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Induction Cooking

 
 
 
lpetrich

lpetrich

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Joined
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Location
Eugene, OR
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Professional Chefs Love Cooking With Induction - YouTube
Induction Cooktop Explained | Pros & Cons - YouTube
Induction Cooktops - 5 Reasons They Are Better Than Gas - YouTube
His reasons:
  1. Speed
  2. Heat
  3. Safety
  4. Net-Zero Readiness
  5. Cost
Induction cooking is now becoming common. It works by the cooktop making an alternating magnetic field. This field then induces electric currents in the pot or the pan, and these currents' energy gets dissipated by the vessel's electrical resistance, heating it.

It does have some downsides. It needs ferrous-metal cooking vessels, though one can check on the composition of one by using a kitchen magnet. Will it stick?

Does anyone here have any experience with induction cooking?
 
I have had 2 different induction cookers in the place I work. And hated them.

I've just put brand new gas into my own home.

This is why.

It claims to be variable from 1-20 but settles onto 6, 13, 16, unless you are very careful with adjustment. You can move your finger over 5 gradations - nothing - then it jumpsto way higher than you want it. You can leave it on one setting and come back to find it on another.

When you change the setting on one burner it removes the power from everything on the stove for several seconds. This can be a very bad thing, depending on what you are cooking.

The first one needed replacing because boil overs can get under the glass and short it out. Boilovers are very likely because of the insensitivity of the settings. If it boils over when you're not watching it, everything turns off. Then your food sits, not cooking; and in some cases soaking up oil or water and ruining.

Until I learned about the higher settings I burned a lot of stuff. You can't put a piece of corned beef in water on 16, it burns the bottom. And anything tomato based builds up a layer of burnt tomato if you use a setting above 10. So you can't heat soup fast.

I like gas. It's genuinely infinitely variable, and what you do on one jet has a predictable effect on the one next door.
 
I've never had an induction cook top, but I did have a Corningware Stew pot, which had an aluminum plate in the the bottom, and was intended for use with induction. This allowed me to make an old penny brown incredible roux without sticking.
 
Bronzeage said:
I've never had an induction cook top, but I did have a Corningware Stew pot, which had an aluminum plate in the the bottom, and was intended for use with induction. This allowed me to make an old penny brown incredible roux without sticking.
Click to expand...
We have two induction cookers. My wife has used them at least a few times. She says it's not much different than working on any other electric stove, but they do heat up noticeably faster.
 
That "study" doesn't make any sense. Homes without gas stoves have CO2 levels between 0.5 ppm and 5 ppm? Really?

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations out in the clean fresh air are ~400 ppm.

It looks like that "study" was put together as anti-gas propaganda by someone.
 
skepticalbip said:
That "study" doesn't make any sense. Homes without gas stoves have CO2 levels between 0.5 ppm and 5 ppm? Really?

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations out in the clean fresh air are ~400 ppm.

It looks like that "study" was put together as anti-gas propaganda by someone.
Click to expand...

CO and CO2 are two different substances.
 
barbos said:
skepticalbip said:
That "study" doesn't make any sense. Homes without gas stoves have CO2 levels between 0.5 ppm and 5 ppm? Really?

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations out in the clean fresh air are ~400 ppm.

It looks like that "study" was put together as anti-gas propaganda by someone.
Click to expand...

CO and CO2 are two different substances.
Click to expand...

AHA... Of course. I misread.
 
spikepipsqueak said:
I have had 2 different induction cookers in the place I work. And hated them.

I've just put brand new gas into my own home.

This is why.

It claims to be variable from 1-20 but settles onto 6, 13, 16, unless you are very careful with adjustment. You can move your finger over 5 gradations - nothing - then it jumpsto way higher than you want it. You can leave it on one setting and come back to find it on another.

When you change the setting on one burner it removes the power from everything on the stove for several seconds. This can be a very bad thing, depending on what you are cooking.

The first one needed replacing because boil overs can get under the glass and short it out. Boilovers are very likely because of the insensitivity of the settings. If it boils over when you're not watching it, everything turns off. Then your food sits, not cooking; and in some cases soaking up oil or water and ruining.

Until I learned about the higher settings I burned a lot of stuff. You can't put a piece of corned beef in water on 16, it burns the bottom. And anything tomato based builds up a layer of burnt tomato if you use a setting above 10. So you can't heat soup fast.

I like gas. It's genuinely infinitely variable, and what you do on one jet has a predictable effect on the one next door.
Click to expand...

But is that inherent to induction cookers, or just a low quality unit?
 
Loren Pechtel said:
spikepipsqueak said:
I have had 2 different induction cookers in the place I work. And hated them.

