Fast heating, wipe clean, works off clean electricity, roasts me less in the summer, doesn’t care about the air coming from a window, starts the first time every time, what more could I ask for? I got this cheap plug in one and it dropkicks my installed gas stove in basically every metric.
The main downside is that your pots and pans need to be compatible. In particular we have a few nice small pans, like actually small, and they work exclusively on the front left burner, and need to be a bit off center. I imagine there’s something wrong with the stove or the pans, but it’s a class of issues you don’t have with resistive or gas stoves.
Some induction stoves do have real knobs. Smeg makes one that I have not used so I can’t say anything about the quality, but I’m just happy that they exist.
It’s an acronym for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla (“Emilian Guastalla Metallurgical Enamelling Works” in Italian). They’re actually a pretty high end brand, but yes, the name is amusing
Temperature control seems to have so much delay that it seesaws wildly and isn’t actually useful in practice. I couldn’t get mine to boil eggs without it stopping the boil constantly, unless I set it to 160°+ IIRC.
I’ve had trouble finding the right setting (particularly with rice in my case) because it does adjust the power output very rapidly and you don’t have the temperature interia of a big ceramic pad in addition to your pan. Using cast iron on induction eliminates this problem. But I have a better way for eggs.
Steam your eggs in a steamer basket. Then you don’t have to worry about the water coming back to a boil after adding the eggs and the eggs don’t bounce around inside the pot.
Fill a pot to just under the level of the basket.
Bring to a boil.
Add as many eggs as you want or will fit. One egg? Six eggs? Doesn’t matter steps are the same.
Steam for about 7-10minutes depending on how you like your yolk. 7 minutes = gooey ramen soft boiled. 10 = fully cooked hard boiled.
Remove eggs and shock in an ice bath to stop the eggs from continuing to cook from holdover heat. This also helps the peeling.
If you want them peeled right away, give them some time to chill fully. Crack the shells throughly, lots of tiny cracks all over, no big in cracked sections. It helps to roll them around on a hard flat surface gently after getting some cracks going. Peel under cold running water, using the force of the water to get under the skin between the egg white and the hard shell.
I’ve never noticed a duty cycle with my induction, only conventional cooktops. Is that a problem with particularl makes, models, or price points?
My induction just sets the power output to the level I choose and holds it there. It doesn’t hold a temperature, just a power output, so I do have to watch it because setting it to medium will be very different on a hot pan vs a cold pan.
We have one at work that does this. Super annoying. If you put it at 5/10 it’s full blast 3 seconds and then off 3 seconds. It’s probably prevalent on cheap models.
In my life I don’t think I’ve seen a power outage longer than a couple hours, and that was maybe once? I don’t even remember the last time I’ve seen one. Maybe experienced 10-15 in my whole life, with most lasting minutes.
Am I just really lucky in my area? Or is this the experience most people have?
Where in the hell do you live to see a power outage? I live in the EU and the longest power outage was for three hours when I was a child. That was the only one in my life.
In the US, objectively the greatest country in the world (/s), you can expect a major power outage every other year, and it will be blamed on the very people who fucking called it.
Yes. But the issue was declining then shit quality of GE induction.
My conventional is rocking it. I miss my original induction, but they just don’t make em like they used to. When (if) I find the money, I’ll take one more gamble on induction and try a miele.
Dang, that sucks. I’m still daily using an electric stove from the 1950’s lol. I would love it if modern “environmentally friendly” appliances could last this long
oh, my shitty hot plate is one of those coils. it’s really shitty.
its problem is that it only has two settings, on and off, and it reaches the desired temperature by cycling between those. and full blast hot boils the water too fast.
Aluminum is more conductive than steel so eddy currents flow more easily in aluminum. Some pans have an aluminum disc inside, for induction stovetops. Maybe it’s too much aluminum vs just a disc? His hot plate might be too low power or not induction just a glass top
This is wrong. Induction requires magnetism, not conductivity. A pure aluminum pan will not get hot on an induction hob. Some aluminum pans have an iron or steel plate inserted in their base to allow them to work on induction.
No, I am saying the pan has to be magnetic, which is what I have said 3 times now. You are completely wrong about how induction cooking works.
Heat from eddy currents is a small fraction of what magnetic hysteresis can produce. You can technically heat any good conductor with eddy currents alone if it is non-magnetic, but the equipment needed is significantly more complex and power hungry than induction cooking hobs.
Here are the results of a quick internet search explaining it from various sources.
