OT: Holee Chit!

CTMike

So awhile back I posted about switching from a dual fuel stove to an induction unit due to my wife’s asthma, and more and more studies linking it to gas appliances.  

The Wolf was just installed and I did a little unscientific comparison. 

3 quarts of cold tap water ( ~ 60 F) in my Copper Core pasta pot. Timed until my Thermapen read 212 F. 

First photo is the KitchenAid dual fuel last night. 

Second is the Wolf. 

I had heard about the speed on Induction cook tops, and was skeptical. 

Today I am a believer. 

Legume

This could not have come at a better time, we are planning a kitchen redo and I've wanted to explore induction and have met some resistance.

CTMike

Legume said:

This could not have come at a better time, we are planning a kitchen redo and I've wanted to explore induction and have met some resistance.

Just make sure your cookware is compatible. Mine is All-Clad Copper Core, a couple Smithey CI skillets, and Staub Enameled CI. 

Legume

CTMike said:

Legume said:

This could not have come at a better time, we are planning a kitchen redo and I've wanted to explore induction and have met some resistance.

Just make sure your cookware is compatible. Mine is all All-Clad Copper Core, a couple Smithey CI skillets, and Staub Enameled CI. 

My ci and stock pots are fine, our daily use isn't, but we're not happy with it either, so just part of the project cost

Ozzie_Isaac

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

CTMike

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

From my reading, pots that make noise like that aren’t really ferrous enough to be fully compatible. I’ve read some folks have All-Clad D3 and they sing, and the could also cycle on/off as it detects the pot, then loses it, and the cycle repeats. 

poster

What model did you get? I assume these are high end units? I would like to replace mine with induction as well in the near future, buy not really willing to pay 5k+. I'm not sure if the lower end models will have the same benefits or not, which is kinda the main reason I have been holding back.

CTMike

poster said:

What model did you get? I assume these are high end units? I would like to replace mine with induction as well in the near future, buy not really willing to pay 5k+. I'm not sure if the lower end models will have the same benefits or not, which is kinda the main reason I have been holding back.

I went with a Wolf 36” IR36550SP - quite a bit north of  $5K. 

There are 30” units that get good reviews for around $3K or so. 

Ozzie_Isaac

CTMike said:

poster said:

What model did you get? I assume these are high end units? I would like to replace mine with induction as well in the near future, buy not really willing to pay 5k+. I'm not sure if the lower end models will have the same benefits or not, which is kinda the main reason I have been holding back.

I went with a Wolf 36” IR36550SP - quite a bit north of  $5K. 

There are 30” units that get good reviews for around $3K or so. 

3,700 watt boost!  Making the most of that 220 volt wiring!  That is a beast!

Reading the specs on the cooktop, that sounds amazing, especially like joining zones for a griddle.

Thanks for heads up on the cladding.  I think my stock pot is a D3 I got of Craigslist for $30.

CTMike

Ozzie_Isaac said:

CTMike said:

poster said:

What model did you get? I assume these are high end units? I would like to replace mine with induction as well in the near future, buy not really willing to pay 5k+. I'm not sure if the lower end models will have the same benefits or not, which is kinda the main reason I have been holding back.

I went with a Wolf 36” IR36550SP - quite a bit north of  $5K. 

There are 30” units that get good reviews for around $3K or so. 

3,700 watt boost!  Making the most of that 220 volt wiring!  That is a beast!

Reading the specs on the cooktop, that sounds amazing, especially like joining zones for a griddle.

Thanks for heads up on the cladding.  I think my stock pot is a D3 I got of Craigslist for $30.

Most induction cooktops allow you to bridge a couple “burners” together. 3700 watts converts to ~ 12,600 BTU/hr. The large burners on the KitchenAid were 20KBTU/hr. Crazy how much faster the induction worked - I’m guessing because the energy is directly coupled to the pan via electromagnetic waves, whereas a lot of the energy from a gas cooktop is wasted as heat that isn’t completely transferred to the pan. 

One article I read states ~ 90% of the energy in an induction cooktop is transferred to the pan, whereas a gas cooktop is in the range of 40 - 55%. 

SGH

@Ozzie_Isaac
I have never had an induction cook top but we use induction coils almost exclusively at work. They will heat 12” diameter pipe with a 2” wall thickness to 550 degrees in 90 seconds. Give or take a few seconds either way. It really opened my eyes to how powerful induction is. Granted these coils run on 480 3 phase. But still very impressive to say the least.  