I've just put brand new gas into my own home.

This is why.

It claims to be variable from 1-20 but settles onto 6, 13, 16, unless you are very careful with adjustment. You can move your finger over 5 gradations - nothing - then it jumpsto way higher than you want it. You can leave it on one setting and come back to find it on another.

When you change the setting on one burner it removes the power from everything on the stove for several seconds. This can be a very bad thing, depending on what you are cooking.

The first one needed replacing because boil overs can get under the glass and short it out. Boilovers are very likely because of the insensitivity of the settings. If it boils over when you're not watching it, everything turns off. Then your food sits, not cooking; and in some cases soaking up oil or water and ruining.

Until I learned about the higher settings I burned a lot of stuff. You can't put a piece of corned beef in water on 16, it burns the bottom. And anything tomato based builds up a layer of burnt tomato if you use a setting above 10. So you can't heat soup fast.

I like gas. It's genuinely infinitely variable, and what you do on one jet has a predictable effect on the one next door.
Click to expand...

But is that inherent to induction cookers, or just a low quality unit?
Click to expand...
Half (or more, I'm willing to bet) the time, I'd chalk it up to user error. Induction pots, if using a pot that's intended for it, heat up quickly, but not instantly. So people who are inexperienced with them will turn them on, not wait for it to actually get to temp, then turn it up more to make it heat faster, at which point, well, it does....

Not to say the case here, but it's a good chance. Or cheap units. Like I said, my wife has used ours with no issues, but they are top of the line (her parents would almost always research and buy good quality).
 
spikepipsqueak said:
I have had 2 different induction cookers in the place I work. And hated them.

I've just put brand new gas into my own home.

This is why.

It claims to be variable from 1-20 but settles onto 6, 13, 16, unless you are very careful with adjustment. You can move your finger over 5 gradations - nothing - then it jumpsto way higher than you want it. You can leave it on one setting and come back to find it on another.

When you change the setting on one burner it removes the power from everything on the stove for several seconds. This can be a very bad thing, depending on what you are cooking.

The first one needed replacing because boil overs can get under the glass and short it out. Boilovers are very likely because of the insensitivity of the settings. If it boils over when you're not watching it, everything turns off. Then your food sits, not cooking; and in some cases soaking up oil or water and ruining.

Until I learned about the higher settings I burned a lot of stuff. You can't put a piece of corned beef in water on 16, it burns the bottom. And anything tomato based builds up a layer of burnt tomato if you use a setting above 10. So you can't heat soup fast.

I like gas. It's genuinely infinitely variable, and what you do on one jet has a predictable effect on the one next door.
Click to expand...

Interesting. When we remodeled our kitchen, induction ranges were just being talked about on this side of the pond and I didn't know anyone who had one at the time but was intrigued. All I heard was raving about how great they were on the 'nets. Without anyone I knew to actually ask, and given that it was hard enough to find a really good gas cook top in my little corner of nowhere, we settled on a high quality gas cook top paired with double electric ovens and a separate microwave. Hubby and I had long wanted the gas and I haven't regretted it at all, although I am a bit sorry that I couldn't find room in the budget to do one of those fancy drawer microwaves. Ours is on a shelf next to the fridge.

A few years later, a friend out of state bought a house with an induction range and a gorgeous kitchen. Of course she doesn't cook so I could get no reviews. Nice to hear from someone who has used one in real life.
 
I'll be needing to replace my 64 year old 4 burner electric cooktop soon. I'd really like to get an induction cooktop but the main thing I worry about is that they are sometimes quite noisy. Seems that the high frequency magnetic field can cause resonances in the cookware, especially with multi-layer types that are used to distribute the heat more evenly. It seems that the only foolproof way to silent operation is to use cast iron. I can accept the higher cost of induction, along with the need to replace all my old beat up pots and pans, but all cast iron will become a chore to use due to their weight. I've read reviews that even the premium brands can have this problem, and it seems to occur somewhat randomly depending on the installation. The main reason I'd want induction is that it's more efficient since only the cookware heats up, meaning less heat introduced into the kitchen during the summer months. Also, like gas (which I don't have access to), the temp can potentially be more precisely set.
 
Hi Aup! I hope you and your family are doing well.
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Yeah. A bit older, a bit afraid by the virus, but not down. Have had a 55 day lock-down without much benefit. It does not seem to stop the virus. However, everything fine in family, everybody at home, even the working or studying ones.
Treedbear said:
The main reason I'd want induction is that it's more efficient since only the cookware heats up, meaning less heat introduced into the kitchen during the summer months.
Click to expand...
That will be a big advantage in India. Current temp. is above 45 C.
 
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