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The case for induction cooking

nytimes.com

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Re: The case for induction cooking

#221

Post by kelvie »

amluto wrote: post #172

This article is, in one respect, quite misleading. It compares gas ranges to a specific induction hob: the Breville Control Freak. This device is not actually complicated per se, but it is a masterpiece of good (or at least decent) UX and control design in a way that makes it almost incomparable to anything else on the market. Cooking with it is a rather different experience than using any normal stove. There’s actua…

Yeah, we splurged on a Control Freak 3 years ago; it was on sale because they were phasing out the ones with the NEMA 5-20 plugs, honestly it's better if you have the 20A hookup.

The idea we had was that we'd use it for Cantonese hot pot, and just put it away in its case for storage the rest of the time.

We were dead wrong. It takes up a lot of counter space in our apartment kitchen, but since we unboxed it it has never moved from the counter for the last 3 years.

It has replaced our hob for 80% of cooking (in general, we only use the hob when we need to cook two things at once), and when it's not in use for other things, we leave a kettle on top of it.

It's also industrially specced so we can actually leave it on forever -- when we have a stew we want to eat tomorrow, sometimes we just leave it at 65°C until we want to eat it the next day.

It's so amazing I wish it came in a 4 hob configuration and we can replace our stovetops completely (GE has something similar, but we've had terrible experiences with GE appliances).

Re: The case for induction cooking

#222

Post by briHass »

Sqwandery wrote: post #177
oblio wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know why you're downvoted. Induction hobs cut out a loss leader for gas: gas stoves. Once you have gas in your home it makes sense to install the main moneymaker: a gas furnace for heating. It's how they upsell. Induction hobs are great in the fight against global warming.

If the energy you use for heat is generated by gas, it's more efficient to burn it directly, and the emissions produced from manufacturing all the new stoves likely out way the emissions produced over the stoves lifetime. So, I'd say it's only helpful if you are getting a new stove anyway.

Of course, one also has to consider the leakage of methane that occurs with all the residential natural gas distribution, which is significant. Methane being 25x the greenhouse potential of CO2 means there's a lot of hidden environmental impact.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#223

Post by miduil »

whycome wrote: post #72
miduil wrote: post #65

I love induction stoves, I'm always a bit sad when people tell me they dislike induction cooking. I wish there was more granular heat control aka faster on/off switching/temperature modulation, some stoves are really bad which makes frying especially complicated as the heat comes in pulses of seconds. Btw. for my new apartment I was wondering if there are ways to avoid scratches on the induction glass plate and turns…

I'd be too scared to use it if its only good up to 480f -- I don't want to have to think.

Isn't that much higher than smoke point of most vegetable oils? Also Teflon pans shouldn't be heated much higher. But you're right of course.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Smoke_point_of_cookin...

Re: The case for induction cooking

#224

Post by brewdad »

com2kid wrote: post #158
Kon-Peki wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How often do you broil? I have an electric oven and probably use the broiler about 3 times every two years.

Everyone's cooking styles and needs are different, I guess. It's never been an issue for me. If I leave the oven door ajar, the broiler will stay on and do it's job. An electric oven works far better than gas for baking however which is something we do regularly.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#225

Post by [deleted] »

musikele wrote: post #5

"Although induction technology has been around for decades and is established in Europe, it has yet to catch on extensively here. According to Consumer Reports, induction cooktops and ranges are installed in only under 5 percent of homes in the United States." That's why, for a european like me, an article like this one seems totally extraneous to hacker news front page

[deleted]

Re: The case for induction cooking

#226

Post by bluGill »

sjburt wrote: post #208
omginternets wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So now we need two different kinds of cooking surface? I'm reminded of Dijkstra's story about trains.

I've never understood why we need 4 or 5 burner ranges, possibly with a slight size variations. I really only ever want one high power burner and one simmer burner. A dedicated wok burner sounds like a great addition. Another option would be to abandon the dedicated range entirely, and have a variety of countertop induction units that can be stored away when not in use. I don't think you could sell a home with a kitc…

I normally only need one or two burners. But a couple times per year I need all 4 and am wishing for more. I try to cook a variety of meals

Re: The case for induction cooking

#227

Post by genocidicbunny »

sjburt wrote: post #208
omginternets wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So now we need two different kinds of cooking surface? I'm reminded of Dijkstra's story about trains.

I've never understood why we need 4 or 5 burner ranges, possibly with a slight size variations. I really only ever want one high power burner and one simmer burner. A dedicated wok burner sounds like a great addition. Another option would be to abandon the dedicated range entirely, and have a variety of countertop induction units that can be stored away when not in use. I don't think you could sell a home with a kitc…

I think there's both a practical and aesthetic reason.

The practical reason is that people have different sized pots and pans. I don't want to put my small sauce pan on a large burner that will waste the majority of its heating surface. Similarly, I need a large surface to heat a big pan.

The aesthetic is that a lot of cooktops are combination stove/oven and thus have to be big enough for the oven bit. Once you already have that surface area, you might as well fill it up to make it seem more substantial. A stovetop with room for 4/5 burners will look like the manufacturer skimped out if it has only 2 burners.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#228

Post by bluGill »

gcheong wrote: post #75
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.

Are there any like that anywhere? I would think part of the problem is that induction settings are usually in discrete steps so a knob, which is what I assume you mean by physical control, may not be any better than a simple +\- control and would stick up from a seamless cooktop. Also, the highest end ones like Thermadors seem to focus on making the entire cooktop usable which kind of breaks the discrete burner area…

I want 200 discrete settings then, so a knob is better. Or at least I think I want that considering how many micro adjustments I make on all stoves I've used before

Re: The case for induction cooking

#229

Post by bluGill »

saxonww wrote: post #182
jandrese wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren't as popular in the US because they're considered commercial appliances and it's assumed you are on a business budget if you want to buy one. This means the store carries like 3 models and they cost literally ten times as much as a traditional glass cooktop. $250 vs. $2500.

It's not like they are drop-in replacements for whatever you've got, either. I was interested in these about 15 years ago when I bought a house. They want a dedicated circuit with a 240V outlet and 40 or 50 amp breaker. My house has a gas range, so I don't already have a 240V outlet there, and I've only got 100 amp service at the panel - which claims 100 amps is the max it's rated for. I decided it was not worth the…

I've had electric stovs with 100 amp service before, not a problem even if the ac was also on. 40 amp is standard for kitchen stoves so it is very common ,but obviously if you have gas they won't install wires for electric.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#230

Post by bluGill »

dragonwriter wrote: post #175
jandrese wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren't as popular in the US because they're considered commercial appliances and it's assumed you are on a business budget if you want to buy one. This means the store carries like 3 models and they cost literally ten times as much as a traditional glass cooktop. $250 vs. $2500.

> They aren't as popular in the US because they're considered commercial appliances and it's assumed you are on a business budget if you want to buy one. No, there are plenty of consumer models. But they aren't as popular because the US has significantly more abundant, domestically produced, and (largely, because of that and not taking climate seriously) cheaper natural gas, and has only recently started in some loca…

Electric stoves are very common even where natural gas is available, and even more common where it isn't.

The only induction stoves I can find are very high end models. I'm thinking about it, but for the cost I can install gas (including plumbing) and save money.

Even on the high end there is often on model with induction so if you want some other option as well you are stuck.

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