t found anything like that on the US market.
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