Ozzie_Isaac

SGH said:

@Ozzie_Isaac
I have never had an induction cook top but we use induction coils almost exclusively at work. They will heat 12” diameter pipe with a 2” wall thickness to 550 degrees in 90 seconds. Give or take a few seconds either way. It really opened my eyes to how powerful induction is. Granted these coils run on 480 3 phase. But still very impressive to say the least.  

Would be funny to pop a regular pan in that coil.  Probably vaporize it.

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

CTMike said:

poster said:

What model did you get? I assume these are high end units? I would like to replace mine with induction as well in the near future, buy not really willing to pay 5k+. I'm not sure if the lower end models will have the same benefits or not, which is kinda the main reason I have been holding back.

I went with a Wolf 36” IR36550SP - quite a bit north of  $5K. 

There are 30” units that get good reviews for around $3K or so. 

3,700 watt boost!  Making the most of that 220 volt wiring!  That is a beast!

Reading the specs on the cooktop, that sounds amazing, especially like joining zones for a griddle.

Thanks for heads up on the cladding.  I think my stock pot is a D3 I got of Craigslist for $30.

Most induction cooktops allow you to bridge a couple “burners” together. 3700 watts converts to ~ 12,600 BTU/hr. The large burners on the KitchenAid were 20KBTU/hr. Crazy how much faster the induction worked - I’m guessing because the energy is directly coupled to the pan via electromagnetic waves, whereas a lot of the energy from a gas cooktop is wasted as heat that isn’t completely transferred to the pan. 

One article I read states ~ 90% of the energy in an induction cooktop is transferred to the pan, whereas a gas cooktop is in the range of 40 - 55%. 

I read similar numbers 90% and 30% …. So 3700 watt burner is equivalent to ~35k btu/hr gas burner

CTMike

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Would be funny to pop a regular pan in that coil.  Probably vaporize it.

Vaporize, or convert to a 36,000 F ball of plasma? I would think either is a distinct possibility. 

DoubleEgger

I’m interested in what your thoughts are after using it for a while regarding low heat, temperature control, overall “cookability” etc.  

CTMike

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the Control Freak. I was looking at that a couple days ago. 

Corv

Thanks a lot, guys. It's too easy to persuade me that I need another cooking tool and this might make the list. Another pot of money (besides needing to buy another couple of pots....) out the door. Maybe. Maybe this time I'll show some will power - unlike the Bluestar stove and the Roccbox, for example.

I live alone and already have five major heat-producing tools. I don't even cook that much. And I've run out of storage space for more gadgets.

C'mon, will power. Amp it up!

Ozzie_Isaac

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the Control Freak. I was looking at that a couple days ago. 

It is huge!  Just showed up.  Looking forward to trying it out!

Here it is in the cutting board you made me 😄

Gulfcoastguy

I have a countertop portable induction burner. When the range goes toes up I have been planning to replace it with a 30 inch induction range for some time now. It sounds like I had better start a big piggy bank for the purpose though.

Botch

Does anyone here have induction + wok experience?  I'm assuming you'd have to use a flat-bottom wok (an irritating but not insurmountable issue), but I'm really wondering how quickly an induction heater responds to heat-up/cool-down commands, vs a gas burner.  I could regulate heat by simply lifting the wok up, but again, an irritating but not insurmountable issue.  

Ozzie_Isaac

Botch said:

Does anyone here have induction + wok experience?  I'm assuming you'd have to use a flat-bottom wok (an irritating but not insurmountable issue), but I'm really wondering how quickly an induction heater responds to heat-up/cool-down commands, vs a gas burner.  I could regulate heat by simply lifting the wok up, but again, an irritating but not insurmountable issue.  

In my experience temp changes are much slower on induction top, especially cooling down.  I don’t think it will work well.  I prefer a separate wok burner.

Botch

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Botch said:

Does anyone here have induction + wok experience?  I'm assuming you'd have to use a flat-bottom wok (an irritating but not insurmountable issue), but I'm really wondering how quickly an induction heater responds to heat-up/cool-down commands, vs a gas burner.  I could regulate heat by simply lifting the wok up, but again, an irritating but not insurmountable issue.  

In my experience temp changes are much slower on induction top, especially cooling down.  I don’t think it will work well.  I prefer a separate wok burner.

Thanks much; helps justify my BlueStar co$t.  It is a lot of fun, to jostle between flipping the wok, working the wok ladle, jockeying the burner and grabbing the next mis en place to add.    

