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The case for induction cooking

nytimes.com

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Re: The case for induction cooking

#161

Post by quasarj »

nemo1618 wrote: post #46

Warning to anyone thinking about buying one of those portable induction cooktop ("just to see what all the fuss is about"): if it plugs into a standard 120V socket, it's probably not going to boil water any faster than your existing stove! In fact, mine boils even slower than my electric stove. Apparently, the portable ones only go up to around 1800W. If you want to experience the true boil-the-oceans power of induct…

You either got a shit induction cooktop or an amazing electric stove. Maybe both? I have an 1800W portable induction cooktop and while it's not perfect, it's definitely way faster than my electric stove. At least 5x faster at boiling water, I'd say.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#162

Post by kleinsch »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #130

> But induction stoves are expensive. Starting around $1,000, they’re twice the price of a basic gas range. When I was in college, I wanted to be able to make pasta in my dorm room. The dining hall was fine, but it was my first time away from home, and I missed cooking pasta. The rules said that hotplates weren't allowed in dorms, so I bought a portable induction cooker for $60 off Amazon. It can't be a hotplate if i…

A comparable gas burner would be $15-20 but nobody would let you use it indoors, so there’s no market for it.

Look on Home Depot or Lowes website. Full cooktop w oven is a totally separate market than gluing four hot plates together. Induction has been a high-end thing for a long time, so there aren’t bargain basement induction ranges. Stuff for sale in the US is competing with mid to high end gas.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#163

Post by bliteben »

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,…

Our GE Cafe Induction Oven https://www.cafeappliances.com/appliance/Cafe-30-Smart-Slide... had board failure in the first 6 months, the first board appeared to have a cooling shroud installed improperly (covid quality issues?), so we were hopeful, 3 months later the replacement failed. We are now awaiting our Gas replacement stove.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#165

Post by bliteben »

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.

Its annoying and I could certainly see this happening as different pans do have different noises, for me I'm not sure I could have found an egg pan without noise on the induction I had until it died.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#167

Post by scep12 »

ptomato wrote: post #42

Let me know when you can buy one of decent quality in the US with actual physical controls instead of some insane touch system designed by somebody who has apparently never actually been in a kitchen and marketed to people who won't use it but just want a thing that looks cool.

Frigidaire has one: https://www.appliancesconnection.com/frigidaire-professional...

I almost bought this after much research but ended up doing a range instead.

It's much easier to find a range with knobs for the cooktop so I won't bother linking to one.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#168

Post by ouid »

ink_13 wrote: post #155
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.

Electric ovens are essentially incapable of broiling, which is one of the most important things that an oven does. All other functions are close to parity, but why would I buy an oven that is functionally without a broiler?

Re: The case for induction cooking

#169

Post by tomchuk »

cespare wrote: post #59
leoedin wrote: post #10

I fitted an AEG induction hob in our kitchen about 3 years ago. It is absolutely amazing. It's so controllable - you can go from "barely hot enough to melt chocolate" to "so hot your pans start discolouring and everything burns" - and back again - in seconds (and everything in-between obviously). I always thought gas was the best for cooking. But I was wrong - induction is. Gas is great for medium-high power cooking,…

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…

Kenji Lopez-Alt, of Seriouseats and “The Food Lab” fame, is coming out with his new book, “The Wok”, here is his travel rig: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaxbNwdvOTR/. I’ve had a similar wok hob for years, and while fitting the wok to the curvature of the hob is essential, once you’ve got that figured out, it’s an absolute joy to use. Even, fast, powerful heat - nowhere near to a commercial gas hob, but neither is my gas range at home. My next home or kitchen reno will be induction, not even considering gas.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#170

Post by benoliver999 »

contingencies wrote: post #100
benoliver999 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do think I could use an upgrade though, my induction hub just clicks on and off PWM style. Not great for a steady heat. Having read this article I noticed that they aren't all like this.

It may be that your cookware is no good. For safety reasons all control systems for induction appliances have a feature to automatically turn off when they detect that the generated field is not being received by a large enough target surface, since otherwise it would be a fire risk. Try changing cookware, you may find the issue goes away.

It's across all my cookware. Pans, cast iron, the coffee maker, the kettle.

If I put it on full power, then it's a continuous blast of energy and it never clicks off. That's great for boiling water but not much else.

If I put it on 70%, it goes on full power for 7 seconds, then stops for 3, then back on for 7 etc etc.

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