The case for induction cooking • Hacker News Board

Re: The case for induction cooking

#111

Post by londons_explore » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:34 PM UTC

ascar wrote: post #92

hades32 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

German here. So few people here have induction because people still think that most pans couldn't be used. But I love it! But also few here use gas. It's mostly ceramic hobs

As a fellow German I didn't go induction on purpose, because I prefer the ceramic hob cooking experience. "Pans cannot be used" wasn't part of the decision. Having "control nobs" on the front rather than a touch area on the cooking surface was a hard requirement for me though and seems to be getting rarer every year. I'm actually amazed how much people love induction here, but I guess that's also because it's mostly…

The heating technology and the type of control need not be linked...

Re: The case for induction cooking

#112

Post by ggm » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:35 PM UTC

moistly wrote: post #85

Have a Samsung induction. Induction kicks ass: incredibly fast to heat up, incredibly fast to reduce heat, good temperature control, dead easy to clean, surfaces stay relatively cool, etc. Flat(ish)-bottom wok works well. I highly recommend upgrading to induction stovetops. Had a cast-iron pan on “hi” or “powerboost”. It heated up so fast it cracked. It was like a gunshot, scared the bejeezsus outta me. Surprisingly,…

You both love your Samsung induction and hate Samsung. So.. which wins?

Re: The case for induction cooking

#113

Post by rsfern » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:37 PM UTC

ghostpepper wrote: post #106

cespare wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's true that most induction cooktops/ranges aren't great for woks, but in principle the induction surface doesn't have to be flat -- it can be a concave shape to match the wok. In fact these exist -- if you search for "induction wok burners" you can see some pictures. (I only recently became aware of this after watching this video of a chef who uses induction cooking in a small kitchen: https://www.youtube.com/watc…

Isn't the reason why woks need gas also that the gas creates a smooth heat gradient up the sides of the wok? How far away from the surface of the stove can an induction element heat a pan?

It sounds like the induction element cradles the wok. I don’t know about the thermal gradient thing (seems plausible) but in principle you could make a gradient in the field strength right?

I would have thought that a bigger drawback would be that you can’t get even heat input while tossing the wok, though I’m not sure how essential that is

Re: The case for induction cooking

#114

Post by dimitrios1 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:38 PM UTC

buran77 wrote: post #24

dimitrios1 wrote: post #9

"perils" is just a tad dramatic here. And while there are many advantages to induction over gas (the faster boiling times have me sold alone), there are some disadvantages in my opinion to placing even more reliance on a electrical grid that we learn each day is more fragile than we once thought.

I think today more than ever we can agree that relying on gas may put any country in a far more precarious position. Remember that you can make enough electricity at home if need be, even if at a hefty cost maybe. The same cannot be said for the gas to power your stove and heating for any reasonable cost.

No, I don't think we can agree on that, especially not in America, where a mere 3 short years ago, we had an abundance of natural gas, and prices plummeting to near record lows (adjusted for inflation). The current situation we are in is due to bad policy.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#115

Post by convolvatron » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:38 PM UTC

prometheus76 wrote: post #30

Amateur home cook offering my experience using a portable induction cooktop next to my electric stove top. I'm in the US, so my induction cooktop is an anemic 1800 watt one because it's 120V, instead of the beefier European/Asian models that are 3500W 220V versions. That out of the way, here are the positives from my perspective: * induction boils a pot of water dramatically faster * the pots, in general, heat up muc…

no kidding. I assumed that 'simmer' was something these would be really good at. but either way under, or rolling boil

Re: The case for induction cooking

#116

Post by convolvatron » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:39 PM UTC

jahewson wrote: post #98

zdragnar wrote: post #18

I recently got one, and there is a major drawback: there is a coil whine that drives my tinnitis absolutely bonkers. I like how it cooks, but hate using it.

This could be your pans, the multiple layers of cladding on the bottom can produce a very high-pitch noise.

i have a stainless on aluminum pot that does this alot, and a stainless with a sleel slug at the base that does this a little. cast iron is quiet

Re: The case for induction cooking

#117

Post by code_biologist » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:41 PM UTC

Does anyone know of an induction hob with adjustability that doesn’t suck? My current one has 200-300 watt jumps between power output settings and it seems stupid that I can’t adjust in 5 or 10 watt increments instead!

Re: The case for induction cooking

#118

Post by moistly » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:43 PM UTC

ggm wrote: post #112

moistly wrote: post #85

Have a Samsung induction. Induction kicks ass: incredibly fast to heat up, incredibly fast to reduce heat, good temperature control, dead easy to clean, surfaces stay relatively cool, etc. Flat(ish)-bottom wok works well. I highly recommend upgrading to induction stovetops. Had a cast-iron pan on “hi” or “powerboost”. It heated up so fast it cracked. It was like a gunshot, scared the bejeezsus outta me. Surprisingly,…

You both love your Samsung induction and hate Samsung. So.. which wins?

Induction wins. Just choose better than I did.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#119

Post by londons_explore » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:46 PM UTC

smiley1437 wrote: post #76

I like induction but it's hard to find portable induction with a true hob size larger than 6". Any cookware outside the induction disk zone only gets warm, not really hot. The largest one I could find is the Max Burton 6600 which claims a 9" induction disk but the middle 3 inches of the disk is not energized. I suppose for a 15 amp plug there's only so much area it can safely heat. Maybe built-in ones can be bigger?

If you disassemble one, you can quite easily change the shape and size of the heating area. It's all flexible wire that you can re-route as you please.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#120

Post by londons_explore » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:48 PM UTC

upofadown wrote: post #68

legohead wrote: post #51

Natural gas is far cheaper, so I'll stick with that. Even though I love the idea of an easy to clean stovetop. My electric bill is already out of control (California).

You might want to do the math. Induction is quite a lot more efficient at actually heating the food. Even regular electric is more efficient at heating the food than gas.

When gas is 4x cheaper per kWh, electric isn't going to win cost-wise, even if 100% efficient.