CTMike

Ozzie_Isaac said:

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the Control Freak. I was looking at that a couple days ago. 

It is huge!  Just showed up.  Looking forward to trying it out!

Here it is in the cutting board you made me 😄

The board looks like it is well cared for, hopefully it is serving you well. 

CTMike

Legume said:

This could not have come at a better time, we are planning a kitchen redo and I've wanted to explore induction and have met some resistance.

Nice pun by the way. 

CTMike

Botch said:

Does anyone here have induction + wok experience?  I'm assuming you'd have to use a flat-bottom wok (an irritating but not insurmountable issue), but I'm really wondering how quickly an induction heater responds to heat-up/cool-down commands, vs a gas burner.  I could regulate heat by simply lifting the wok up, but again, an irritating but not insurmountable issue.  

I have a Staub CI wok I’m going to try out this weekend - it does have a flat bottom though. 

OhioEgger

Our electric range started acting up a couple of months ago, and I replaced it with an induction range, much cheaper than yours.
I'm very happy with it, because it cooks so much like the gas range I grew up with. Far more controllable than an electric cooktop.

Ozzie_Isaac

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the Control Freak. I was looking at that a couple days ago. 

It is huge!  Just showed up.  Looking forward to trying it out!

Here it is in the cutting board you made me 😄

The board looks like it is well cared for, hopefully it is serving you well. 

The board gets used multiple times a day.  It is a fixture in our kitchen.  Wipe and oil and it stays looking beautiful!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Legume said:

This could not have come at a better time, we are planning a kitchen redo and I've wanted to explore induction and have met some resistance.

No resistance. It’s not even close. If you have a chance to go induction, I highly recommend you do. 

We went from induction to gas when we bought the ranch and I feel like I’m back in the Stone Age. Unfortunately we have a 6 burner Thermador with double ovens and there is not an induction that fits that spot (that I am aware of anyway). As soon as I find one, I’m making the change back to induction. 

The only downside to induction is that it uses a glass top and they can crack and chip. Thats an $800 fix. We cracked ours twice in 6 years but the second time was just a chip off the edge so we didn’t replace. If you drop a pan, it can crack it. 

CTMike

Ozzie_Isaac said:

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

CTMike said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

I have really learned to love induction.  I have a Polyscience Control Freak being delivered today.

I was dead set on gas for our remodel, but may consider an induction instead.

I am not sure what it is, but I have a particular All-Clad pot that sings like crazy on the induction top.  Noisier than some of the other ones.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the Control Freak. I was looking at that a couple days ago. 

It is huge!  Just showed up.  Looking forward to trying it out!

Here it is in the cutting board you made me 😄

The board looks like it is well cared for, hopefully it is serving you well. 

The board gets used multiple times a day.  It is a fixture in our kitchen.  Wipe and oil and it stays looking beautiful!

Good to hear. Let me know if you need another jar of the oil/wax mix and I’ll send one out. 

CTMike

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Legume said:

This could not have come at a better time, we are planning a kitchen redo and I've wanted to explore induction and have met some resistance.

No resistance. It’s not even close. If you have a chance to go induction, I highly recommend you do. 

We went from induction to gas when we bought the ranch and I feel like I’m back in the Stone Age. Unfortunately we have a 6 burner Thermador with double ovens and there is not an induction that fits that spot (that I am aware of anyway). As soon as I find one, I’m making the change back to induction. 

The only downside to induction is that it uses a glass top and they can crack and chip. Thats an $800 fix. We cracked ours twice in 6 years but the second time was just a chip off the edge so we didn’t replace. If you drop a pan, it can crack it. 

48”?

https://us.bertazzoni.com/products/professional-series/ranges/48-inch-induction-range-6-heating-zones-and-cast-iron-griddle-electric-self-clean-oven

CTMike

There’s also Aga if you like the Euro style:

https://www.agarangeusa.com/elise/ranges/product/aga-elise-48/color/white/model/48-induction-model

zaphod

nothing branded "Wolf" or branded "Aga" is cheap. nothing. Worth it perhaps, but not cheap.

When I lived in London Ontario there was a FANTASTIC kitchen shop (Ann McColl's) that had lessons in the back and they used Aga's.  I think they had three, but the memory is faint.

I really liked the concept of the Agas. big thermal battery that you never turn off. different ovens for different temperatures. very nice. very big. very expensive.