The case for induction cooking • Hacker News Board

Re: The case for induction cooking

#151

Post by com2kid » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:16 PM UTC

ouid wrote: post #135

I don't buy it, sorry. Electric ovens are garbage, and there's no such thing as an induction oven. Most of the health concerns are probably solved by requiring the installation of range hoods. I don't believe the claims about burning natural gas being the causal factor here either. I rather think that culprit is aerosolized oil, and houses with gas ranges are simply more likely to cook with oil at temperatures hot en…

> Electric ovens are garbage, and there's no such thing as an induction oven.

I am afraid of losing my gas broiler if I go to an induction system. That is very nice to have.

However, I don't get why everyone says gas is harder to clean. Last time I owned a glass cooktop I spent forever cleaning it, and it never looked perfect. Gas cooktops are easy peasy, remove grate, wipe up. Glass cooktop: Get special scrubber, note it doesn't work. Spray on magic glass cooktop spray, wipe clean, no luck. Get out a "glass cooktop" straight edge razor and spend 15+ minutes scrapping it off, slip a bit and now you have a permanent scratch.

Glass cooktops suck.

In terms of speed of changing temperature, gas and induction are pretty identical here, with the exception of those super sweet Chinese gas stove setups with the foot pedal to control the gas flow. Those things are awesome, but it is perfectly possible to hook that same pedal up to an IC that controls the induction element.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#152

Post by kleinsch » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:17 PM UTC

ouid wrote: post #135

I don't buy it, sorry. Electric ovens are garbage, and there's no such thing as an induction oven. Most of the health concerns are probably solved by requiring the installation of range hoods. I don't believe the claims about burning natural gas being the causal factor here either. I rather think that culprit is aerosolized oil, and houses with gas ranges are simply more likely to cook with oil at temperatures hot en…

You seem pretty misinformed. Electric ovens aren’t garbage - most high end homes built today with separate ovens and ranges have electric convection ovens and built-in gas ranges.

If you try out induction, you’d realize it’s superior to gas in a lot of ways. The reason it’s not adopted is that induction cooktops are expensive and you have to throw out any nonconductive pans. Your comment about restaurants is more tuned to this than gas being superior - high end restaurants are starting to use induction more bc of the degree of control. Alinea uses induction. Low to mid restaurants are buying the cheapest thing they can, and that’s usually the gas range they inherited.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#153

Post by kleton » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:17 PM UTC

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #140

noveltyaccount wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got a flat bottom wok that I am happy stir frying on my induction cooktop. The flat bottom gets rippin hot and the sides only warm. Have to work within that smaller hot zone but I prefer the wok to skillet for containing the mess.

> I got a flat bottom wok There is no such thing. A round bottom is a defining feature of a wok. If it doesn’t have a round bottom it isn’t a wok by definition . A round bottom is essential to how a wok is used.

锅 is the generic word for cookpot in Chinese, coming in all sizes and configurations.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#154

Post by ProfessorLayton » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:18 PM UTC

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).

I’m in a the SFBAY and paying 30¢/kw all-in after taxes/fees for tier 1 usage, and this is absolutely a concern. Electric costs are out of control due to wildfires and I have no incentive to switch to anything electric right now.

My local utility company is set to introduce a major rate hike for both electric and gas, but the per-unit of energy for gas is still far cheaper. Electric is getting so bad it might make sense to swap out my electric dryer for a gas one, even though it’s perfectly functional.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#155

Post by ink_13 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:18 PM UTC

ouid wrote: post #135

I don't buy it, sorry. Electric ovens are garbage, and there's no such thing as an induction oven. Most of the health concerns are probably solved by requiring the installation of range hoods. I don't believe the claims about burning natural gas being the causal factor here either. I rather think that culprit is aerosolized oil, and houses with gas ranges are simply more likely to cook with oil at temperatures hot en…

> Electric ovens are garbage

It's curious to me that you would say that, since electric ovens are generally preferred for their more even and consistent heating. For a gas stove to maintain a certain heat, it has to be continuously cycling a gas element that necessarily only burns at one temperature. Also, electric ovens don't impart extra moisture to the cooking cavity.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#156

Post by noveltyaccount » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:18 PM UTC

clumsysmurf wrote: post #121

noveltyaccount wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got a flat bottom wok that I am happy stir frying on my induction cooktop. The flat bottom gets rippin hot and the sides only warm. Have to work within that smaller hot zone but I prefer the wok to skillet for containing the mess.

Can you share which flat bottom wok you got? I'm mostly going to use one to prepare frozen broccoli in olive oil when I can't get fresh broccoli.

It was on sale at my local grocery store, no idea the name. It is lightweight carbon steel, means it gets hot in a flash and is easy to move around with one hand. I probably paid thirty bucks for it, nothing special.

Edit: pretty sure this is the wok, definitely the correct brand. https://kenhomwoks.com/store/products/ken-hom-excellence-car...

Re: The case for induction cooking

#157

Post by sofixa » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:18 PM UTC

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).

But it's much worse for the planet, and it's a decent bet that those externalities will be priced in eventually.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#158

Post by com2kid » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:18 PM UTC

Kon-Peki wrote: post #95

tedunangst wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Somewhere around 15 amps is almost always the limit for basic circuits, making voltage an easy proxy for available power.

This house I just bought (in the US) has a really odd kitchen that includes a gas cooktop combined with an electric double oven. It's wired directly to the breaker box in the basement with a 35-amp fuse.

Oh wow that is... backwards.

I'd want an induction cooktop and a gas oven! The gas oven solely so I can do the broil thing and get a good sear from direct flame.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#159

Post by Aaargh20318 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:19 PM UTC

noveltyaccount wrote: post #147

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I got a flat bottom wok There is no such thing. A round bottom is a defining feature of a wok. If it doesn’t have a round bottom it isn’t a wok by definition . A round bottom is essential to how a wok is used.

Lol this is an unusual hill to die on

Not sure what you’re trying to say. A wok is a very specific type of cookware for specific uses cases. The round bottom is the entire point of a wok. A flat bottom wok is like a square wheel.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#160

Post by buran77 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 11:19 PM UTC

dimitrios1 wrote: post #114

buran77 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

So you do not agree that relying on gas may put any country in a far more precarious situation? It's happening as we speak to countries which did exactly that so your agreement was not actually sought, it was a mere figure of speech. It also doesn't help your argument when you go on to confirm that even countries with large reserves can put themselves in such a precarious situation with no help from the outside.

The truth of the matter is that any country would be in a more secure position relying on resources that are regenerable, can be produced locally, and whose network can cope with a higher measure of decentralization. They make both the grid/network and the country itself more resilient regardless of "policy".

As I said, you can't make your own gas and an outage for the wholly centralized gas distribution system can have dire consequences that would be lessened or even eliminated for setups like rooftop solar and heat-pump.