Our 'Induction' Weekend - Portable/Painful!

13 years ago

We recently purchased a portable Fagor Countertop Induction unit for the dorm for our son.

This is the "countertop" burner shown on their website. (not the "portable" one) It was $99 on Amazon. It has 10 settings and the element is 10". It is a little bigger than we thought. I had seen the other model and thought it would be about the same. (control panels are different and pricing)

I took the opportunity to play around a little this weekend and here are a few observations based on our limited cooking activity.

First, woah! water boils really fast. It was noticeably faster than boiling water on the American Range. (I usually use the front right burner which is 17,000 btu - but not usually on high) I haven't figured out how this unit compares to the power levels of their built in units.

It didn't get hot around the unit at all. The area where the pan was does get hot but just standing there you don't feel heat.

The fan noise was noticeable. Sounded like the vent hood was on. I'm sure this is less noticeable if the unit is built in since it would all be underneath instead of on the counter. There was quiet little clicks and levels 1 and 2 where the unit cycled. That pretty much goes away at level 3.

Regarding the fan, one of the benefits listed for a portable unit is that you can use it keep food warm during festivities. The fan noise would be a distraction if this was an intended use. (For us anyway)

I had no noise at all from pans. I used cast iron, Chantal enamel, Berndes and a small nonstick Le Creuset fry pan. There was a little slide a couple of times but not enough that I would want to put something underneath.

The unit powers on at 5 and you use arrows up/down to get to where you want to be. No half settings. No boost.

There is a warning in the book for persons with pacemakers to keep a min of 2 feet from the unit while in operation.

It does have a timer and it was pretty handy.

You can lift and serve (or flip) what is in your pan if you can do it in 4 beeps. Not sure the timing here - but if you lift the pan the unit beeps 4 times and then shuts off. If you beat the beeps you just keep cooking/otherwise, you restart everything.

Wiping it clean was a breeze. The black finish does show the water marks but I just used a plain PT.

Started to show my son how fast the water boiled and started the power at 1 and went up to 5 and he immediately screamed AHHHH! and put his hands over his ears and ran from the room. (He is 18!) After chasing him down, he said there was an awful high pitch sound that he could hear. He could not hear it at 3 but started at 4 and 5 was unbearable. I heard nothing except the fan and the cycle on/off and the lower levels. So then I tested the noise on hubby. He barely heard the cycles and heard the fan, but did not hear the high pitch noise. My 12 year old could hear a high pitch whine at about 5-6 but it bothered him at level 8. So.....apparently there is some high pitched frequency going on here.

Which then made me curious, if we were ever to want to switch to induction we would have no true way of knowing if every unit had this same issue other than "listening" to them. Obviously we wouldn't want to bring something in to the house that caused pain, plus the kiddos couldn't use it to cook for themselves - (unless everything was at level 3!). Not sure there is a way to know if one model does this and another doesn't. Obviously, this gizmo won't be going to college this fall!

Aside from that, it was neat to play around with it a little and see what it could do. I can definitely see all the "pros" people have listed here for the technology. Boy, sure did clear the room in a quick way too!

Here is a link that might be useful: Fagor Countertop

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Comments (15)

