What's the best cookware for coil element stoves?

[Marky_Mark]

Thanks so much, Eddie!  The pan came today but I haven't tried it yet.  I've also just ordered the 6-quart version.  The cooktop is not yet installed, so I had been trying it out by temporarily wiring it up to 240 V in a non-code compliant but safe way  

 

Perhaps it's just my inexperience with coil cooktops that's leading me to believe there is a problem.  Most of my pans do not sit flat against the entire element, causing parts of the elements to glow red when set to high.  Some of my pans are much worse for this than others.  But maybe this is normal and expected even if not ideal.  I originally thought that a good, non-warped pan would sit flat against the whole element but maybe I was expecting too much?    

 

I must say that I am impressed by this coil cooktop's performance, response times and controllability.  Of course it's not instant like gas and induction.  But a pan of boiling water goes from raging to absolutely still in 90 seconds when turning from maximum to off.  

[this post was last edited: 2/20/2023-23:09]

 

[ea56]

You’re very welcome Mark. I hope you'll enjoy cooking on your new coil top stove. Don’t worry too much about a pan or two that isn’t perfectly flat, just try to minimize using that pan until you have another to replace it.

Also, unless you are boiling water, or bringing something to a boil, for the most part you won’t you won’t need to use high heat. When cooking on an electric stove the best results are achieved by starting out at the heat you intend to do most of the initial cooking at, then turn the heat down to finish the process as appropriate. For instance, if you’re going to saute some chicken, a pork chop or a steak, heat the pan on med high, hold your palm over the pan after about 3-4 mins and if the heat radiating feels like the pan is hot enough put the meat into the pan, and reduce the heat to med and cook the first side, turn it over and cook the second side. If any additional cooking is desired after the browning then reduce the heat to low or simmer and finish the dish. You just don’t need to or want to use the highest heat for most cooking, only to bring liquids to a boil.

Once you get the hang of it,it will become second nature. With practice I believe you’ll find that you have better control of the heat and cooking process with electric. You can achieve higher high heat and lower, better controlled low heats.

Eddie

 

[polkanut]

I found a new set of vintage West Bend Aristo Craft cookware at an estate sale in 2015 that I gifted to my parents when they moved to an apartment in January of last year. This is the first time my mom has ever had an electric stove, and she says this cookware is performing flawlessly for her. 

 

[Marky_Mark]

Thanks for all the tips and info.   I rigged the cooktop up again to test out the new Farberware pots.  They work better than many of my others although they do have a small raised bit in the centre, which doesn't make contact.  They're still pretty good though.  I think the best ones I have are the Queen 7-ply frying pan and a Queen 2½-quart saucepan.  

 

I only use high heat for bringing water to the boil for pasta etc.  And this is something I do very regularly.

 

I'm very impressed by the performance of this cooktop.  I expected it to be much slower to respond and a bit of a nightmare to control the heat (this is what I've always heard all my life).  But it seems good to me once you get used to the settings and just think ahead slightly.   It also cools down so much faster than I was expecting.  As soon as I've finished eating, the elements are cool to the touch and I can clean it no problem.  Whereas the gas cooktop's burners and iron supports stay hot for much longer and I can't touch them during post-meal clean-up.  Now I just need to get it properly installed!