Also, if you just look at the FAQ or owners manuals for any induction cooktop out there, they will all tell you the pans have to be magnetic to function. Not “for best performance”, to function at all.
It really sounds like you are thinking exclusively of induction forges, which can heat non-magnetic materials. Induction cooking hobs absolutely cannot heat non-magnetic materials to any noticeable or useful degree, they do not have the frequency range or the power for eddy currents alone to be sufficient. Induction forges on the other hand HAVE TO have the power to heat with just eddy currents because if you heat iron or steel up to glowing, it loses magnetism (and the heating slows significantly past that point).
Ferrous metals (like iron, nickel, and cobalt) have an additional, more powerful source of heat.
These materials are composed of small magnetic regions called domains. The alternating magnetic field from the induction coil causes these domains to rapidly flip their polarity, billions of times per second.
This rapid flipping creates immense internal friction, which generates significant heat. This hysteresis effect is what makes ferrous metals heat so much more quickly and efficiently than their non-ferrous counterparts.
In ferromagnetic materials like iron and steel, a second heating mechanism kicks in.
As the alternating magnetic field repeatedly reverses the magnetic domains within the material, the friction generates additional heat known as hysteresis losses.
This effect disappears once the material crosses its Curie temperature (around 770°C for steel), at which point ferromagnetic properties are lost. Above that point, eddy currents carry the full heating load.
For industrial heat treatment of carbon steel, both effects work together in the lower temperature ranges, delivering faster heating rates.
Because we’re working with AC, we need a small skin effect, which is given by the inverse square root of [pifrequencypermeability*conductivity]. It’s permeability that’s going to be the deciding factor here, because all metals have reasonably similar conductivity but ferromagnetic materials have four orders of magnitude higher permeability.
This also means that steel which is not ferromagnetic will not work on an induction stovetop. The stove will detect it and the chip will reject the pan to prevent damage to the coils.
Fast heating, wipe clean, works off clean electricity, roasts me less in the summer, doesn’t care about the air coming from a window, starts the first time every time, what more could I ask for? I got this cheap plug in one and it dropkicks my installed gas stove in basically every metric.
The main downside is that your pots and pans need to be compatible. In particular we have a few nice small pans, like actually small, and they work exclusively on the front left burner, and need to be a bit off center. I imagine there’s something wrong with the stove or the pans, but it’s a class of issues you don’t have with resistive or gas stoves.
Yeah fast and easy to clean. What more can you want?
Physical knobs to turn instead of the tests of the limits of my patience that are capacitive buttons on a cooking device.
Please and thank you.
I hate capacitive buttons so much
Some induction stoves do have real knobs. Smeg makes one that I have not used so I can’t say anything about the quality, but I’m just happy that they exist.
That’s an unfortunate company name. Especially for one that makes kitchen appliances.
It’s an acronym for Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla (“Emilian Guastalla Metallurgical Enamelling Works” in Italian). They’re actually a pretty high end brand, but yes, the name is amusing
Smeghead
That’s me. I appreciate the hell out of some enamel
Aaand actual temperature control. Not just on/off 100% power.
Temperature control seems to have so much delay that it seesaws wildly and isn’t actually useful in practice. I couldn’t get mine to boil eggs without it stopping the boil constantly, unless I set it to 160°+ IIRC.
I’ve had trouble finding the right setting (particularly with rice in my case) because it does adjust the power output very rapidly and you don’t have the temperature interia of a big ceramic pad in addition to your pan. Using cast iron on induction eliminates this problem. But I have a better way for eggs.
Steam your eggs in a steamer basket. Then you don’t have to worry about the water coming back to a boil after adding the eggs and the eggs don’t bounce around inside the pot.
Maybe not temp control, struggling to find a word, but a constant power flow instead of the on off duty cycle
I’ve never noticed a duty cycle with my induction, only conventional cooktops. Is that a problem with particularl makes, models, or price points?
My induction just sets the power output to the level I choose and holds it there. It doesn’t hold a temperature, just a power output, so I do have to watch it because setting it to medium will be very different on a hot pan vs a cold pan.
We have one at work that does this. Super annoying. If you put it at 5/10 it’s full blast 3 seconds and then off 3 seconds. It’s probably prevalent on cheap models.
Ah yes, the duty cycling is annoying, too!
Mine has 10 different power settings
i guess to be able to cook my food and keep me warm when the power goes out.
As a backup for the induction cooktop I have a propane camping stove and a full gas cylinder. Last power outage when I actually needed it was in 2021.
