[dw]

I have been planning a house, a very energy efficient house. I have been looking into induction cooktops. Any of you guys or girls have any experience with them?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooktop

http://www.universal-akb.com/36divincookd.html

 

[DRB]

We looked at them for a short time but in the end it was cost that killed it. Plus I was going to need all new cookware.

 

[binary visions]

I saw these while channel surfing one day... There was some home expo show going on and they demonstrated it. I never ended up looking into it further, so I appreciate the links. Very cool idea. Don't set your laptop next to the stove, though

 

[SkaredShtles]

Those do sound cool. Wow, are they expensive, though. I guess if gas isn't available and electricity is expensive it might even make economic sense.

 

[dw]

I've played with them at a hot pot resteraunt that we go to in Taiwan. Never seen one in person in the states. The ones at the hot pot place use a regular steel bowl to cook in. The heat change is almost instant. It is pretty wild. I like the idea of the efficiency, and the few chefs that I have asked about them seem to be totally enamored with this type of stove.

 

[OGRipper]

Heard a bunch about 'em, mostly good, but never used one.

What other cool energy-efficient stuff are you doing?

 

[dw]

Heard a bunch about 'em, mostly good, but never used one.

What other cool energy-efficient stuff are you doing?

I have some "experimental" ideas that I am toying with. I plan to build connected to the grid, but self sufficient. I have a dream of a world with a lessened dependence on fossil fuels, so I am going to try to do something about it. In urban centers it may be tough to eliminate that dependence, but with help from the suburbs it may be possible to make things better.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I have some "experimental" ideas that I am toying with. I plan to build connected to the grid, but self sufficient. I have a dream of a world with a lessened dependence on fossil fuels, so I am going to try to do something about it. In urban centers it may be tough to eliminate that dependence, but with help from the suburbs it may be possible to make things better.

Friggin' hippy.

 

[DamienC]

I have some "experimental" ideas that I am toying with. I plan to build connected to the grid, but self sufficient. I have a dream of a world with a lessened dependence on fossil fuels, so I am going to try to do something about it. In urban centers it may be tough to eliminate that dependence, but with help from the suburbs it may be possible to make things better.

Check out some of the material and literature here:
http://www.nbm.org/Exhibits/greenHouse2/greenHouse.htm

The National Building Museum in DC has a full-scale Glidehouse on display as part of this exhibit through mid-2007. It's a really cool showcase of a lot of innovative technologies and building techniques. If I could find an empty lot inside the Beltway here in the DC-metro area I'd probably build one of these or one of these.

 

[OGRipper]

Sounds like you've got some unique ideas, but check out www.builditgreen.org.

There's a great resource page in there.

 

[dw]

That is awesome, thanks for the links guys. The biggest challenges in my project involve trying to keep the house somewhat "traditional" looking for the area. That includes cedar shingles and a very seaside type new england feel. A lot of the stuff that I am working on revolves around heat intake and management, and a lot of actively controlled passive devices to move heat from areas where it is not needed to areas where it is needed. Also, I want to try to do it all using methods that can be easily reproduced in the future.

Its shaping up to be a heck of a project!

Dave

 

[Nobody]

It figures that YOU would be the one to raise the question of Induction cooking. I've seen it in action once.

I'm an 'organic' cook - that is, primitive is my preference - GAS. That being my bias - what I noticed was that the Induction cook worked methodically and accurately, but without the 'curved space' feel that I get from good chefs working with Gas.

Maybe I'm too 'sloppy' to warm up to hyper-efficient electrics. Hell, I've tossed several Microwaves in the trash - still won't use one for anything except melting chocolate.

But, since you're into the overall efficiency of the cookplace AND the rest of the house, have you looked into an Aga?

info on Aga:

Wiki Article

Aga Home

Put it this way - MOST of the Michelin 3-star chefs prefer Aga in their own homes...

Just a thought.

 

[BMXman]

We looked at them for a short time but in the end it was cost that killed it. Plus I was going to need all new cookware.

I have cooked on them before..It takes some getting used to as the timing is totally different. Here's my thoughts though:

Pros:
Very efficient.
Less chance of injury...important if you have young kids
Speed of cooking is a big plus.
Can be cheaper to operate depending on your location and prices.

