Higher power hobs are usually larger diameter hobs, and are designed with the expectation that cookware with larger diameter magnetically susceptible surfaces will be used with them. You may not get all that power when a pan that is too small is used on a large diameter hob (assuming that the hob will operate with the pan). That is, interception of the magnetic fields among the hob poles by the pan base may be incomplete. Very roughly, it is the available watts per square inch that is common to the hobs. In any case, the high power mode is useful for quickly getting a large thermal mass (e.g., pot of water) up to temperature, but is overkill for most cooking (simulated wok cooking or meat searing might be an exception). Once boil is achieved, the power level has to be significantly reduced (immediately) or there will be boil-over. It the pan or pot is covered, then the heat loss will be further reduced and the hob power will need to be reduced yet further to avoid boil-over. Usefully, the range of power settings for induction hobs is quite large, even without considering boost mode. The high end usually beats any pro-like gas burner, and the low end gets lower than most gas burners can regulate to (not sure about versus old-time pilot lights though). kas

Convection is simply moving air. Conventional ranges apply heat, but the air does not circulate. With convection, the air is moved around. Yes, Bluestar is real convection. Some claim that the only 'true' convection occurs when an electric heating element surrounds the fan. But I can assure you that real pro ovens are almost always convection, and most don't have burners around the fan. As to using convection, here are the rules of thumb: 1. You can either lower the temperature 25 degrees F -OR- shorten the recipe time about 10%. (most people shorten the time, as lowering the temp really saves nothing. 2. Convection is especially good for roasts and bread. The moving air dries the surface more, creating a better crust. 3. Use convection in all cases except as follows: A. Do NOT use convection for things that rise without yeast, like cakes and souffles. B. Do NOT use convection for things that should have no crust, like cakes, biscuits and pastries. Things in the above categories rise by air expansion (souffles) or baking powder. This rise is not as powerful as a yeast rise, and with the better, harder crust that convection forms, simply cannot push hard enough to rise properly. This is not just my opinion, but is backed up by tests performed by Cooks Illustrated magazine. By the way, for your roasts, instead of cooking than like you describe, sear the outside in a pan on top of the range, Use a strong fork and a a pair of tongs to sear all sides in a very hot, dry pan. Then roast at around 225-250F. Why? Searing requires much hotter temps than an oven can provide, but the big burners on the Bluestar can easily sear the meat. Get it nice and brown on all six sides before putting it in the oven. Second, cooking below 200 F, no matter how long you do it, will not cause the connective tissue in meat to gelatinize and turn juicy-it requires 225-250 F to do that. Moisture is also required, and hte burning gas provides a moister oven than electric heat. Lastly, use a meat thermometer (I prefer the Polder probe ones that you insert into the center of the meat and leave, see link) and cook until the desired temp is reached, generally 130-135 F for beef roasts. Here is a link that might be useful: Polder probe thermometers