Benefits of induction greatly outweigh the minute possibility of the power going out.
In my life I don’t think I’ve seen a power outage longer than a couple hours, and that was maybe once? I don’t even remember the last time I’ve seen one. Maybe experienced 10-15 in my whole life, with most lasting minutes.
Am I just really lucky in my area? Or is this the experience most people have?
Texans need not answer, I already know.
I live in Seattle, and this has been my experience. Techno-city powered by dams = reliable
it happens to me about once a year, where i lose power for like 2 days due to a snow storm
2 days with no power? Damn! I can see the allure of gas much more in this situation
Where do you live? US?
yes on the east coast. not anywhere partially remote
Where in the hell do you live to see a power outage? I live in the EU and the longest power outage was for three hours when I was a child. That was the only one in my life.
In the US, objectively the greatest country in the world (/s), you can expect a major power outage every other year, and it will be blamed on the very people who fucking called it.
Last big one in my life was just a couple years ago, no power for two weeks. Greatest country in the world my ass.
what more could I ask for?
Longevity. My first induction lasted 10 years. My second 3 years, my 3rd six months, my fourth weeks. I use a conventional glasstop electric now.
Interesting. Is everything alright with your wiring/electric source? Because them dying in progressively shorter time tells this way.
Still, conventional electric is not bad.
Electrical is fine. Planned obsalescence is shit.
If there was a problem with the wiring, wouldn’t conventional electric also have issues?
Yes. But the issue was declining then shit quality of GE induction.
My conventional is rocking it. I miss my original induction, but they just don’t make em like they used to. When (if) I find the money, I’ll take one more gamble on induction and try a miele.
Dang, that sucks. I’m still daily using an electric stove from the 1950’s lol. I would love it if modern “environmentally friendly” appliances could last this long
if i could afford an induction cooker with a bowl shaped coil to fit a wok, i’d be fully satisfied.
like a hot plate?
which one my hot plate is too shitty to use my moka pot on but i have zero problems using the moka pot over gas
Probably because your moka pot is aluminum (or otherwise non-magnetic) so induction can’t heat it.
oh, my shitty hot plate is one of those coils. it’s really shitty.
its problem is that it only has two settings, on and off, and it reaches the desired temperature by cycling between those. and full blast hot boils the water too fast.
Oh yea, that’s a different problem. One of the big drawbacks of all radiant electric unfortunately.
Aluminum is more conductive than steel so eddy currents flow more easily in aluminum. Some pans have an aluminum disc inside, for induction stovetops. Maybe it’s too much aluminum vs just a disc? His hot plate might be too low power or not induction just a glass top
This is wrong. Induction requires magnetism, not conductivity. A pure aluminum pan will not get hot on an induction hob. Some aluminum pans have an iron or steel plate inserted in their base to allow them to work on induction.
OK you’re saying the higher resistance of the steel is needed for adequate heat. Got it
No, I am saying the pan has to be magnetic, which is what I have said 3 times now. You are completely wrong about how induction cooking works.
Heat from eddy currents is a small fraction of what magnetic hysteresis can produce. You can technically heat any good conductor with eddy currents alone if it is non-magnetic, but the equipment needed is significantly more complex and power hungry than induction cooking hobs.
You’re wrong too, what on Earth does hysteresis have to do with heating??
Here are the results of a quick internet search explaining it from various sources.
Also, if you just look at the FAQ or owners manuals for any induction cooktop out there, they will all tell you the pans have to be magnetic to function. Not “for best performance”, to function at all.
It really sounds like you are thinking exclusively of induction forges, which can heat non-magnetic materials. Induction cooking hobs absolutely cannot heat non-magnetic materials to any noticeable or useful degree, they do not have the frequency range or the power for eddy currents alone to be sufficient. Induction forges on the other hand HAVE TO have the power to heat with just eddy currents because if you heat iron or steel up to glowing, it loses magnetism (and the heating slows significantly past that point).
https://kindle-tech.com/faqs/what-materials-can-be-induction-heated
https://axiomht.com/blog/how-does-induction-heating-work/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_heating
Because we’re working with AC, we need a small skin effect, which is given by the inverse square root of [pifrequencypermeability*conductivity]. It’s permeability that’s going to be the deciding factor here, because all metals have reasonably similar conductivity but ferromagnetic materials have four orders of magnitude higher permeability.
This also means that steel which is not ferromagnetic will not work on an induction stovetop. The stove will detect it and the chip will reject the pan to prevent damage to the coils.