The case for induction cooking • Hacker News Board

Re: The case for induction cooking

#81

Post by twic » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:05 PM UTC

BrandoElFollito wrote: post #61

I did not know that induction cooking is a novelty (or at least worthy of an article) in the US. When you go to an appliance shop in France they would be 90% of the offer (and 9% gas, 1% vitro-electric). BTW the big photo on the top of the article is not induction but vitro-ceramic (the first version of something that would look at glass and not have flames, but this is not induction, just heating of a tingie under t…

FWIW, what you call vitro-ceramic is known in the UK as a halogen hob. It comprises a vitro-ceramic surface on top of a halogen bulb; we chose to name the whole thing after different parts!

Re: The case for induction cooking

#82

Post by Kon-Peki » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:06 PM UTC

noveltyaccount wrote: post #16

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,…

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.

Lodge makes a flat-bottom cast iron wok (the interior cooking surface is completely rounded, however). It's too heavy for my kitchen scale, but according to my bathroom scale it is between 11 and 12 pounds. You'll need two hands to move it around :)

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Pro-Logic-Handles-14-inch-Black...

Re: The case for induction cooking

#83

Post by tedunangst » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:06 PM UTC

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #31

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #14

We've been using one for years. It rocks. I just removed the stupid efficiency comment. Not worth the agita, and I'm probably mistaken.

I just removed the stupid efficiency comment. Not worth the agita, and I'm probably mistaken.

Where does the wasted energy from your induction stove go?

Re: The case for induction cooking

#84

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:06 PM UTC

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,…

[deleted]

Re: The case for induction cooking

#85

Post by moistly » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:07 PM UTC

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, it did not shatter the oven top.

Advice: don’t buy Samsung. Their products are always garbage. The stove’s convection no longer works. The dishwasher doesn’t clean well and plastic bits have disintegrated. The fridge has an icing-up problem. Every Samsung product is shit. Spend the extra dosh, get something from a better manufacturer.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#86

Post by yakak » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:08 PM UTC

farmerstan wrote: post #33

I used an induction stove for 6 weeks and despised it. Maybe the one I used isn’t the same as what others are using but it would turn on and off over and over again and I found the temperature to be completely unpredictable. I hated it

That's been my experience with vitroceramic, I've never had a chance to try a true induction.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#87

Post by contingencies » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:09 PM UTC

BrandoElFollito wrote: post #61

I did not know that induction cooking is a novelty (or at least worthy of an article) in the US. When you go to an appliance shop in France they would be 90% of the offer (and 9% gas, 1% vitro-electric). BTW the big photo on the top of the article is not induction but vitro-ceramic (the first version of something that would look at glass and not have flames, but this is not induction, just heating of a tingie under t…

There are shaped induction systems, most commonly for woks or industrial heating applications. However, as it needs to very closely match the external shape of the cookware, the technical and commercial viability of a generic system would be relatively low, which is why you don't often see them marketed.

Copper and aluminium capable induction systems exist by varying the frequency. https://na.panasonic.com/us/food-service-systems/commercial-...

Re: The case for induction cooking

#88

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

The problem with induction stovetops in my experience is that they really don't play nicely with Asian (particularly Chinese) cooking. Trying to stir-fry on one is maddening.

Usually any discussion about induction stoves seems to wholly revolve around European-centric cuisines, which is why I'm surprised to see this article quote a positive experience from a self-described "Kind of Chinese" restaurant. I genuinely wonder how they manage it and what I'm missing.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#89

Post by buran77 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:11 PM UTC

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #31

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #14

We've been using one for years. It rocks. I just removed the stupid efficiency comment. Not worth the agita, and I'm probably mistaken.

I just removed the stupid efficiency comment. Not worth the agita, and I'm probably mistaken.

With induction charging you're trying to charge a battery and unfortunately producing heat in the process which is unwanted and entirely a waste.

With induction stoves pretty much all the electricity is converted to heat in the bottom of the pan which is exactly what you want. A minor portion is lost elsewhere in the circuitry but not much in the grand scheme of things.

Efficiency refers to the ration between what you put in towards a goal and how much of it actually turned into that goal. Things that produce rhat with electricity tend to be 100% efficient because any waste usually happens to be heat.

An induction stove certain shouldn't have lower efficiency compared to a regular electric stove so maybe check if it's not a local issue.

Re: The case for induction cooking

#90

Post by smiley1437 » Sat, Mar 12, 2022, 10:12 PM UTC

rasengan0 wrote: post #69

Duxtop induction cooker + Fagor Pressure cooker = life changing

I stumbled across that magic combo too!

Electronic temperature control using induction plus the quick-cool benefit of a stovetop pressure cooker. I love that a hot cooker at full pressure can be moved to the sink and cooled with tap water so it can be safely opened in less than a minute. Can't really do that with an instapot, gotta wait.