lascatx
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
That's interesting. I didn't go with induction because of our canning and some candy making at the holidays and reading that the hot sugar spilled on it could damage the surface. I wasn't willing to risk that but the high pitch noise could be a problem for me. Do you hear a high pitched whine when you walk into a jewelry store? I always did when younger (not been in them recently) and wonder if your sons would too. I was thinking of trying a portable burner to try induction. Now I'm not so sure. I wonder if dogs her it....
mojavean
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It sounds like the device could prove useful for parents with young adult children who have overstayed their welcome. Perhaps Fagor can come out with the "Empty The Nester" Induction Cooktop for parents with unambitious or overly irritating progeny.
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Unless you have very special cooking needs and you can't get a pan that will work for those needs that will work on an induciton cooktop, I'd suggest all induction. I have all induction and bought a portable hotplate for using my canner on (only available in Aluminum). I can a lot, but it still was not worth giving up the induction hobs for that. As to cleaning, it is nothing like a regular ceramic cooktop. That is another good reason to go all induction, or you will have half a cooktop that is a pain to clean, and half that is the easiest thing imaginable. My cooktop is easier to clean than my old formica countertop (was textured). My husband even loves the induction cooktop - he says we will never go back to regular ceramic electric cooking - works for me, I love the induction too. If you have read something that says full induction cooktops are difficult to clean - I want to know what those folks are smoking! I am a slob of a cook and it is still very easy to clean. The only problem we have with ours is that if we don't lock the controls it will beep when the cats walk across it at night. You have to press and hold slightly - two different spots in rapid succession to actually turn the unit on, and then it won't do anything if there is not a pan on it anyway, so as long as we never leave a pan on the hob (and we never do) even if for some reason the cats were able to step just right to activate something, it would not come on. The cats aren't suppose to be up on the counter - so when I hear it beep (master bedroom is off kitchen ) I holler at them to "Get off the counter!". I also have the Elux Icon - got the newer model without the stainless band between hobs and controls. Cathy
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I am very happy with both my cooktop and my all clad D5 cookware, kjente. The pots cook like a dream and carry the heat beautifully. We cook a lot of pasta and I love how fast it boils water. It is a breeze to keep clean, so I maintain a sparkling cooktop all the time, unlike my days of gas. The stainless steel framing has stayed on, and there have been no chips or other issues with my JA. All in all, I am a very happy camper! Side note: My bro in law loves to cook, and is really good in the kitchen. He thinks cooktops must be gas to be most effective. He has said that he would be too concerned about shattering the glass with all his banging around in the kitchen. To each his own :-)
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@r, I thought I would chime in here to just say that I don’t think you are “obsessing“ at all regarding the use of knobs in this case. One of the most crucial variables in any kind of industrial design is the way we interface or interact with whatever the product is. Most of us utilize capacitive touch controls or infrared type touch controls on a constant basis with everything from iPads, smart phones, as well as any number of house appliances. But I would suggest that your instinct regarding cooktop or rangetop controls makes a lot of sense. Consider the difference in using a wall oven versus a cooktop. Most cooks in the kitchen can get the opportunity to wipe their hands in order to use touch capacitive controls on a wall oven. Of course, the case could be made that turning a simple dial, can be more intuitive, then going through a series of menus to get to where you want to go, since in the end, the mission of the wall oven has not really changed very much since our grandparents time which is essentially to bake the cake or roast the chicken. The reason I suspect that cook tops and range tops, as well as ranges are a particularly good candidate for knobs is due to the fact that the controls are often placed on a horizontal plane. Many people, especially those who are new to induction appliances for example, have learned a hard lesson as the very sensitive touch controls do not always take kindly to steam, water, droplets, and oil or gravy splatters. It is not hard to imagine why this is problematic because if you put any of these liquids on top of your smart phone screen, you would discover that the touch controls that works so beautifully such as the ones I’m using right now on my iPhone to create this post do not take kindly to having these substances on top of them. There are lots of examples of folks who have touch capacitive controls on these horizontal locations where the entire appliance is either shut down or thrown off its game. Of course, the majority of modern products that have knobs do not use the analog/mechanical controls of knobs of the past, but are in fact, “knobs“ that interface with micro control boards behind them. Still, there is an entire field of design that studies user interaction, and I do think that, at least, in some instances, such as with cooktops, knobs actually, do make a lot of sense. One can certainly debate where the best location for those knobs would be to avoid getting splatters on them since Cleaning knobs is not exactly, a fun time for most folks. Some people would assume that installing Touch Sensitive controls in all sorts of consumer products that once used knobs, levers, and buttons, is simply a design trend, and I’m sure there is truth to that. But a little voice inside also suggests to me, that one of the reasons they have moved away from knobs and especially the electromechanical kinds used in the past, is due to the cost of manufacturing. I do not have a data set to support this theory, but if you consider the labour and the bewildering amount of copper wiring that went into something such as a 1950 electric stove, some of which had lots of extra features, you can begin to imagine the cost savings of having a micro “motherboard“ taking the place of all that complex analogue electrical structure. I truly enjoy all of the benefits and possibilities that I have with my smart phone, laptop, iPads, etc. But I do think your instincts for knobs are not without merit, because sometimes, appliance designers attempt to answer questions that no one ever asked. My two. Cents 🤔.
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attofarad
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
plum - that countertop cooktop has 1600 watts, which is close the the maximum you can get from a standard 120V plug. The built in units will usually have at least twice that power, at least for the largest burner.

