Which Induction Ranges don't pulse
kazmom
6 years ago
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divotdiva2
6 years agokazmom
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Induction cooktop pulsing
Comments (23)I boiled some eggs this morning and at the end of the designated boiling time (at a setting of 5.5), I turned down the hob into the lower settings. I had to choose a setting that was high enough to cause bubble formation because at the lowest settings the induced heat just conducted away. Settings between 3 and 4 would cause effects that could be easily observed. It was evident that the power to the hob was modulating at a roughly 1-Hz rate. Hence my experience is not the same as Gary's and it is possible that my E'lux clone has a different circuit than his. There are no noises associated with this modulation, and it occurs (for the particular pot and water level) at an energy input too low for bubbles to even detach from the pot bottom and potentially make noise at the surface. I don't consider this a defect; but rather a design choice that likely results from some trade-off that wouldn't be apparent to someone who doesn't design induction cooktops for a living. Perhaps switching at a higher frequency would induce additional circuit heating. In any case, induction ready pots and pans have thicker bases with longer thermal time constants, so this effect may not be apparent with their use. Sometime I'll try a handy Emeril pan and see what happens. kas...See MoreDoes Bosch induction range pulse on/off at low power settings?
Comments (10)olc57: interesting that you should mention testing with cast iron and using several different induction burners. My experience is that cast iron provides a lot more thermal smoothing at higher temps than it does at low induction power settings. Appliance geek that I am, I actually tried to test out the thermal averaging idea a while back. I used a 10" Lodge cast iron fry pan as well as a regular induction capable sauce pan (Circulon annodized aluminum with an induction base). I ran these tests when I got a chance to participate in a demo of some induction cooktops and ranges at a local dealer's store. The demo included a Whirlpool cooktop and Maytag stove, both believed to have observable pulsing of bubbling-still cycles at low heat. With a cup of water in the CI pan when placed on the induction burners that had observable pulsing -- meaning that low settings cycled temps between bubbling near boil and still --- the heat cycling/bubbling was a little slower but still distinct when compared with the more responsive Circulon sauce pan. Basically, similar cycling but the CI seemed to lag the audible pulsing a bit. With the GE induction range in that demo, however, I did not see bubbling/still cycles at low heat settings with either the Circulon or Lodge pans. (It exhibited the same behavior as what you see in Gary's video of his Electrolux Icon cooktop.) I also repeated this comparison later, after I received a Max Burton portable induction cooker. Got similar results except the bubble-cycling was more extreme with both pans. (That is doubtless because the MB's pulse-width-modulation was even cruder than that on the Whirlpool-made stove and cooktop.) Maybe somebody here can repeat this kind of test with a Bosch range? OTOH, maybe lisa's answer is already good enough for Anon?...See MoreInduction hob pulsing heat / cycling heat
Comments (13)Joe -- the pulsing you are seeing is pretty much endemic to lower-priced portable induction cookers (PICs). The other name for what Kaseki called "duty cycle" is "pulse width modulation" (PWM). Microwave ovens use the same technique, switching power on and off at higher or lower frequency to simulate higher and lower power settings. The idea is that the heat averages out , although the average between the state of boiling and still water may not be the same as water at a more steady heat level. Having more power settings and/or settings targeted to temperature doesn't necessarily address the PWM frequency unless there is some kind of in-pan temperature probe. Induction units with in-pan probes are becoming available but still seem to be very expensive. PICs can be built with high-frequency switching where the on-off switching happens so many times per second --- as Weed describes --- that the pulsing is rarely perceptible even with thin pans. Trouble is, the high frequency switching components are comparatively expensive. Using heavier pans (like the LeCrueset you mentioned) will help somewhat on better quality PICs and hobs but, as you are seeing, does not solve the pulsing problem when using the less expensive PICs like the one you apparently have. If you were in the US, I would point you to the Century Life blogs site (link to their article on PICs). I don't know anything about the T-Fal you asked about but suspect that it is made either by Fagor or one of the Chinese factories to which many PIC brands sub-contract their production. Most, if not all of those, have the crude PWM electronics. The Century Life site recommends the Vollrath Mirage PICs for units that do not exhibit the boil-still-boil-still pattern. These are commercial units and, over here, the Vollrath units have been priced at about half-way between the lower-end PICS and what is usually charged here for the commercial-grade Cookteks that Kaseki and Weed have. Don't know if that will hold true in the UK but I believe that the Mirage units are available in the UK., at least from food service companies. You might try following up on that and seeing if searching on "Vollrath Mirage Induction" turns up some similar units from other brands which might be more favorably priced....See MoreI don't know which 48" range to choose
Comments (9)@tresspearce Those ranges all might appeal to different types of cooks. I would guess since you are looking at BlueStar, you are wanting an all gas range vs the dual fuel. I don’t know if this is possible but have you considered a rangetop and wall ovens vs a range. You can pick each component as best vs picking the burners you like best and getting the ovens that come with them. What type of cooking do you do? High heat like stirfrys or simmers? Do you plan on getting a built in griddle? BlueStar And Wolf are the only ranges that can come with 8 burners. You can use an overlay griddle on those and they have some advantages. What type/sizes of cookware do you use?...See Moresteph cran
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