Induction cooktop?

[OhBe1]

One site mentioned a whine (18020khz) that might be audible. Is induction cooking going to drive my dog nuts?

[praedet]

Actually, it's the EMF from the cooktop that's my main concern. Not much in the way of studies out there.

Are you going to put your face with in a foot of the cook-top?

 

Other than that EMF is totally benign. And even that close has not been proven or disproven yet...

[OhBe1]

No, but I'll often be standing within 12" of the elements for several minutes at a time, sauteing or stir-frying. So some of my favorite body parts do get within a foot or so....

[MOMSWGN]

How many induction ranges are in top resturants?

[Knight705]

probably not any since the tech is still new, and why would those resturants waste the money to upgrade when they are already setup with propane/IR already?

[Avishar]

Induction isn't used in restaurants because to my knowledge an Induction oven doesn't exist, nor does an induction deep fryer, or an induction flat top. One gas line powering multiple appliances is a hell of a lot more practical and affordable than finding plug outlets for induction burners that not only require you keep the pan on the stove for cooking (on wok burners the fire reaches high enough for you to still be cooking your food when your pan is flipped up, same with most NSF gas ranges) but also each have limited surface area on their knobs. Plus induction burners aren't infinitely customizable or versatile e.g. when we straddle two burners with a Rondeaux an induction wouldn't cut it. How many All Clad, Le Creuset, Demeyere or other fine cookware would you find in a restaurant kitchen? Or how about Viking or Wolf Ranges? Restaurants kitchens aren't designed to look pretty, they are designed to put food out quickly and consistently; we use $8-$12 carbon steel pans for our saute, they look like the bottom of some people's shoes due to their repeated use but they never fail,and can turn out some pretty beautifully seared diver scallops... A home kitchen is not a restaurant kitchen, it should not even be compared to one, does it make sense to use a 50 gallon Hobart Mixer as opposed to your kitchenaid? or a 100 Quart stock pot instead of a 12 qt at home?

 

For a home cook induction is awesome, we have a full range in our basement and its the first top that I've used that lets you melt chocolate perfectly, create decent batches of emulsion style sauces (hollandaise, beurre blanc etc), and not have your kitchen get burning up in the process. The energy efficiency is unprecidented and if you ever like to cook outside but are sick of gas being blown out it really shines! I've brought my Infinite Circulon stockpot to a rolling boil in under 2 minutes. For those who don't want to change their calphalon, put a cast iron heat diffusor on your range and viola, you can use any pot or pan on your induction!

 

PS The magnetic sound varies from brand to brand, my portable Athena makes it every now and then, but our home range doesn't have that problem. I don't find it to be a problem though for having infinite customizability in temperature variance to the numerical digits, and also having the ability to have the cooking run on a timer!

 

PPS [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Athena-6000-Burton-Induction-Cooker/dp/B000BIVR4Y/ref=pd_bbs_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1212418739&sr=8-4]Amazon.com: Athena 6000 Max Burton Induction Cooker UL 110V: Home & Garden[/ame] , try that one if you are unsure about whether to make the jump, its cool to have around for camping and stuff too (yes, all your old school cast iron skillets and dutch ovens will work on it)

[OhBe1]

Avishar, thanks - Is the "full-range" at home or the restaurant? I assume it's a conventional electric oven with an integrated induction cooktop - correct?

What brand is it? And any cookware besides the Circulon Infinite?

Also - We're looking at Electrolux for the cooktop; they offer a hybrid version, which has a couple conventional elements & a couple induction elements. Would there be any reason to get that over the all-induction version (other than not having to replace all our Calphalon)?

[Guest JessterCPA]

All Clad FTW. We got the ful $1300 set last year, and practically threw everything else we own away, save 1 or 2. Cooks so nice.

 

Do they make any hybrid versions, a la 4 gas burners & 2 induction circles or vice-versa?

[Guest heightsgtltd]

Read the post above you Jesse

[Guest JessterCPA]

Read the post above you Jesse

 

Oh snap. OhBe1 fast typing skillz FTW.

[Avishar]

We have an older GE model that we got when we built our house, initially we didn't know too much and most of our older pots and pans were aluminum so it sat for a while. But there are many more brands other than circulon infinite, I also work at Sur la Table on the side so have a pretty good connection with 40% off anything that doensn't plug in. Circulon infinite, Le Creuset, All Clad, Calphalon contemporary Stainless, Fagor pressure cookers, Lodge Logic, Demeyere, and my Chinese cast iron wok all work well just to name a few. Basically if it generates a magnetic field (Iron, Stainless Steel, any magnetized material) It will work on induction, All Clad MC2 does NOT work on induction as its exterior is brushed aluminium, and copper cookware is pretty much a no unless its copper core stuff with magnetized stainless exteriors. The question of whether or not to go with the hybrid is up to you, I like the flexibility of being able to have a burner still heat with no pot on it, but I haven't used the electrolux ranges, I've used other glasstops and been significantly more satisfied than the old calrod units, but the question is how large in diameter are the tops? If they are large in enough in diameter to support some of the larger pots or spaced well enough to let you use a two burner griddle or grille then I would consider it, but from the descriptions the electrics seem to be the same size as the basically useless simmer burners of yesterday. The problem usually lays in that when you combine two purposes you don't get either to do particularly well, just mediocre performance from both, like RE92 all seasons for instance . This is not to say don't get it, its more to say find a place that will let you try the electric elements and experiment a little with a portable induction burner before you decide to make the jump. How many people do you tend to cook for and what size and style pots do you find yourself using more often than not?

[OhBe1]

We do just about anything, usually just us two, rarely 4-6. Stir frying, sauteing, searing, braising (so oven compatibility is needed), boiling, melting, simmering. We also use a crock pot a bit, especially if the Miata club needs chili.

 

Mixed results with the (Electrolux-supplied) magnet test in-store. Some All-Clad Stainless stuck weakly, none of the Calphalon Contemporary stainless stuck. And of reasonably-priced stuff only All-Clad Stainless (high end of "reasonable" for us) and Circulon Infinite specifically advertise induction-compatibility. Some others stick (e.g., Emerilware) but the manufacturer still indicates non-induction. For entertainment, read about Emerilware separating & releasing molten aluminum!

[Montana]

For entertainment, read about Emerilware separating & releasing molten aluminum!

WTF? I used to work at an aluminum reduction plant, that's about 1200F!

[Avishar]

I prefer not to read anything about anything Emeril makes in terms of cookware products. Unfortunately anything with a celebrity name on it (maybe make an exception for Batali's enamelled cookware... maybe) implies it was created for a lower income level fanbase that thinks the name means the product. Emerilware AC is not cladded up the sides, and features thinner pieces of aluminum, whereas standard stainless all clad is clad from the sides through the bottom with a single piece of aluminum. The pans are usually finished in China and if you simply pick a piece up in comparison to AC Stainless you can feel the difference in quality. Don't get me started on Furi knives, Emeril Wusthof, Rachel Ray Analon, or Wolfgang puck anything for instance! Kitchenaid makes some pretty nice 5 ply products that are at least equivalent to all clad yet more affordable, I have yet to put mine on the induction though, I'll report back to you on that when I return home!

[CTATV]

seems cool