I have a Eurodib countertop unit. Fan noise, and some buzzing when I crank it up, but that may be the pan I used. I expect less fan noise from the built in units. Interesting that your kids could hear the high pitch -- that will not be a problem for me!
plumorchard
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I've asked around a few appliance folks here and no one has heard of this noise. (Not fan, not pans) I've got someone that is going to ask a manufacturer rep if they might know.

lascatx - It seems like the hot sugar would not be a problem to clean - but I can't be certain. I'll have to test the jewelry store sometime. (I'm sure they will love that!)

mojavean - too funny! But, I'm not sure it is limited to Fagor.

I did read on the induction site that induction technology doesn't create noise - not sure how that can be. (Again, not the pans/fans, etc) I do know they heard something!

Hmmmmm.....
writersblock (9b/10a)
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
There have been other threads here about this. Some people (usually younger people with sensitive hearing) are driven crazy by it, others can't hear it at all. It seems to affect many different brands.
writersblock (9b/10a)
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Here's a link to a google search of this site that turned up a bunch of threads (not all are relevant, but most are):

Here is a link that might be useful: induction noise threads
cj47
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I bought a Viking portable induction unit to try out the technology and ended up with a Miele 36" induction unit in the kitchen--neither one caused my kids (12 and 14) any discomfort at all. This is interesting, though. I have heard of a ring tone that kids can put on cell phones that adults are unable to hear, but that kids can.

cj
guadalupe
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The noise occurs when using lesser quality cookwear my noise went away when using Les Cresuets
stir_fryi SE Mich
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have a Kenmore induction and an occasional humming/buzzing is an absolute non-issue for me. No one has ever commented on it in my house.
plumorchard
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Not talking about humming/buzzing. We can all hear that. It is a high pitch squeal, he says. The noise is heard even with the cast iron and the les cresuets. Only the two kids can hear it, one more than the other. I've been testing it while they are in other rooms. Setting the unit at about 7, he is fine in the den.
Might be less of an issue with the built in models.
kaseki
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
There is a loss of high frequency hearing with age. I recall that at 18, I could hear to 22 kHz, but doubt that by now, decades later, I could hear much past 16 kHz.

Thus one would assume that this induction unit generates its magnetic field using a frequency that is not high enough to be outside the hearing range of the young. Although the magnetic field itself can't be heard, its interaction with the field coils and/or the pan evidently can. I would consider this to be a design flaw for residential use.

kas
apalmieri
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We high school teachers know that students sometimes use a high pitched ring tone for their cell phones in class because we old teachers can't hear it, but they can! At 59 that induction stove top will not bother me at all.
fencesitter
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Regarding portable vs. built-in- I have a built in Fagor and my preschool children have not mentioned any issues with noise from the unit. No, I didn't deafen them as infants since I didn't have the cooktop back then.

I'm wondering if the fact that it's a portable unit is just a red herring. I'd suggest calling Fagor America and see if there are any know issues with the unit you have. Maybe see if it's a warranty problem.

It would be nice to know the exact frequency of the noise, if only to have solid numbers on hand when complaining/talking to Fagor. You might be able to use a good digital recorder and get some frequency analysis of a recording of the noise. Actually, probably just get one of your kids to do it- they may be able to do it all on the computer/laptop with the built in microphone and easily available software.
fencesitter
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Regarding portable vs. built-in- I have a built in Fagor and my preschool children have not mentioned any issues with noise from the unit. No, I didn't deafen them as infants since I didn't have the cooktop back then.

I'm wondering if the fact that it's a portable unit is just a red herring. I'd suggest calling Fagor America and see if there are any know issues with the unit you have. Maybe see if it's a warranty problem.

It would be nice to know the exact frequency of the noise, if only to have solid numbers on hand when complaining/talking to Fagor. You might be able to use a good digital recorder and get some frequency analysis of a recording of the noise. Actually, probably just get one of your kids to do it- they may be able to do it all on the computer/laptop with the built in microphone and easily available software.
fencesitter
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sorry for the repost, darn browser.

Of course,after I hit the send button, I remembered then keywords you'd need to do the frequency analysis, "audio spectrum analyzer software." Yes, there are free programs available that should show you what frequency noise you have, if your hardware can actually record that high.

Our 'Induction' Weekend - Portable/Painful!

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