Uncle Joe's fun with electromagnetic energy in the kitchen

[toggleswitch1]

The more you spend the more you save. (Only in America, hone

~It's called "cost to operate."

Spending $1,000 on the latest induction range/cooker to save $10 to $20 per month on electricity (if that much)is ridiculous. It is the IDEA of and or PERCEIVED SAVINGS (read: joy of stinginess) at play.

There is no savings for well over 4 years. (50 months) if we amortize the $1,000 cost @ $20 per month.

Life costs money. Get used to it.

 

[joeekaitis]

Two words that sum up the American induction cooktop market:

Overpowered and overpriced.

So, GE, go ahead and sell your Profile and Monogram induction cooktops with their 3700 watt elements for whatever the snobs are willing to pay, but give me a 30-inch Hotpoint with, say, a 2500 watt element, an 1800 watter and a pair of 1600s. It'll do everything my existing stove will do but without heating up the kitchen, and that's all I really want. I'm not some kind of speed demon who needs to boil a gallon of water for spaghetti in 8 minutes. I'll gladly wait a little longer.

Wrap it up for $600 to $750 at discount, and Home Depot won't be able to keep 'em in stock. And you'd STILL pocket a nice profit.

And, hey, Electrolux, I'm talkin' to YOU, too! Slap on a Frigidaire logo and no one will complain.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Even that pretty awful carbon steel cookware from Ekco Flint works on induction so lots of other cheap stuff probably does also. Sometime in the 70s, I think, Revere Ware made a set of steel core stainless steel cookware that had the look of classic Revere without the copper bottoms. That would probably work also. The bonus is that with induction, the ability of a pan to spread the heat evenly is not as much of a factor since the heat is generated in the pan itself.

 

[joeekaitis]

I'm surprised GE or somesuch hasn't offered free "I'm STUCK on INDUCTION COOKING!" magnets for testing cookware. Where exactly does all that advertising money go?!

 

[tomturbomatic]

The real energy saving from induction cooking is coming from the comercial kitchens where induction is replacing gas. The heat is generated in the pan and does not go up the side to heat the kitchen like gas burners. Not only is the over 90% efficiency of the cooking energy a real plus, but the elimination of the wasted energy that used to heat up the kitchen makes working more pleasant.

I do not like All-Clad for electric surface units because the bases are not truly flat like the good Cuisinart, Silit, WMF, Revere with the thermal sandwich base, etc. cookware. Sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, All-Clad had some promotional offers. I bought the one and two quart saute-style pans and after trying them on my electric stove, only kept them to use if I had induction cooking one day. 20-some years later I have the cooker for them where a flat base does not matter. I am the first to admit that the induction cooker is just another toy, but boys gotta have their toys.