Uncle Joe's fun with electromagnetic energy in the kitchen

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I have to admit, these things intrigue me. They seem to be what the space-age was promising. If only they made them in the style of the classic cooktops and ranges of the 50's and 60's.

If you were to get an induction cooktop, could is use the same wiring than a standard range does? And what is the consumption? It would seem like they are more efficient than a conventional electric cooktop.
 
There's a whole lot of info and lots of interesting reading at www.theinductionsite.com. The link below takes you to their page on built-in units available in North America.

It'll probably be a few years before we see built-in induction cooktops at prices competitive with top-o'-the-line conventional electric cooktops. Ditto for free-standing induction ranges. In typical American fashion, manufacturers are keeping the prices high in the US market to maintain snob appeal as long as possible while all over the rest of the world, everyday folks are snapping up induction cooktops at a workingman's price.

There's a real danger that many Americans will satisfy their curiosity with a couple of countertop units and manufacturers will lose millions of dollars in potential sales.

 
true, oh so true

You can run them with the same split-phase service (that's two-phase 240V for non-anal-retentives) which powers your current stove or cooktop.
Yes, they are already competitive with normal units in Europe, I saw a high-quality unit, not on sale, for 345Euro in October 2007.
That was a four 'burner' plus warmer unit, including the power regulators.
You'd think US manufacturers would jump on this like white on rice, but, no...those young dynamic managers won't be happy 'till they've driven the last worker's job overseas.
 
The stores sure aren't helping in making induction more accessible. I went into Williams-Sonoma today, and was condescended to by a rather magnificent queen who informed me that All-Clad Professional - and ONLY All-Clad Professional, which Williams-Sonama has an exclusive contract for - will work on an induction unit.

A basic set of All-Clad Professional will set you back $700 or so.
 
I stopped going to Williams-Sonoma precisely because of a similar incident with a similar “magnificent queen”, maybe even the same queen. Which Williams-Sonoma did that happen at?
 
The NERVE

of that sales hussy! 20.00 Lodge Logic cast iron will work just fine on induction. Crystal is no longer just at the perfume counter!!

I swear, salespeople these days will say anything, no matter how utterly absurd.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
My ''inductibles'' include:

Three Fagor pressure cooker pots, a Lodge Logic 12-inch skillet, a freebie nonstick aluminum skillet (with an induction base) from Sunpentown (the maker of the Mr. Induction cooktop), a 3-quart Heuck saucepan (not even labeled as induction-compatible but I tested it in the store with a magnetic bottle opener) and a 9-quart Megaware stockpot from Target.

All-Clad, my asparagus.
 
The new Le Creuset Stainless Steel cookware & Dr. Weil by Spring work on induction as does most WMF, SILIT & other European brands found here mostly at Home Goods and TJ Max. Just take a magnet to test the bases. Also there is a forum on That Garden Site dealing with induction cooking. They mention a steel disc made by Mauviel(?) that allows you to use non induction pans on an induction cooktop. I think Cuisinart is coming out with a induction compatable line because all of their stuff is on closeout. I find the handles on All Clad are extremely uncomfortable when picking up large pans heavy with food. Actually, I was surprised to find that many nice pieces of European stainess steel cookware that I had bought more than a decade and a half ago worked with induction.
 
Oh no. Just because it's magnetic doesn't mean it will work. It will warp, you see, because the magnetic fields aren't uniform on anything other than the All-Clad Professional line. Just ask Little Miss Williams-Sonoma.

The reason I was asking - and admittedly, I was asking at the wrong place - was because I occasionally get asked about appliances by customers, and I wanted to get some opinions on induction. The only advice I can officially give is whether or not it's more energy efficient than conventional stoves, but it's good to know a little about the other benefits and liabilities, so they won't come back and yell at me if I don't mention something obvious.

I thought that, as a high-end retailer, they would be comfortable in suggesting some entry-level brands. Boy, did I get a wrong number. ;-)

Thanks for the tips on other brands.
 
dalangdon:

Go back to the store with a refrigerator magnet and test every pot and pan on display while yelling "Well, Alton Brown says THIS pan will work . . . and THIS one . . . and THIS one . . . and THIS ONE, too!"

See how many you can test before you're ejected bodily. :)
 
I'd just email the head office and see what they have to say about it, purely out of interest.

CBC Marketplace here did hidden camera type show last week on expensive HDMI cables for HD tv's at Future Shop and Best Buy. The salesman telling the woman when she asked what's the difference between the $30 ones and the $250 Monster brand that the $30 were crap blah blah blah. They took 3 different price range cables and hooked them up to two calibrated HD tvs and had a a dozen hockey nuts watchs a game in someones house and none of the guys could tell the difference. Then they took the cables to the studio and put them on their analyzers to measure signal strengths etc.. All were identical and perfect. Actually one set only cost $6 or something..Then back to the store to see the manager and have him dance around why they were misinforming customers.
 
She wasn't completely lying though. The All-Clad Stainless series is the only model of All-Clad cookware that is induction-compatible. She may have been ripping you off, but not completely lying.

I wouldn't mind an All-Clad set if I had the money though. It just looks so damn nice! It feels pretty solid too.
 
Way, way, too much drama to consider when even thinking about making a G*****m olmlet.

I see an opportunity book: Induction cooking for idiots. It just chaps my ass when they market expensive stuff "that only works with the new technology". So, in order to save money on electric rates, you have to spend a fortune on the correct pots and pans, therefore, pretty much negating the efficiency.

A ten year old car that is paid for, getting 18 mpg, is more efficent than a brand new Prius that you pay 400 a month in payments, but gets 40mpg. It's called "cost to operate."

Why is a front load washing machine double the price of a top loader? It is not that more mechanically advanced. The problem with our country is that it costs more green($) to be green, and it should be a level playing field price wise, so the choices are equivelent. A 95% efficent furnace is double the price my dad paid for his 80% efficent furnace, we checked around.

Energy saving things need to be CHEAPER than the the energy hogging ones.

But don't get me started.
 
*Greener* should be less expensive:

LOL

Why is it I can eat crap at McDonald's for $2 plus tax and the rabbit-food at the salad-bar (which I happen to like and occasionally crave) costs me $9?

Remember when a dryer was LESS expensive than the matching washer? Oftentimes they are now nearly equivalent in price. Have you seen the price of the new-style dryers (without the backsplash?) Are they KIDDING or what?

If anything the new electronic make them less expensive to build rather than a timer model........
 

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