Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

redforever · 10-30-2011, 09:47 PM

I have an induction cooktop, the 6 burner Viking Professional series. I have had mine for almost 3 years now, since we remodelled our house. This is exactly what mine looks like.

As others have mentioned, induction is not new, it has been in Europe for ages. That is why most cookware in Ikea is induction compatible.

Any pot or pan that a magnet will stick to is induction compatible. That of course will automatically include any regular or enamelled cast iron, the old fashioned speckled enamel roasters, carbon steel woks, and the like. Stainless steel is made induction compatible with an encapsulated base that includes some magnetic material. You can also make your cookware induction compatible by purchasing magnetic discs that you can put on top the induction burner and then put your cookware on top of the disc. Outside of some large stock pans, all of my cookware was already induction compatible so I never had to buy a bunch of new cookware when I got my induction cooktop. If you want to do an extra low simmer, you can put a silicone pad on top the induction burner and then put the cookware on top of the silicone pad. Ikea sells those. I have some and here is why they are nice, not just for simmering. They are magnetic as well, and will stick to the bottom of the the pot or pan you are using. That means you can take the pot that is hot, put it on the silicone disc which will stick to the pot, and put that right on your table for serving. The silicone pad will protect the table.

You can put your hand on the surface of the induction burner and turn it on and nothing will happen, unless you would be wearing some ring that might be magnetic and would transfer the heat. The only way the glass top actually heats up is from the heat on the bottom of the pot, not from the actual induction burner. However, this is nothing like the heat from a radiant cooktop. So...if you were not mindful when cooking and something boiled over, no problemo. The glass cooktop will mostly be cool except perhaps where the bottom of the pot was. You can simply take any towel or cloth and wipe the mess up. That cloth will not get hot or start on fire. That also means that if something does boil over, it will not burn and get crusty and be hard to remove from the glass cooktop. To clean my cooktop, I first wash it with a fairly wet soapy dishcloth. Then I rinse that off with a dishcloth that has been rinsed and is no longer soapy. Then I just dry it with a dish towel and it is sparkling clean. In three years, I have maybe had to use a dab of glass cooktop cleaner 5 times? And that is a dab about the size of the nail on my pinkie finger. I have never had to scrape my glasstop and it is like new, not one scratch.

Nothing is as energy efficient as induction cooking, in fact most claim that it is at least 60% more efficient than other types of cooking units. Only the part of the induction burner that the pot actually covers and touches is used. My cooktop shows pot sizes within the induction burner surface....so the burner has 3 sort of rings of various sizes. Those rings show the best pot size for that burner. So if your pot only covers the small ring inside the burner, that is the only part of the induction burner that will actually be used. In other words, the only portion of the induction burner that will use energy is the portion that is covered by the base of the pot or pan that you are using.

Nothing heats faster than induction, nothing, period. No heat is radiated like with electric coils or gas, so pot handles do not heat up, the air around the cooktop remains cool, and therefore, so does the cook and the kitchen.

The whole range of heat you desire is so easy to adjust...I think each of my burners has something like 15 to 18 settings, but they are basically continuously variable. In one respect, it is exactly the same as gas or perhaps a bit better than gas. When you turn the heat off, it is instant off, since the glass portion of the cooktop is not radiant. With gas, the metal grates could perhaps hold a bit of residual heat. Simmering is also one of the fortes of induction cooking...I should perhaps clarify that by saying it is with my cooktop since I have one from the professional series.

What should you look for in an induction cooktop?

Number one thing should be that each induction burner operates independently and is on its own circuit. Otherwise, what happens with some units, is when you are drawing extra power, for say wok cooking, it will draw that power from another burner that you might be using, and then that one will power down. Also, check what the watt rating is for each burner and see if it suits your needs. I have 6 burners. Left front is 8” 3,700 watt boost, 2300 watts. Left rear is 6” 1,400 watts. Center front and center rear are both 7” 1,850 watts. Right front is 6” 1,400 watts. Right rear is 8” 3,300 watt boost/2,300 watts.

Number two, you will require a 50 to 60 amp service so that will probably be an extra electrical cost. You should also instal a surge protector right in that electrical line as well.

Number three, keep in mind that you need around 6 inches of dead space and air below the unit. That was not a problem for me. I have my cooktop mounted in my island which is 5' x 5' and below it, I have storage for my larger cookware and saute pans. I could have put my oven below the cooktop as well but I wanted the oven in a different place.

Number four, they are not cheap. Mine set me back over $5 grand...but I absolutely love it and would never go back to anything else. I will clarify that by saying I have had a coil unit by Thermador which I absolutely loved and a professional gas unit that I absolutely hated...in fact, it lasted about 2 months, out it went, and in went the induction unit.

