Talk to me about induction cooking

[Irongrip400]

How does it work? Does it work or is the "Nuwave" a gyp? Commercial seems legit.

[Novena]

Induction cooking is based on “Hysteresis Currents.”  

Hysteresis currents happen in transformers in that the magnetic field induces currents in the iron core which reduces the efficiency of the transformer and heats the core.  Transformer cores are thusly laminated in layers insulated from each other to reduce these “eddy currents” and so increase efficiency of the device.

In Induction Cooking these currents are exploited.  You have a coil of wire in the cook top which “induce” in the cook ware eddy currents that heat the pan without heating the cook top.  Almost any steel/iron fry pan can be used, but cook ware designed for induction cooking have been designed to work best.

A caution; Copper bottom cookware usually doesn't work well with induction. Glass and aluminum won't heat.

[Bertha Butt]

How does it work? Does it work or is the "Nuwave" a gyp? Commercial seems legit.

I've been cooking on it for some years now and I like it. For me it better over gas cooking and regular electrical cooking.

PRO:
- no open fire (in my case: no more burning my long hair!)
- reacts almost as fast as a gas flame (not the slow response as regular electrical cooking has)
- flat surface; very easy to clean
- only pan heats up, not the area around it. You can place ceramic plates and plastic tubs nearby without the fear of cracking and melting.
- lowest heat is low enough for slow cooking


CON:
- not hot enough for stir fry
- you need more expensive pots, with thick steel bottoms, or cast iron
- heat is very localised. For example if you want to heat up some milk, the top can still be cool and the bottom already burning (you need to stir more)
- bottoms of your pots have to be clean and dry

[Novena]

I've been cooking on it for some years now and I like it. For me it better over gas cooking and regular electrical cooking.

PRO:
- no open fire (in my case: no more burning my long hair!)
- reacts almost as fast as a gas flame (not the slow response as regular electrical cooking has)
- flat surface; very easy to clean
- only pan heats up, not the area around it. You can place ceramic plates and plastic tubs nearby without the fear of cracking and melting.
- lowest heat is low enough for slow cooking


CON:
- not hot enough for stir fry
- you need more expensive pots, with thick steel bottoms, or cast iron
- heat is very localised. For example if you want to heat up some milk, the top can still be cool and the bottom already burning (you need to stir more)
- bottoms of your pots have to be clean and dry

A good compromise would be a cook top with a combination of gas burners and an induction station.

CON:
- not hot enough for stir fry
 

I would bet you that this is because of the curved bottom of a wok.  A curved bottom doesn’t couple to the inductor in the cooktop as well as a flat bottom pan.

[Irongrip400]

I have a gas range, is it worth it to use with that?

[Bertha Butt]

A good compromise would be a cook top with a combination of gas burners and an induction station.
I would bet you that this is because of the curved bottom of a wok.  A curved bottom doesn’t couple to the inductor in the cooktop as well as a flat bottom pan.

The woks for induction have a thick flat base and high curved sides. Even then, they still just don't get hot enough, like most electrical cooktops and even some gas cooktops. So induction is good for normal all round cooking. But if you're serious about stir fry, you might want a separate gas burner for that.

[Novena]

I have a gas range, is it worth it to use with that?

Do you live in a hot climate or cold? 

I live in Houston Texas which is at the same latitude as Cairo.   Daytime summer temperatures average between 90^o and 100^o Fahrenheit (32^o  to 38^o centigrade) with 90% humidity.  (This is the reason Yanks, especially Southwesterners, are so keen on barbeque.  To avoid cooking fires inside during the summer.)  So things that lessen the heat loads inside houses during the summer (convection ovens, microwave ovens, “George Foreman” type grills, and induction cooking) are greeted with enthusiasm.

In the United Kingdom, where there is almost always a slight chill in the air, this is less of a concern.  In fact there is a brand of cookstove called AGA where there is a small fire continuously going.  I understand these are desired because it helps keep the chill out of households.



I have one of these in my house.  It’s called a Chambers Range.  From late May to late October I do everything I can to avoid using it because of the heat it throws off.

Especially the broiler, which is frustrating because it does steaks so damn well.

 So I have a convection, microwave, electric griller, and I am considering an induction “hotplate” like the Nuwave.


So the answer to your question depends on your climate.

[Bertha Butt]

I have a gas range, is it worth it to use with that?

I don't know.

When we moved into our new house, we had to redo the complete kitchen (and everything else). I'm not to be trusted with open fire, because I set anything on fire: my hair, my apron, the wooden spoon, a nearby cookbook... So my choice was anything but gas cooking. In that case, induction was my best option.

[Irongrip400]

That chambers range looks pretty badass. Do they still make them? It has that 60's look to it.

[Novena]

Mine belonged to my Grandmother, I live in her old house.  No, they are no longer made but there is a cult around them. If you google "Chambers Range" there are many websites.  There is a healthy commerce going on in the ones that exist.  That model I posted was made just before and just after WWII.

[Novena]

This stove has not been outside this room since 1948.  It was moved around so the linoleum could be laid. It has been considerably cleaned since these snapshots.

[Primemuscle]

I've been cooking on it for some years now and I like it. For me it better over gas cooking and regular electrical cooking.

PRO:
- no open fire (in my case: no more burning my long hair!)
- reacts almost as fast as a gas flame (not the slow response as regular electrical cooking has)
- flat surface; very easy to clean
- only pan heats up, not the area around it. You can place ceramic plates and plastic tubs nearby without the fear of cracking and melting.
- lowest heat is low enough for slow cooking


CON:
- not hot enough for stir fry
- you need more expensive pots, with thick steel bottoms, or cast iron
- heat is very localised. For example if you want to heat up some milk, the top can still be cool and the bottom already burning (you need to stir more)
- bottoms of your pots have to be clean and dry

One other pro is that because the cook surface stays cool is it safer around small children and the clumsy.

Regardless of the pros though, I prefer gas. We are in the throws of remodeling our house including the kitchen. I'm considering a BlueStar range because it seems to be the most reliable of all the high end, commercial style ranges. I like the 48" range with two ovens and a French top griddle.

[Bertha Butt]

One other pro is that because the cook surface stays cool is it safer around small children and the clumsy.

If you turn it on without a pot on it, yes, it stays cool. Ours turns itself off if it detects there no pan on it for more than X seconds.
But during cooking the surface will get hot, because the pot in his turn heats up the surface. It is still hot enough for painfull red marks or a small blister.