Recs for induction burner?

Thank you drrayeye, once I know the maximum temp for a task I can dial it in.

However, tell me how to go from very hot to a cooler cooking temp. The induction unit will immediately reduce the energy it is imparting. But the SS or the cast iron is very slow to react. It will stay very hot. Do you then transfer the food to a new vessel? Or do you take the pot off the unit and wait for a little while? (Listen to the radio? Do your nails? :wink: ) Is this where multi-ply pots really make a difference?

OK, I’ll quit wringing my hands and just give the thing a whirl.

Hi, jammie:

You raise an excellent point about the increased residual heat inherent in virtually all induction-compatible cookware. There is no magical shedding of heat. While there is substantially reduced heat under the pan (at least compared to electric coil and smoothtop), I have seen zero evidence that any clad or disk-based induction cookware on an “off” induction hob sheds heat faster than does copper on an “off” gas hob’s grate. So you are right to be a little concerned about downward response compared with your regular kit. And as you suggest, the shedding of heat will not be as fast as copper if the pan is moved to a cool surface.

The temperature settings on these induction hotplates are notoriously–and sometimes wildly-- inaccurate. Barring some real feedback mechanism (e.g., an in-pan or immersible thermometer), they are, IMO, worthless. However, the discrete power settings generally correspond linearly with the rated wattage, so these units have the same sort of arbitrary-yet-useful settings as other modes of appliance heating.

I would advise finding an 1800W hotplate with as many power settings as possible and a display and controls that are user-friendly. It’s hard to beat the Vollrath Mirage Pro (a knob and better internal switching), but it’s 5-7x the price of the basic 1500W units. I think the Tramontina you bought at Costco is a good unit for the price, though.

Please post your reactions after you have completed your construction project.

Aloha,
Kaleo

Ok, thanks for the heads-up. If construction goes on too long my peeps will get sick of scrambled eggs and microwaved burritos.

Hi jammie,

The big problem with the temperature setting is getting it to stabilize, since it overshoots by quite a bit. Once it settles down, mine is very accurate. One strategy that works is to use the energy setting with an infra-red gun measuring temperature–then tio switch modes to the temperature setting.

Going from hot to cooler?

That’s where the pot or pan you use makes all the difference. Pots or pans that hold lots of heat cool slowly–so, even if the induction action stops, the pan or pot only slowly cools. Even then, you don’t have to take the pot off the unit, but it’s better to have a responsive pot in the first place. My most responsive pan is my multi-ply All Clad 2 qt. copper core saucier.

Ray

Well, drrayeye, I understand what you’re saying about the cooking vessel’s responsiveness. :relaxed:
We’re on the same page.

In my experiments (informal - variables shall be ‘annoyance’ , ‘burnt garlic’, etc) I will be sure to include a copper core skillet - borrowed, I hope.

Am hoping to find many uses for the unit.