Sorry - Yet another electric range question

"TheAlligator" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
in an electric range?

It may be very easy to have propane installed and get a gas range. I did
that many years ago and I'm very happy with it. We spend about $85 a year
for the fuel and they deliver once a year.

"TheAlligator" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I hate to start this topic again, but there are new faces, new
opinions and hopefully new technologies. Several years ago and
against my better judgement, we bought an all-electric home. I will
never get used to heat that feels like air conditioning and I'm about
to give up on food. Standard ribbon burner electric ranges are such a
cruel joke. I do a lot of cooking in a plain old carbon-steel wok.
In good weather, I resort to using a propane-fired burner outdoors.
Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
in an electric range? Induction is out of the question. Are there
any particular types that will be more compatible with the old wok?
Is halogen a good selection or would radiant be better? I know none
of them are that great, but I'm pretty much out of options. Thanks in
advance for your opinions.

We have used a flat top electric for five years and like it a lot. With any
electric range, the "trick" to wok cooking is to get a flat botom wok and
set it directly on the element. Having it positioned above the element on a
ring never works at all - you need the direct contact to get the heat you
need for proper wok cooking. To turn the heat down instantly, slide the wok
off the element. Electric is never as good as gas for wokkery, but with this
method you can get excellent results.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"TheAlligator" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
in an electric range?

It may be very easy to have propane installed and get a gas range. I did
that many years ago and I'm very happy with it. We spend about $85 a
year for the fuel and they deliver once a year.

That's a good option. We have an electric range but has a single burner wok
hob installed with a propane tank. Works quite well.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 16:05:14 GMT, [email hidden]

(TheAlligator) said:

I hate to start this topic again, but there are new faces, new
opinions and hopefully new technologies. Several years ago and
against my better judgement, we bought an all-electric home. I will
never get used to heat that feels like air conditioning and I'm about
to give up on food. Standard ribbon burner electric ranges are such a
cruel joke. I do a lot of cooking in a plain old carbon-steel wok.
In good weather, I resort to using a propane-fired burner outdoors.
Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
in an electric range? Induction is out of the question. Are there
any particular types that will be more compatible with the old wok?
Is halogen a good selection or would radiant be better? I know none
of them are that great, but I'm pretty much out of options. Thanks in
advance for your opinions.

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Nathalie Chiva" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message

Quoted message said:

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Induction has not taken off yet in the US. Expensive, limited option, the
need for certain cookware.

Quoted message said:

Interesting.....what's induction?

TJ

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 23:16:01 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Nathalie Chiva" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message

Quoted message said:

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Induction has not taken off yet in the US. Expensive, limited option, the
need for certain cookware.

Quoted message said:

Nathalie Chiva said:

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie, could you elaborate on this, if you have the time? In the
US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

TheAlligator said:

In the US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

At http://www.mingspantry.com/comsooncookm.html there's a discussion about a
specific induction wok unit. It gives a general description of how it works.

(Speaking of Ming Tsai, I enjoyed watching him beat Bobby Flay on "Iron Chef
America" Sunday night.)

Bob

"TJ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Interesting.....what's induction?

TJ

Induction uses a magnetic field to generate heat. You need a metal pan for
it to work.
http://www.selectappliance.com/exec/ce-tidbits/induction

TJ said:

Interesting.....what's induction?

Scroll down to "How does an Induction Cooktop Work?"
http://stuweb.ee.mtu.edu/~mtromble/induction/cooktops.html

sf

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:47:58 GMT, [email hidden]

(TheAlligator) said:

Nathalie Chiva said:

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie, could you elaborate on this, if you have the time? In the
US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

Sure.
Induction works using a magnetic field to generate heat. On top of the
induction elements, you have a standard ceramic glass cooktop.
The pros are:
- It's *very* powerful
- It's the most economical cooktop, energy-wise - I've seen gas listed
at 30 to 50% efficiency, normal electric plates at 60%, induction at
90%.
- Like gas, it reacts immediately to a change of setting
- You can simmer and cook as slow as you want - I've made zabaglione
on it without a water bath with no problem, which is totally
impossible with any other cooktop
- Because the heat is in the pot or pan itself, it's very safe - the
cootop itself gets a little hot by contact, but you can't have a 3rd
degree burn on it. Also, if you leave a burner on without a pot on it,
it stops after 1 minute. Same if you leave something to boil and
liquid spills on the cooktop.
- Because the cooktop in itself never gets very hot, spilt food
doesn't burn on it, making it very easy to clean. Mine is spotless
after 6 years, I take about 30 seconds to clean it maybe twice a week.
The only con is : You have to have compatible pots and pans. Which
mean that they must have a totally flat bottom, and they must be
magnetisable (I carry a small fridge magnet in my handbag, if I want
to buy a pan I just put it on the bottom of the pan, if it sticks it's
OK). Note that regular cast iron works very well on it.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie Chiva <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:47:58 GMT, [email hidden]

(TheAlligator) said:

Nathalie Chiva said:

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie, could you elaborate on this, if you have the time? In the
US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

Sure.
Induction works using a magnetic field to generate heat. On top of the
induction elements, you have a standard ceramic glass cooktop.
The pros are:
- It's *very* powerful
- It's the most economical cooktop, energy-wise - I've seen gas listed
at 30 to 50% efficiency, normal electric plates at 60%, induction at
90%.
- Like gas, it reacts immediately to a change of setting
- You can simmer and cook as slow as you want - I've made zabaglione
on it without a water bath with no problem, which is totally
impossible with any other cooktop
- Because the heat is in the pot or pan itself, it's very safe - the
cootop itself gets a little hot by contact, but you can't have a 3rd
degree burn on it. Also, if you leave a burner on without a pot on it,
it stops after 1 minute. Same if you leave something to boil and
liquid spills on the cooktop.
- Because the cooktop in itself never gets very hot, spilt food
doesn't burn on it, making it very easy to clean. Mine is spotless
after 6 years, I take about 30 seconds to clean it maybe twice a week.
The only con is : You have to have compatible pots and pans. Which
mean that they must have a totally flat bottom, and they must be
magnetisable (I carry a small fridge magnet in my handbag, if I want
to buy a pan I just put it on the bottom of the pan, if it sticks it's
OK). Note that regular cast iron works very well on it.

