The case for induction cooking • Hacker News Board

Re: The case for induction cooking

#541

Post by diffeomorphism » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 2:54 PM UTC

ghostpepper wrote: post #300

comex wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people like cooking with gas because it's primal and sensual? Really? Yes, really. I personally love the aesthetics of flames on the stove, and this might lead me to choose a gas stove over the alternatives despite minor downsides like being slower to bring water to a boil. On the other hand, the air quality issue seems like a much more significant downside, though I haven’t researched it much. (I haven’t personall…

Gas is also universally considered better to cook with than electric (not induction) which is presumably why every restaurant kitchen uses it. My guess is ‘sensuality’ is not even in the top five considerations when equipping a kitchen.

> is universally considered...

No.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#542

Post by mason55 » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 2:55 PM UTC

sharken wrote: post #431

Dyac wrote: post #422

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We felt exactly the same way bugging a new kitchen last year. Salespeople thought we were being obstinate. Fortunately we found one with knobs. https://www.aeg.co.uk/kitchen/cooking/cookers/electric-cooke... It does have auto off on spills, but it's not overly sensitive and only triggers if you really let things boil over. Had it 9 months, can highly recommend this cooker.

There is definitely a niche market for these kind of cookers, but induction has for as long as I can remember always been a flat surface. That leads to touch controls with all the listed drawbacks, but it's nonetheless what has gained the most support. For most i suspect the aesthetics of one clean flat surface wins out over alternatives, even though these alternatives are more usable for cooking.

For us the “one flat surface” is about cleaning instead of aesthetics. We cook all the time and out range constantly has crap spilled on it. Being able to wipe it down in a quick pass is so nice.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#543

Post by arealaccount » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 2:56 PM UTC

We need a new stove, been trying to get an induction. Mostly for the convenience for cleaning, and fast boiling.

Can’t find them anywhere. Particularly one with a double oven. Going to install the gas line because there are way more options available.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#544

Post by snowwrestler » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 3:01 PM UTC

Zenbit_UX wrote: post #238

js2 wrote: post #142

Top reader comment seems apt w/r/t the pollution aspect anyway: As a scientist (an immunologist) who leads a research lab on lung inflammation including asthma, the cavalier attitude Times columnists have toward scientific references in their articles is appalling. RMI is a thinktank with an agenda. Not a research institution. And Brady Seals is not a scientist. Note the lack of PhD. She has an MBA and has never work…

Before anyone reads this and decides, "oh ya the NYT is lying to me and gas is fine", it's not. Gas in your home is objectively bad for your health, the environment and is overall worse than induction when it comes to the cooking experience in just about all ways. That being said, It might not be as bad as living with a smoker (as the NYT asserted) but it is bad for you. The YouTuber Climate Town did an excellent vid…

I have had asthma since I was a toddler. I see a top-rated immunologist 3 times a year. Not once have they ever asked what kind of stove I have. When I asked about it recently, they laughed about it.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#545

Post by com2kid » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 3:29 PM UTC

ascar wrote: post #497

com2kid wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? Ceramic cook tops are crap, they get stained easily, scratched easily, and in the US at least, the way they work to "adjust" the temperature is to cycle on and off every few seconds. Oh and if any of your pots or pans get warped, they become completely unusable! Drop anything heavy on it, and the cook top breaks. I once waited for 20 minutes for a small pot of water to boil on a ceramic cook top. The old fashio…

My ceramic cooktop is basically stain and scratchfree after using it for cooking 4-5 times a week for 8 years. It's incredibly easy to clean as you can literally scratch of everything that doesn't just wipe away. The temperature does cycle on and off usually based on a thermometer, so it does hold the selected temperature. I don't get why that's a drawback for you? The cooktop will literally be kept to your selected…

I've never had one last more than a few months without getting stained. Fruits boiling over when making jam or syrup will do it.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#546

Post by seanmcdirmid » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 3:29 PM UTC

danans wrote: post #321

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a newer home (2016) with a gas range and it doesn’t have the wiring either. We desperately want induction plus a outdoor vented range hood, so we are considering a partial remodel to do it. The idea is to bring in an electrician, replace our 150A panel with a 200A one, bring up wiring for induction into the kitchen, and wrap wiring around the house for a level 2 EV charger (another want, might as well knock…

> replace our 150A panel with a 200A one, A 150A panel should accommodate both your induction stove and EV charger. The stove's 50A rating assumes you are running all burners are running simultaneously, which is rare. You need 200A if you going fully electric (for hot water, HVAC, oven and clothes dryer).

Our hot water is gas, but our HVAC (heat pump), dryer is already electric. The oven would be electric also, but it’s rarely used. Anyways, I would let an electrician make the call, but my feeling is that EV level 2 charging and induction would put us over when a 150A panel could handle.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#547

Post by Wowfunhappy » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 4:02 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #436

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you done that math? The "even if 100% efficient" doesn't sound right to me. Wouldn't that imply gas cooking is 25% efficient? Admittedly, induction isn't 100% efficient, but it's very efficient! A gas flame heats up everything around it, whereas induction only heats up your cookware. The surface of an induction stove without any cookware is cool to the touch; in other cases, it's warm only due to the heat radiat…

Induction also heats up the power electronics inside the cooker. That's why they need a beefy cooling fan. I have done the math... Induction is 84% efficient, and gas is 40% efficient. So for most people, gas is still cheaper, unless you live in an area with very cheap hydroelectric.

Gas is 40% efficient at heating food? Where are you getting these numbers? I have no counter information here, but that just doesn't seem intuitively correct at all. With gas, you're creating a fire that is heating up everything around it!

Re: The case for induction cooking

#548

Post by Wowfunhappy » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 4:05 PM UTC

phphphphp wrote: post #6

mikelemmon wrote: post #3

Oddly, the headline image of this article does not appear to be from an induction stove. Induction stoves do not glow red at all.

they don’t glow from heat but they can glow by design: for safety reasons, some have lights that simulate glowing from heat. I guess the choice of image is a little curious, given the primary distinction between induction vs. traditional is, typically, the absence of external heat.

At risk of sounding dangerously stupid, what exactly is the safety concern? Given that induction is cool to the touch, it's not obvious to me how you'd hurt yourself (which is doubtless another major advantage of gas).

Re: The case for induction cooking

#549

Post by dimitrios1 » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 4:08 PM UTC

dpierce9 wrote: post #60

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.

Gas is also supplied by a set of pipelines. There isn’t a free lunch.

Pipelines push gas through the use of a compressor station that itself is fueled by a small amount of the natural gas being delivered.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#550

Post by emteycz » Sun, Mar 13, 2022, 4:28 PM UTC

dtgriscom wrote: post #519

emteycz wrote: post #507

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not always allowed to put them into electric sockets and turn them on all at once, though. There's usually special electric wiring done to handle the load of electric stoves.

In the US, at least, the standard is to have outlets every 4' (I think), and have the outlets alternate circuits. So, you plug into two adjacent outlets (not the same two in the same box, but adjacent boxes) and you'll be on different circuits.

There is a lot of very old housing in EU.