Sue- Is it the wisdom of the ages or science from the experts? This is what I've read from "experts" - I'm just the person sitting behind the keyboard typing after I've gathered a stack of books by my side. According to Shirley Corriher in "Cookwise", salt plays three roles in dough: It enhances flavor, controls bacteria, and strengthens dough by tightening gluten. She even suggests if the water you are using in your breads is soft (low mineral content), you'll want to be sure to add high-mineral salt - which are natural sea salts, not table salt. The minerals in natural sea salt also play into yeast activity. But what is too much salt... As little as 1/3 t. of salt per cup of flour can be enough to noticeably slow yeast growth. Salt can be added intentionally to slow yeast growth. More salt may be added to dough, such as in a bakery setting when you would want to slow down fermentation until the next shift of workers comes on. The small amount of salt we add to yeast and naturally-leavened breads doesn't really give a salty taste, nor does it contribute largely to the daily sodium intake in a normal diet or normal sodium amounts for people who aren't watching sodium intake, but salt helps to bring out the flavor of the fermentation. As anyone who has ever left the salt out of a recipe can attest, bread without salt is somewhat insipid - but that's because our taste is often trained to like salt and salty flavors. Then there's all the hub-bub about when to add salt. I wait to add salt towards the end of the kneading, along with the fat. I only add the fat early if I want a close crumb - or an almost cake-like texture (for sandwich bread as an example - breads that need to hold together when held in your hands and keep spreads from dripping through). The gluten will have an easier time developing, and will develop quicker (meaning you will need to spend less time mixing and kneading) when you wait to add the salt after gluten development. Once you add the salt, the gluten really tightens up. You can actually feel the difference in the dough. Peter Barham in "The Science of Cooking" says "...the salt acts to modify and control the action of the yeast. Harold McGee in "Keys to Good Cooking A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes" and "On Food and Cooking": Salt contributes to a balanced taste and intensifies aroma in bread, but it also affects structure and texture. Salt makes a dough less sticky, and gluten more stretchy, and the finished loaf lighter. In sourdoughs, salt helps control the growth of acid-producing, gluten-weakening bacteria. [So there's that bacteria mentioned by Shirley Corriher as well.] Salt isn't a leavening agent, but it helps control the leavening agent, as you thought. You can make perfectly good bread with very little or no salt at all (other than the naturally occurring salts in water, other ingredients, etc. - there is always a source for some sodium, even without added salt). But as one book pointed out, when it came to taste tests, people liked breads with more salt than less salt. As a person who doesn't use a lot of salt in their diet, I'd choose less salty flavor - so flavor is subjective. When using less salt in breads, you just need to watch the rise because it will be faster than normal. Peter Barham, in his book, intentionally made bread with lower salt amounts to see how little it could actually be, and he came to the conclusion you didn't need salt at all and that the bread tasted fine. "Fine" isn't what most people expect homemade bread to taste like, however. So you can use a long cold rise to develop flavors, instead of adding salt, or as much salt. And there is the old rule of thumb... If you reduce the salt in a bread recipe, be sure to reduce the yeast as well. So if you cut the salt by 50%, reduce the yeast by 50%. I was also taught in cooking and baking classes that a little salt makes sweet things taste sweeter, hence the ever-present "pinch of salt" in things you wonder what difference did that small amount actually make? There are a lot of factors to keeping bread fresh. Choose enriched breads and sourdough, instead of lean doughs. If you want your bread to stay fresh longer add fenugreek or rosemary because these ingredients are antioxidants, "they prevent oxygen in the air from combining with compounds in the dough, thus acting as a preservative by preventing chemical changes in the dough." I add an acid ingredient to whole wheat breads in the form of ascorbic acid, which is another antioxidant you can add to aid keeping bread fresher longer, but also counteracts the effects of Glutathione in wheat germ, which can damage the gluten strands. Yeast also works better in a mildly acidic mixture. But don't add an acid to naturally-leavened breads because they are already acid enough. My personal favorites for keeping bread fresher longer are coconut oil, agave nectar, and chia seeds - and you won't find these ingredients discussed in any books by "experts". Coconut oil was used in commercial baked goods until the mid-20th century because it helped lengthen shelf-life. As a medium-chain fat, coconut oil doesn't go rancid as quickly as polyunsaturated oils. When pressure was put on the market to use hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated fats, the shelf-life was shortened, foods went rancid quickly, and they had to find new stabilizers and chemicals to use instead of coconut oil. Coconut oil was used for popping corn at the movies and sports stadiums. They popped large amounts long before it was needed and packed into containers to be used later, and using coconut oil in it kept it fresher longer. Nobody likes stale popcorn.... Coconut oil aids in slowing down mold growth as well. Agave nectar does an excellent job of holding moisture in baked goods, as does chia seeds. Both keep moisture in the crumb of breads from migrating through the crust, so they slow staling - which is an interesting read in and of itself. If you are going to freeze your bread, there is a lot of science about using honey in your breads instead of sugar. The honey will aid in keeping the moisture in the crumb, and I suspect agave nectar has a similar quality. Hope the experts have given you the answers you were looking for. -Grainlady

Grandma never cut a biscuit either, she just pinched off a piece, shaped it a bit with her hands and dropped it onto her baking pan. She always made sure that the sides touched a bit so they didn't spread out too much. If she actually wanted something that looked "fancier" she patted the dough into a square and cut it with a knife into biscuit sized squares, then baked. Her biscuits were the best. My biscuits are good, but they ain't Grandma's that's for sure. I love hot biscuits with butter and honey, though, so I make them anyway and wish Grandma were here to show me how ONE MORE TIME. Sigh. At any rate, overhandling the dough is the biggest problem most people encounter. The fat must be very cold and I've never made a biscuit worth a tinker's dam* in the food processor. I use an old fashioned pastry cutter to cut in the fat, Grandma used two knives. I always use buttermilk, even if I have to buy it especially for biscuits. Sometimes I add cheese, sometimes not, and I've occasionally made and liked sweet potato biscuits and a spicy chipotle biscuit that Caliloo posted from Bon Appetit: CORNMEAL BISCUITS WITH CHEDDAR AND CHIPOTLE 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 3/4 cup (packed) chopped green onions 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 2 tablespoons sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated yellow extra-sharp cheddar cheese 1 large egg 3/4 cup (about) buttermilk 1 tablespoon finely minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo* 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon whipping cream (for glaze) Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes to soften slightly. Remove from heat. Blend flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in processor. Add 1/2 cup chilled butter; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese; cut in using on/off turns. Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Whisk 1 egg in glass measuring cup. Add enough buttermilk to egg to measure 1 cup; stir in green-onion mixture and chipotles. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Pour buttermilk mixture into well; mix just until evenly moistened. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface. Knead gently just until dough holds together, about 10 turns. Pat out on generously floured surface to 3/4-inch-thick round. Using 3-inch round cutter, cut out biscuits. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps; pat out to 3/4-inch thickness and cut out additional biscuits. Brush biscuits with egg glaze. Bake biscuits until golden, tester inserted into center comes out clean, and biscuits feel firm, about 18 minutes. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Serve warm. Makes about 10. Bon Appétit March 2006 Good luck. The only way you can ever make a good biscuit is with practice. Yummy, yummy practice. LOL Annie