Cooktop size and induction cooktop control
olchik
16 years ago
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Comments (17)
morton5
16 years agolindawink
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Induction Cooktop Temperature Control
Comments (16)I have ordered a 30" Thermador induction cooktop for my kitchen remodel and decided I would get a counter top single induction unit to use as a cooking source during my kitchen demo and to get familiar with induction. I decided on a Fagor portable unit and it just arrived today! The unit looks beautiful, sleek and modern in appearance and is a nice sturdy size. I know this does not compare to the commercial and dropin residential units but maybe others might be interested in an "extra" burner unit which can go anywhere you go. I will admit it took a few tries to get a feel for the amount of pressure and exact placing of my finger tip to get the digital touch pads to respond. It takes quite a bit more pinpoint pressure (more of a brisk tap actually) than you would think. It is not a heat sensitive touch pad like many of the full sized cooktops so it does take more than resting your finger on the control. However, after reading through the manual more thoroughly, they do state this is intentional, to prevent accidental activation of the burners when wiping down the unit or by fingers of a little inquisitive child. In addition to this default setting requiring firm pressure, there is also a child lock mode which will totally deactivate the unit. The controls are basic. Off/On, Power button which defaults to a medium power level of 4 out of 6 possible levels, plus/minus keys to change power level up or down and the child lock key. The user manual defines the levels as 1= melting chocolate and keeping food warm 2= gentle simmer 3= brings water to boiling point 4= boil or cook 5= saute 6= rapid boil or fry foods I have already used it to heat up soup for lunch and it performed quickly with a small saucepan, heating about 1.5 cups of soup in under 3 minutes. I decided to do a little more testing of its ability to boil water. Keep in mind this is only a 1300 Watt unit so it has much less power than the standard dropin induction or commercial cooktop. My Thermador cooktop which is on order has burners ranging from 1400W to 3600W, so I would expect test results to be faster on the higher powered units. But for the sake of getting to know this new portable unit I decided to try boiling 1 qt of water in a 1.5 qt saucepan and then tried boiling 6 qts of water in an 8 qt stock pot. The 1 qt of water came to a full rolling boil in 5min 30 sec without a lid on the pot. I started the 6qt of water on the burner without a lid for the first 10 minutes but then decided to use my glass lid, which I would normally anyway if trying to boil a pot of water for pasta. The 6qts of water came to a full rolling boil after a total of 20 minutes on the burner (10 min uncovered and 10 min covered). I know... much slower than a standard induction unit will be. Even though this portable unit is much lower power, I still think it will come in very handy while my kitchen is out of commission following demo. I can see taking a unit like this also to picnics and camping sites for easy cooking plus it will always be available as a 5th burner in my kitchen if needed. I am looking forward to my Thermador though. I have not actually seen the 30" black unit in operation but I do know it has a "slider" bar for the power controls so maybe that will be able to fine tune the temperature control better? I'm hoping the touch pads on the Thermador will not be too hard to get a response from. Thats the biggest downside I see in the Fagor so far....See MoreHeads up- induction cooktop cabinet size
Comments (8)Thanks Gary. I think I'm going with the GE, although I'll probably get a little bit wider base to have flexibility in the future. I read the manual and it seemed pretty intuitive to operate. I like the frameless style. When I looked at the sizes and power ranges it looked fairly comparable to the Bosch, Electrolux and Miele and it's significantly less expensive. I suspect induction is finally going to take off in the US and prices will come down and features will improve over the next few years so I can upgrade down the road if I need to without feeling too guilty. The only thing that bothers me is the 12" clearance that GE requires below it. I don't mind putting a false front for the small top drawer but I wanted to have two deep drawers below it for pots and pans and I don't want to void the warranty. The Electrolux guide shows vents above the countertop and I think it said 4 1/2" height. Was that all the clearance they wanted below it? Also, on some appliance site, it said no downdraft for both the GE and Electrolux. Does that mean you can't have a downdraft system with them or just that that manufacturer doesn't make one? I know the cabinet may have to be deeper but my current gas cooktop has downdraft on an island and I'm staying with that....See Moreinduction cooktop vs. gas cooktop
Comments (20)I just spent a month in an English rental house, with an induction cooktop - definitely NOT high end appliances, just considered standard, basic. However, I found it immensely frustrating to use, compared to gas, because of the controls (which - along with cost - was the reason I didn't want one in my US kitchen). Gas: simple knob: I can watch the flame as I adjust the knob, and know precisely how it's doing. All the induction cooktops I saw, including this rental one, use touch-sensitive controls. For me, they just aren't 'sensitive' enough. They automatically powerered on to '5' (or '9' on some models) and you then have to 'touch' them up or down to wherever you want. So, I have to watch the stupid light display, instead of my cooking. And if I overshoot, I have to fiddle around all over again. I had wondered whether I'd get better at it with practice, but after a month, cooking daily, it was still a pain for me (and my DH) to use. I love the idea of induction, and if I had to go back to electric, I would have one - provided it had knobs (I think the Viking one does). With a gas supply - there's no contest. Gas every time. (Incidentally, natural gas in parts of Europe is fairly cheap. It's because natural gas is found in the North Sea and piped to both the UK and Scandanavia. Not dependent on Eastern Europe at all.)...See MoreWolf Induction Cooktop vs. Wolf Gas Cooktop??
Comments (26)I saw the newest Wolf induction cooktop and I was impressed with its versatility. Specifically, I am speaking of model CI365T/S. I really like the burner layout with the four burners that can be bridged on one side and a larger oval burner on the other side. It offers what seems to be the most flexible layout. There are other induction cooktops with "flexible" zones but they are in a layout that is less versatile, most commonly with a large round hob in the center and the flexible zones on either side. My building does not have gas so when I upgrade, I will be looking at induction. As of now, I think the Wolf is my favorite but I am a year or two out and something new may change my thinking....See Moreoskiebabu
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