I need help with info about induction cooktops.

I am from US(Indiana) Induction cooking is very new for us over here. We are getting ready to do a kitchen remodel. I love a electric flat glass cooktop( easy clean up) but want to have gas for better control so they showed me the new Induction cook top. Said the UK have been using these for years. So that's why I post here!! One I am looking at is a Thermador 5 induction burner (not alot of brands available here.

What are the down sides to induction? yes, pricey, and need new cooking equipment but other than that what is there. Everyone here worries about health issues,( heart monitors ect... no one in our house or family has one)
Are they costly to operate? and what about lighting during storms? Are they a drawing factor? meaning do not use during bad weather?? This one I think calls for 50 Amps. We will be putting in new wiring in the new kitchen anyway.


We plan on staying here for about 10 yrs ( have been here 23yrs already)
We don't put things in new very often and what I buy I have to live with for a LONG time. per husband!!

Thanks for ANY help you can send my way.

Susan from Indiana

On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 21:01:09 +0100, chloe5susan
wrote:


I need help with info about induction cooktops.

I am from US(Indiana) Induction cooking is very new for us over here.
We are getting ready to do a kitchen remodel. I love a electric flat
glass cooktop( easy clean up) but want to have gas for better control
so they showed me the new Induction cook top.

I've used an induction hob but not owned one. Based on a few days
use I wouldn't be inclined to ever replace my gas hob with an
induction one.

The owner liked it a lot - but their food preparation was mainly
warming things up rather than real cooking so non moving iron pans
boiling gently for 30 minutes suited them well.

I found having to use iron a pain and probably the single most
important reason I wouldn't want one. Most cast iron pans are too
heavy to move properly and thinner ones heat unevenly (despite what
the sales toad says) and lack the heat conduction of aluminium. A
traditional steel wok simply didn't work at all well.

Control wasn't as good as the manufacturers make out as you can't
easily achieve fine control of heat by varying height above the
burner. Trying to caramelise sugar on one was an exercise in
futility but good practice in cleaning carbon off pans.

Overall, nice for people who value fashion over function but not for
people who like cooking. Not a substitute for a good gas hob at all.

The least you should do is try one for real with the style of cooking
you like before committing to it. Despite what your salesman said
they are not all that popular in the UK, especially amongst cooks,
although they have been around for some time.
--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

chloe5susan wrote:

What are the down sides to induction? yes, pricey, and need new cooking
equipment but other than that what is there. Everyone here worries about
health issues,( heart monitors ect... no one in our house or family has
one)

I can't see there being any particular health issues to worry about really.

Are they costly to operate?

Probably not more than any other form of electric hob - although
compared to gas, then yes (assuming the relative difference in prices
between gas and electricity there are similar to here - in the UK
electricity is three to four times the price of gas per kWh).

and what about lighting during storms? Are
they a drawing factor? meaning do not use during bad weather??

Can't see why - they don't need a roof mounted antenna!

This one
I think calls for 50 Amps. We will be putting in new wiring in the new
kitchen anyway.

That's fairly high powered one then (I am assuming that it will run at
220V being a fixed appliance rather than your more usual 110V stuff?)

We plan on staying here for about 10 yrs ( have been here 23yrs
already)
We don't put things in new very often and what I buy I have to live
with for a LONG time. per husband!!

Thanks for ANY help you can send my way.

It might be worth you looking at a halogen hob if you have those
available there. Same advantages as induction (easy clean flat top), and
probably more controllable (although still not as good as gas). They
also work with normal cookware.


--
Cheers,

John.

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chloe5susan wrote:

I need help with info about induction cooktops.

You might want to ask over at uk.food+drink.misc

chloe5susan wrote:
I need help with info about induction cooktops.
snip
Thanks for ANY help you can send my way.

Hi Susan,
we have had an Induction hob for about 12 months now.
Benefits include being really easy to clean if pan boils over when you
are distracted waiting for it to boil, also they are pretty cool to the
touch once the pan is removed so much safer if you have small
children/grand children in the house.

They heat up pans of water in double quick time. Ours has a "power"
button that allows one plate of a pair to use the power from both
cooking areas to deliver even faster heat-up times.

We don't do a lot of frying or wok cooking etc, mainly heating up and
simmering liquids etc. temperature control of the "rings/plates" is very
easy as on ours once you have the correct temp you hit the "C" button
and the temperature is automatically held with a rapid on/off cycling of
the power. Because there is very little residual heat in the hob top and
the induction energy heats the pan very quickly this is very effective
but it is still an on/off/on/off electrical hob control rather than the
infinitely variable control gas gives.

Cooking a Christmas dinner with all 4 induction rings on the go
presented no problems.

As Peter pointed out though, it very much depends on your style of
cooking as to whether it would be better than Gas. I would say it's
hugely better than traditional and more modern (halogen etc.)
electricity hobs but It will never replace gas especially if you lots of
pan-moving style of cooking.

Hope this helps a little.
Cheers
Pete
--
http://www.gymratz.co.uk - Gym Equipment, Fitness Equipment, Supplements

"chloe5susan" wrote in message
...

I need help with info about induction cooktops.

I am from US(Indiana) Induction cooking is very new for us over here.
We are getting ready to do a kitchen remodel. I love a electric flat
glass cooktop( easy clean up) but want to have gas for better control
so they showed me the new Induction cook top. Said the UK have been
using these for years. So that's why I post here!! One I am looking at
is a Thermador 5 induction burner (not alot of brands available here.

What are the down sides to induction? yes, pricey, and need new cooking
equipment but other than that what is there. Everyone here worries about
health issues,( heart monitors ect... no one in our house or family has
one)
Are they costly to operate? and what about lighting during storms? Are
they a drawing factor? meaning do not use during bad weather?? This one
I think calls for 50 Amps. We will be putting in new wiring in the new
kitchen anyway.


We plan on staying here for about 10 yrs ( have been here 23yrs
already)
We don't put things in new very often and what I buy I have to live
with for a LONG time. per husband!!

Thanks for ANY help you can send my way.

Susan from Indiana
Try
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_hob

http://theinductionsite.com/

Wouldn't ever go back to gas after having an induction cooker, just so much
more controllable and cleaner. Didn't think it could burn things, as I
assumed it didn't get hot enough, but I can vouch it can just as well as any
other type of cooker.