Kitchen appliance advice: rangetop or range with griddle + wok?
jugosea
8 years ago
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Wok & waffle griddle usage on Induction cooktops?
Comments (14)There are two kinds of flat bottom woks that work on induction, the kind that is squished flat on the bottom, and the kind that is flat on the bottom and curved on the inside. You might want to try the latter if you're a traditional wok cook. Since gas is not an option, then the question isn't whether the induction will work with your old cookware, but whether induction or plain electric will suit your cooking best. If you want to wok with high heat you'll probably prefer induction, even with a new flat bottomed induction wok. If you're happy with your results on electric and aren't looking for more power and responsiveness then save your money. On some induction units the cookware only has to be within 1/4" of the surface, but as Weedmeister said, the power drops off. The best result will be with direct contact between the unit and the pan. Even though the round bottom of a traditional wok might be pretty much in contact, most inductors need a pan that's minimum of 4" diameter to register with the sensor and work. Induction spreads up the iron in the sides of the pan, which is why it works so well with a wok--this is a similar effect to the way the flames of an open fire heats the sides of the wok. Regarding your waffle iron, the surface of the cooktop only gets warm from the heat of the pan, rather than from the energy of the inductors. If it's square the corners might not heat as well as the center, but that's something worth experimenting with. If the handle is iron, it'll get hot, but you should be able to use an oven mitt or something to flip it. The mitt won't burn or anything. Or you could put a wood or silicone sheath over the handle. They sell the silicone ones. Fori -- does this mean you're enjoying your new cooktop?...See MoreBS or CC Gas Range (or Rangetop) vs Induction
Comments (6)This is something many folks face during a kitchen remodel. What is the most important thing, budget, appliances, recoup $ w/resale? You mentioned, small home that was not expensive. Is your fear of not recouping the $ if you put in high end appliances? If you expressed that your ready for the next level, plus you would want a wok, high btu and charbroil...(you didn't mention rotisserie or self clean). That comes with a price tag. You stated thoughts of rangetop w/ cheaper wall oven. If you have or foresee any bending/back problems, go for rangetop/wall oven. Just remember that the rangetop and cheaper wall oven will require gas and/or electrical upgrade, wall oven cabinet, rangetop cabinet and additional installation fees. On top of the price of the rangetop and wall oven, could cost as much as a range alone. If you really want the high end cooking appliances, be very cost conscious about the other elements in the kitchen. Frig, d/w, micro, sink, counters, flooring, lighting, faucets and cabinets. You don't have to break the bank. For all the money your spending, you should be pleased when you enter the kitchen. I would recommend you stick with gas. I own a 48in CC range, single Capital wall oven, Samsung CD frig and KA d/w. Good Luck...See MoreGriddle with rangetop
Comments (29)dcwesley - to clarify - we have the 'sealed' burners not the unsealed, so reread the above post if you thought the reverse - one of the four burners on our sealed unit does have the lower btu with a melt feature but they all have the simmer feature. Understand that I'm just an average Jo'ann in the kitchen -so for me, all the burners are awesome on their simmer function. I've yet to burn anything I've set to simmer - yes, even that which I forgot about until much later...:). I have been really amazed at this working funtion - none of my other ranges ever simmered well. Ok, I'll share my embarrassing story....for the first six months of use - I couldn't stop bragging about how well all of my burners simmered. No matter what I was simmering, size of pan, which burner - all great - and while not a baker either, chocolate and sugar sauces simmered perfectly as well. Then one day, in a rush of turning on/off a burner, I over 'spun' the knob and guess what...it spun to the actual simmer controls. DOH! Now I knew before buying this range that each simmer had it's own hi-lo range, separate from the regular burners hi-lo range - but once in my hands - I forgot, didn't look closely enough - who knows, but I never spun the knob the full 180 to get to the simmer controls. Point of sharing this story, is that all the burners - for me, on their regular, lowest output performed a really good simmer function. I'm sure those that are really skilled bakers/chefs would find this to be untrue for their varied applications. And of course, once I found the simmer functions, ooh so nice...you can really really walk away - tend to other tasks. As for the lower output of the smaller burner - again, for me, this has not been a problem. I'm generally never cooking 4 pots/pans of anything at the same time, nor trying to bring anything to boiling on more than one or 2 burners, and definitely never using the highest output of all the burners at the same time. I guess to further add, every rangetop I've ever had, always had one smaller/output burner - whether electric, gas, raised or flat burners and I never had an issue with having one smaller burner on those. Again, this goes back to life/cooking style. We went through the same decision process when deciding on grill, griddle, none, both or one....we really had to evaluate how we cooked currently and how we wanted to cook going forward. Well, we live in TX so grilling outdoors can/is a year-round possibility for us - so it made sense for us to eliminate the grill from our range. We knew we wanted the griddle, but the next decision for us was how many burners, vs size of griddle. I knew that I would never use more than 4 burners at a time (I've had a 5 burner range before - never used all 5 at the same time) - so that helped with our decision. Plus we knew from younger years as SOCs the varied cooking we could do with the griddle - hence the larger griddle for us. On a side note, when we were in the planning phase of our remodel - many posters at that time chose other rangetops that offered a burner at an even higher btu for wok cooking. We considered that, but again, our lifestyle dictated that our vege/meat habatchi cooking was better suited to the griddle. And again - you'll love your rangetop - no matter your configuration....See MoreBest Range for Wok Cooking - Bluestar/Viking/Wolf?
Comments (56)Thanks for your insights. Commenting on your questions in reverse order: (a) I do not have any experience with gas wok cooking, so even if I thought my induction wok technique was good, I couldn't compare. I can say that for quantities sufficient for several people, cooked sequentially in the induction wok and then combined and finished, my 3500W Cooktek can manage more than enough power. However, it heats a ring area of the wok so the very bottom (4-inch diameter?) is heated via conduction. I suspect a gas-experienced wok user would have to modify his technique somewhat. (b) I recommend reading the first dozen pages or so of Greenheck's guide: http://www.greenheck.com/media/pdf/otherinfo/KVSApplDesign_catalog.pdf particularly the table on airflow rates, to gain insight into this subject. I usually recommend 90 CFM/sq. ft. of hood entry aperture. This is realized (actual) flow rate; blower rated flow rate may need to be 1.5X or more of this value depending on various factors. Hoods need to overlap the cooking zone, and side skirts may be called for in some configurations. MUA is a big deal and needs to be addressed at the same time as the ventilation approach. (c) If you were to use a commercial wok burner and commercial hood, the fire suppression is built in. I don't know what options are available to avoid a possible sprinkler mess vs. some other kind of chemical spray mess. Non-messy halon extinguishers may not be allowed in a home. What is allowed needs to be discussed with your code enforcement officer. I don't doubt that there is some construction approach that should be acceptable, but it is likely location specific. Also, ask your insurance company. Give up the idea of nesting the range and hood into a nice set of wood cabinets if you are going commercial. Stove and hood may need to be spaced away from any walls, which in most residences are combustible, no matter what surface materials are used to protect them. In new construction, or with sufficient land, thought could be given to following the approach of 'higher-end' historical Chinese rural homes -- wood construction kitchens were separated from the wood construction living quarters for good reasons. http://yinyutang.pem.org/...See Morejugosea
8 years agocookncarpenter
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoteachmkt1
8 years ago
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