Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I had an el-cheapo GE induction cooktop (portable - 1 "burner") and I absolutely loved it, until it blew up (after several years). It was not at all fussy, and anything magnetic worked fine.

I think this is another case where "improvements" do not at all improve the product. I ask, why for the love of Pete (not you, Pete, just in general), can't I get a friggin' knob for my oven in an appliance that doesn't cost $5,000??? Do people really believe that a thermostat is more precise because the display is digital? I just want to turn a knob, not push endless buttons and hope the touch pad doesn't blow up (it did on my old wall oven).

Drat, now I'm all worked up. Better go eat some bacon.

That is really strange about the cast iron, Fuzzy. I only have an induction burner (to keep from heating up my kitchen in the summer, plus for portability), but it accepts CI, as well as 3 ply, as long as it is magnetic, as with All clad stainless. And there are NS in AC stainless, as well as other induction friendly lines - not something I would buy at that price, since you have to eventually throw NS away, but it does exist.

Maybe it is something to do with the CI being slightly off of the top, due to the ridge around the perimeter of the bottom, thus it "thinks" there is no pan?

I have noticed that my burner boils a gal. of water almost as fast as it boils on my range, but it goes down way lower, so I can simmer on level 2, and level 1 is barely shimmering. Maybe that range you will be working on has a temp. setting, so you can set that, since it has all those buttons?

I agree with you, Darcie, on the electronic aspects of all these appliances. My 26 year old range has never had a problem except with an electric glow starter in the conv. oven (minor problem...easy fix). Yet I am constantly hearing of people with new-fangled things dying out, due to the computer in them failing.

BTW, how was the bacon?

Dave

Dave,

Huh, that makes sense about the cast iron ... I can see that. Esp. since the whole ridge would be outside the burner.

Of course, that kitchen didn't save the manual for the stove, so I have no idea whether there's calibration settings. The stove also has the lovely property that the temp controls are too close to the burners, which means that you can accidentally hit them with the edge of a pan ... and they react, changing the temperature unpredictably.

Overall, though, I have to say that computers and stoves do NOT mix.

We have an old piece of Griswold CI and a newer Wagners pan. Both have smooth bottoms that would contact the burner in the center.

Of course, having made the decision toward MC2 some years ago we'd have to budget for new cookware for general use if we ever got an induction top.