Nathalie in Switzerland

I have a smallish induction one burner hotplate (120Volts AC), works
great! But a whole cooktop costs too much at present. Perhaps in a while
the prices will come down, then I'd get a cooktop in a heartbeat. While
the induction unit works very well with very even and fast controlled
heat and is very easy to clean, they cost double or double plus what a
decent electric or gas range unit would cost.

Nathalie how does the magnetic field effect computers? Would it be
possible to have a puter close to one in the kitchen, without messing up
your hard drive, etc? Or is the magnetic field fairly weak about 1 foot
away from the unit? My puter is about 1.5 meters away (thru a wall ) from
where I occassionaly use the induction hotplate and I have no problems,
but a full cooktop might have a different/larger field arrangement.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:23:15 GMT, Hahabogus <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Nathalie how does the magnetic field effect computers? Would it be
possible to have a puter close to one in the kitchen, without messing up
your hard drive, etc? Or is the magnetic field fairly weak about 1 foot
away from the unit? My puter is about 1.5 meters away (thru a wall ) from
where I occassionaly use the induction hotplate and I have no problems,
but a full cooktop might have a different/larger field arrangement.

Hmmmm.... I don't know. Will ask my SO, he's sure to know. I do know
that some friends of mine have their induction cooktop quite close to
the cat door. It's one of those doors activated by the chip in the
cat's collar. Well, when their cooktop is on, the cat door clicks
open, shut, open, shut,.... But then, that's because it's a magnetic
lock.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Edwin Pawlowski said:

Induction uses a magnetic field to generate heat. You need a metal pan for
it to work.
http://www.selectappliance.com/exec/ce-tidbits/induction

And a "metal pan" I guess is the perfect description of a carbon steel
wok. Thanks for the link and all the suggestions from everyone. Now,
a little more research is in order . . . whatever that means.

Quoted message said:

Nathalie Chiva <[email hidden]> wrote:

Thank you, Nathalie and again to everyone. My only concern about
induction (besides missing the rush of flames around the wok) is
whether a round-bottomed traditional wok has enough contact area for
it to work properly. I'll do a little more searching. Or better, yet
find someone who has one and who will let me give it a try.

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:57:34 GMT, [email hidden]

(TheAlligator) said:

Quoted message said:

Nathalie Chiva <[email hidden]> wrote:

Thank you, Nathalie and again to everyone. My only concern about
induction (besides missing the rush of flames around the wok) is
whether a round-bottomed traditional wok has enough contact area for
it to work properly. I'll do a little more searching. Or better, yet
find someone who has one and who will let me give it a try.

No no no. Round-bottomed won't work on induction, period - the bottom
*must* be flat. A round bottomed wok won't even stand properly on the
cooktop! Sorry!

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie Chiva said:

No no no. Round-bottomed won't work on induction, period - the bottom
*must* be flat. A round bottomed wok won't even stand properly on the
cooktop! Sorry!

Didn't think it might. Thanks for the help. I'll think of something.
Actually, the old propane burner is great for the wok - it's just not
convenient. I don't use anything that runs off a 20 lb tank in the
house, although I have resorted to cooking with it in the shed or
garage when the power is out. Maybe the suggestion about getting a
real propane tank is a good one to look into. Now, where to bury it.
Course, I could just get a flat wok, but somehow that seems perverted
.. . .old school, you know.

TheAlligator said:

Nathalie Chiva <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No no no. Round-bottomed won't work on induction, period - the

bottom

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

*must* be flat. A round bottomed wok won't even stand properly on

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cooktop! Sorry!

Quoted message said:

Didn't think it might.

Absolutely untrue... the pan shape doesn't mean a whit with induction
cooking, one of it's beauties... it's called "induction" for a reason.
As long as the pan is magnetic and placed within reasonably close
proximity to the induction coil it will cook. Btw, there are single
element induction units specfically made for [supporting] round bottom
woks... some can even be built into a countertop... they are expensive,
but for someone who does a lot of woking it sure beats needing to have
a flame thrower gas burner in a residential kitchen.

Sheldon

Sheldon said:

As long as the pan is magnetic and placed within reasonably close
proximity to the induction coil it will cook. Btw, there are single
element induction units specfically made for [supporting] round bottom
woks...

I really didn't know this at all. Thanks, I'll do some looking
around. Yeah, I know it'll be fairly expensive, but I could seriously
live with only a wok and nothing else . . . except for something to do
the pinto beans in. The new low-fat diet ( 'cause of a medical
condition) has seriously changed my food life. I call it the
anti-Atkins diet. Low salt, low fat, high carb and limited protein.
I haven't touch any form of fast food in almost a year. That change
alone has had amazing results.