Thursday, April 12, 2012

I'm Boiling Here

Perfect Gizmos and Gadgets
Induction Cooking




You know that we just had a kitchen redo.  Damn near everything was replaced.  The new cooktop is a GE Profile 30" Built-In Gas Cooktop, and we are very pleased with it. Why?  I guess because it looks nice and it works.  Each grate, of which there are three, weighs approximately 600 pounds.  We're talking Panzer tank sturdy here.  However, it's taking  longer to bring water to a boil.  Leastways it does seem so. Segue to Woot.

Last week I bought from  Woot  a  Regal Ware Induction Cooktop.  You may have seen it; $39 + $5 shipping.  Now, I know about induction cooking, but have never seen it in person, and don't know anyone who has one.  MoSup was perturbed.  Where are you going to keep it?  On the counter?  Well, I would, except she engineered this new kitchen and she hates having anything on the counters.  Anything.  So, I promised when not in use it would go into a drawer with the Bread Machine, Ice Cream MachineGeorge Foreman Grill,  and other crap that I like having at fingertip reach..  It came today, and I ran this test. 

Time required to bring one quart of water to a roiling boil.        
Regal Induction
9500 BTU Burner
20,000 BTU Burner
Res Ipsa Loquitur Res Ipsa Loquitur
Res Ipsa Loquitur
5 Minutes 2 Seconds
  16 Minutes
 (never did come to a roil)

7 Minutes, 27 Seconds

Conclusion.  WTF? This is ridiculous, especially with the 20,000 BTU burner that will melt porcelain taking 2½ minutes longer than the magnet!  The only explanation I can summon is the grates.  Maybe these massive chunks of iron absorb a lot of the heat that ought go to the pan?  I'm sending this to GE for their comment.  But the Regal induction plate?  USA USA USA.  Full props, and my recommendation.




15 comments:

pdwalker said...

induction plates = good!

gas burners let a lot of the heat escape along the sides of the pot

Gerry N. said...

Well, ok then. I've got an alcohol stove, manufactured by "Turm" in Germany about 1935 that will brin a quart of water to a full boil in 7 minutes in still air. Outside in a light breeze at 50F it takes 8 1/2 minutes. I've got a PUNKER marine stove, again alcohol fueled made in Sweden around 1960 that works as well but has provision for fastening it to the countertop and holding the cookpot in place when the boat rolls.

ALCOHOL !! Is there anything it can't do?

Gerry N.

Anonymous said...

We loves us our induction plates so much, we have TWO of them.

Kim

Randy Rager said...

Induction heating is one of the most elegant and efficient (and controllable, if the plate is designed right) cooking methods available.

Rodger the Real King of France said...

If I was a bachelor that's all I'd have - 2 of these plates and a toaster oven. And a 60" LED TV. And a bidet. And bread maker.

Anonymous said...

Try the same experiment using lids on the pots. It should reduce the time of the gas method by about 30%or so, prolly same for induction but don't know for sure on that. You'll also get a roiling boil on the lower BTU unit with a lid, once it's going you can remove the lid without much change.

Zeke

Rodger the Real King of France said...

n/a

Anonymous said...

A bread machine? I just finished kneading a milk and honey whole wheat dough for 12 minutes. Smoother than a botox-ed butt!

Like a blogger can't find the time to wait for bread to rise and bake. What, too busy running France?

Freddie Sykes

Anonymous said...

Freddie - Don't forget, he has to maintain the B-52 as well. Besides, on those long missions a breadmaking machine will come in handy, along with the 8-track tapes.
Lt. Col. Gen. Tailgunner dick

Anonymous said...

I get the 8-tracks, sir, which are the crown of civilization, the closest thing to infinite playback we will ever experience. But I am sure that the RKOF could rely on autopilot long enough to knead some dough.

Freddie Sykes

Anonymous said...

What? The King has no lids you say??

With all thy getting, get thee some lids.

Zeke

Anonymous said...

Induction applies more energy per square inch of pan bottom. Gas applies energy only where there are gas jets, then disperses across the metal pan bottom. Induction is applying energy across the most of the pan bottom at higher energy levels. Induction = faster with no hot spots as well. Only problem is cost of electric BTU's vs. gas BTU's.

Trevor

Helly said...

Well, no Trev. Virtually everything you stated in your comment is false.

Rodge, of course you knew somebody with induction. We've had a drop in unit for years. For a thrill, put a dishrag over the induction plate and boil water on top of it. Amaze your guests with your unnatural command of quantum mechanics.

Wrap your mind around this: You have a spinning gyroscope in your hand. Quickly tilting the axis of rotation, you feel resistance. That's work you exerted to alter the angular momentum of the gyro, and it absorbed this energy.

This is exactly how induction cooking works, by yanking around the spin of certain unpaired upper orbit electrons in the iron atoms in your pan.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, we re-did the kitchen a year and a half ago, and went totally induction. Spent a fortune. And then another half a fortune.

The place looks swell, and we like the induction too. Of course, none of our old pots and pans were induction-friendly (gotta be magnetic....no aluminum will do), so the Mrs. found these fancy-schmancy pans which are great. The best part? You can boil the dickens out of your chickens, and the handles of these pots remain cool to the touch.

Anonymous said...

Helly, that is exactly how Mrs. H works, by yanking around the spin of certain unpaired upper orbit electrons in the lead atoms in my head. When she's not thumping my noggin whilst demonstrating all those things she learnt in tae bo class.

Sir H the (let me up, I've had enough) Comet

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