Number five, you should have a good quality set of cookware, with flat bottoms. Flat bottoms are essential with induction cooking. If your cookware is not induction compatible, you will have to factor in the cost of some new cookware as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

The following link also has a pretty good explanation of induction versus radiant versus gas and has a video showing an induction unit in use.

http://becgreen.ca/tag/induction-cooktops/

10-30-2011, 09:47 PM	#35
redforever Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Exp:	I have an induction cooktop, the 6 burner Viking Professional series. I have had mine for almost 3 years now, since we remodelled our house. This is exactly what mine looks like. As others have mentioned, induction is not new, it has been in Europe for ages. That is why most cookware in Ikea is induction compatible. Any pot or pan that a magnet will stick to is induction compatible. That of course will automatically include any regular or enamelled cast iron, the old fashioned speckled enamel roasters, carbon steel woks, and the like. Stainless steel is made induction compatible with an encapsulated base that includes some magnetic material. You can also make your cookware induction compatible by purchasing magnetic discs that you can put on top the induction burner and then put your cookware on top of the disc. Outside of some large stock pans, all of my cookware was already induction compatible so I never had to buy a bunch of new cookware when I got my induction cooktop. If you want to do an extra low simmer, you can put a silicone pad on top the induction burner and then put the cookware on top of the silicone pad. Ikea sells those. I have some and here is why they are nice, not just for simmering. They are magnetic as well, and will stick to the bottom of the the pot or pan you are using. That means you can take the pot that is hot, put it on the silicone disc which will stick to the pot, and put that right on your table for serving. The silicone pad will protect the table. You can put your hand on the surface of the induction burner and turn it on and nothing will happen, unless you would be wearing some ring that might be magnetic and would transfer the heat. The only way the glass top actually heats up is from the heat on the bottom of the pot, not from the actual induction burner. However, this is nothing like the heat from a radiant cooktop. So...if you were not mindful when cooking and something boiled over, no problemo. The glass cooktop will mostly be cool except perhaps where the bottom of the pot was. You can simply take any towel or cloth and wipe the mess up. That cloth will not get hot or start on fire. That also means that if something does boil over, it will not burn and get crusty and be hard to remove from the glass cooktop. To clean my cooktop, I first wash it with a fairly wet soapy dishcloth. Then I rinse that off with a dishcloth that has been rinsed and is no longer soapy. Then I just dry it with a dish towel and it is sparkling clean. In three years, I have maybe had to use a dab of glass cooktop cleaner 5 times? And that is a dab about the size of the nail on my pinkie finger. I have never had to scrape my glasstop and it is like new, not one scratch. Nothing is as energy efficient as induction cooking, in fact most claim that it is at least 60% more efficient than other types of cooking units. Only the part of the induction burner that the pot actually covers and touches is used. My cooktop shows pot sizes within the induction burner surface....so the burner has 3 sort of rings of various sizes. Those rings show the best pot size for that burner. So if your pot only covers the small ring inside the burner, that is the only part of the induction burner that will actually be used. In other words, the only portion of the induction burner that will use energy is the portion that is covered by the base of the pot or pan that you are using. Nothing heats faster than induction, nothing, period. No heat is radiated like with electric coils or gas, so pot handles do not heat up, the air around the cooktop remains cool, and therefore, so does the cook and the kitchen. The whole range of heat you desire is so easy to adjust...I think each of my burners has something like 15 to 18 settings, but they are basically continuously variable. In one respect, it is exactly the same as gas or perhaps a bit better than gas. When you turn the heat off, it is instant off, since the glass portion of the cooktop is not radiant. With gas, the metal grates could perhaps hold a bit of residual heat. Simmering is also one of the fortes of induction cooking...I should perhaps clarify that by saying it is with my cooktop since I have one from the professional series. What should you look for in an induction cooktop? Number one thing should be that each induction burner operates independently and is on its own circuit. Otherwise, what happens with some units, is when you are drawing extra power, for say wok cooking, it will draw that power from another burner that you might be using, and then that one will power down. Also, check what the watt rating is for each burner and see if it suits your needs. I have 6 burners. Left front is 8” 3,700 watt boost, 2300 watts. Left rear is 6” 1,400 watts. Center front and center rear are both 7” 1,850 watts. Right front is 6” 1,400 watts. Right rear is 8” 3,300 watt boost/2,300 watts. Number two, you will require a 50 to 60 amp service so that will probably be an extra electrical cost. You should also instal a surge protector right in that electrical line as well. Number three, keep in mind that you need around 6 inches of dead space and air below the unit. That was not a problem for me. I have my cooktop mounted in my island which is 5' x 5' and below it, I have storage for my larger cookware and saute pans. I could have put my oven below the cooktop as well but I wanted the oven in a different place. Number four, they are not cheap. Mine set me back over $5 grand...but I absolutely love it and would never go back to anything else. I will clarify that by saying I have had a coil unit by Thermador which I absolutely loved and a professional gas unit that I absolutely hated...in fact, it lasted about 2 months, out it went, and in went the induction unit. Number five, you should have a good quality set of cookware, with flat bottoms. Flat bottoms are essential with induction cooking. If your cookware is not induction compatible, you will have to factor in the cost of some new cookware as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YouTube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YouTube Video The following link also has a pretty good explanation of induction versus radiant versus gas and has a video showing an induction unit in use. http://becgreen.ca/tag/induction-cooktops/ Last edited by redforever; 11-22-2011 at 02:55 PM.