Some interesting info. I usually just use the coffeemaker for hot, albeit not boiling water. I bought an electric kettle and having been thinking a lot lately about trying it. Had it here a couple years now and never had a reason to use it. The last time I roughly timed it I think it was about 4 1/2 minutes to get a pot of water heated up in my old $10 Proctor Silex dripper. That was about 10 of their "cups". I'm not sure if that's actually a true measuring cup of water. Seems to me the coffee producers figure 6oz as a coffee cup, although now that I think of it, I doubt that a full "12 cup" measure on there is over a half gallon! Need to do some measuring! Anyway I guessed it was faster than the stove heating up (this was when I had that Corning topped stove) and probably faster than the microwave from what I remembered when I tried it before. I don't usually have to pull the lid to see if it's boiling, especially when I'm using a glass lid! And even with the others, I can see the steam start coming out and hear when it gets to a simmer and I know a boil ain't far behind. I've been so intrigued with induction since I first heard about them. I know several people who are using the single unit induction units and no complaints from them I never thought about the black vs white pan for heat loss. Interesting. And of course I prefer black to white cookware. Oh well, not that big a thing anyway I'm sure. Annie, Annie, Annie... I thought you were a cast iron only lady! :)

North...one should de-glaze with room temperature liquid, and do it slowly, to avoid thermal shock. Never use cold water or a significant amount of cooler liquid quickly. Most warping occurs from incorrect usage: Bring the cookware to temperature slowly. Do not dump cold water into or on top of a hot pan. Always match the burner size to the pan size. Large pans can be more susceptible to warping if the burner is a ring. This is due to the lack of even heating across the surface. A pan with excellent heat conductivity, such as copper, will mitigate this. Some high-quality stainless steel brands are Demeyere, Viking, and Mauviel.

I love my Le Creuset!!! I'm just surprised to see so many others here who do too. But it's not the dutch oven. That's very good, but I think any round cast iron dutch oven would be just as good. It's the "special" shapes that I adore. My very favorite pot is the first Le Creuset I bought as an impulse buy. It's the 2.5 qt. soup pot. I use it for all kinds of stuff. Love the angled sides. Love the pot. Love it. Tied for second are the really big braiser (shallow and wide like a paella)--can't remember the capacity (5 qt.?), but it's gotta be more than a foot across--and the 1 qt. saucier. I love them both! Equally. No, wait!! My second favorite (1.5 favorite) is the little skillet that comes as the cover of the two quart saucepan. Mine is old and has the white enamel, which I like better than the black. LOVE this pan. Don't so much love my 5 qt. oval dutch oven. It's very useful. Throw in a bird and pop it in the oven and call it a small roaster. On the stove it's hard coordinating the temperatures in the middle vs. ends. But I've even used it to can marmalade. Another fave is the apple shaped tarte tatin. I've never actually made a tarte in it. It's great for browning stuff in. I've never seen it in person, but I think the Demeyere John Pawson line is gorgeous I'm not sure how the handles feel, what the balance is, or anything like that, but it's shore purdy!

UPDATE #2: Cuisinart Multiclad Pro Cookware I still don't have my new cooktop installed, but I do have new cookware! I made the trek to a large cooking store in Portland to feel a few kinds of cookware. From research here and elsewhere, as well as my past experience with my Cuisinart Classic cookware, the Cuisinart Multiclad Pro and French Classic were top contenders. Both sets were heavy, nicely finished with comfortable handles and stainless lids. The Multiclad Pro has a practical brushed exterior, the French Classic a mirror finish – very pretty, but high maintenance. Compared to the lids on my original set, they are very lightweight and very flat -- I much prefer the heavier weight and the slightly domed shape helps keep condensation in the pan, not on the lid waiting to drip everywhere on removal. I noticed with both sets that the saucepan sizes were the same diameter for the 1, 2 and 3 qt. pans, eliminating the option of nesting in storage, and reducing the size of the cooking surface – why, I don’t know. The French Classic set had different handles, very comfortable, more arched than the Multiclad set, which are very similar to my old Chef’s Classic set and quite comfortable for my hand. (BTW I noticed the new Chef’s Classic cookware is a far cry from my old set, much lighter weight and not as nicely finished.) Ultimately for me, the value of the rolled rim of the Multiclad Pro line made the decision for me. I pour things from a saucepan or pot often enough that I wouldn’t trade it for the straight sides of the French Classic, no matter how pretty they were. I shopped online for sets of the Multiclad Pro Line, comparing set make-up and open stock costs for additional pieces. I found a set on Amazon, sold by Woot, that gave me the most bang for my buck ($199): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WVR87N6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This set included a 5.5 qt. casserole with lid that is one of my most-used pans in my old set. None of the other sets I found had it, nor could I find it open stock. It also offered a 3.5 qt. saute pan with helper handle, which I think I will find useful in addition to 2 skillets and an “every day pan” which is basically a 12 “ skillet with 2 pot handles instead of one long handle. My old steamer insert fits in the 3 qt. pan, and I let my pasta strainer/blanching strainer will fit in the 8 qt. stockpot, which I will purchase separately. I have not installed my new cooktop yet, but I have been using my new cookware, and so far, it is wonderful. It heats evenly, produces a nice sear, and cleans up well. So far, so good! Thanks for the suggestions as I searched!