Cons:
All new cookware but there's a limited selection. This may not be a big deal depending on how many different styles of cooking you use.
Adapting recipes to adjust to the different cooking times....big time consumer IMO.
Only a few sources if something goes wrong. Less competition means you're going to pay a lot more.

I have to agree with Nobody though I prefer gas because I'm just traditional I guess. Electrics stoves are fvckin evil!! I like your idea of wanting to build a greener enviornment to live in. Post up with how it's all going. I'm really interested in how it turns out as my wife an I as well as my brother-in-law and his wife are trying to do the same....D

 

[blue]

We have a couple at work we use to make soup on...only cons are basically what D said, gotta adjust cooktimes, limited cookware selection, and no one makes the damned things. They are really awesome though. Faster than hell, warms up the huge cast iron pot all at once as opposed to our crappy electric stove...

I don't know who made ours, but it appears to be a really crappy Chinese company with poor translators...

 

[valve bouncer]

We have them here, basically any new house here will have them if they go electric. I was doubtful at first but I'm a hell of a believer now. Worth every cent. Will boil enough water for a cup of tea in about 10 seconds. I'll take a picture if you're interested.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I'll sick with my non energy efficent

 

[Nobody]

We have them here, basically any new house here will have them if they go electric. I was doubtful at first but I'm a hell of a believer now. Worth every cent. Will boil enough water for a cup of tea in about 10 seconds. I'll take a picture if you're interested.

Yes. I'm interested.

Thing is - they make sense, but to re-learn so many techniques scares me silly.

oh, and enough about boiling water - i believe you all. What about pan-searing a steak?

 

[Nobody]

I'll sick with my non energy efficent

pic[/QUOTE]

smart ass.

is that real granite?

 

[Brian HCM#1]

smart ass.

is that real granite?

Yep it is, pretty bitchin hunh:biggrin: I've never seen anything like it. Julie & I probably went to 50+ granite places. I picked this one out, but she wasn't to keen on it at the beginning. it has a lot of variation and movement. Now she likes it.

 

[blue]

You should granite-plate your Yukon, noob.

Nobody - I cooked an egg on it once, worked just as well as a stove and cooked it faster...

 

[chicodude]

I'll sick with my non energy efficent

You are what's wrong with america.

 

[Silver]

Electrics stoves are fvckin evil!!

I have one of those halogen cooktops that I didn't think I would like, but I'm really happy with it. Starting from scratch, I'd probably go gas, but the halogen ones are light years (haha...) ahead of the coil electric stoves (which are indeed evil personified...)

 

[valve bouncer]

Yes. I'm interested.

Thing is - they make sense, but to re-learn so many techniques scares me silly.

oh, and enough about boiling water - i believe you all. What about pan-searing a steak?

Our one is made by National. 2 induction plates and one "normal one". 3 burner stoves or even 2 are normal in Japan. There's a grill in there somewhere. The control panel swings open and you can also control the induction burners by a touch pad on the stove itself. It's pretty cool. Cooks better than gas imho.

 

[binary visions]

Our one is made by National. 2 induction plates and one "normal one". 3 burner stoves or even 2 are normal in Japan. There's a grill in there somewhere. The control panel swings open and you can also control the induction burners by a touch pad on the stove itself. It's pretty cool. Cooks better than gas imho.

It's too bad the control panels are all written in gibberish. Must make it tough to figure out which buttons to push, eh?

 

[dw]

Our one is made by National. 2 induction plates and one "normal one". 3 burner stoves or even 2 are normal in Japan. There's a grill in there somewhere. The control panel swings open and you can also control the induction burners by a touch pad on the stove itself. It's pretty cool. Cooks better than gas imho.

That IS pretty cool! Thanks for sharing!

Dave

 

[valve bouncer]

It's too bad the control panels are all written in gibberish. Must make it tough to figure out which buttons to push, eh?

LOL....my old dear calls it "that heathen tongue".
I can't quite work out all the fnctions. If you look at the first picture closely there's some writing in the upper left corner of the stove. That's the error codes (for want of a better word). No such thing as boiling a pot dry, turns off automatically if things get too hot or levels get too low.
Clean it using aluminium foil and a creme cleanser.

 

[DRB]

Clean it using aluminium foil and a creme cleanser.

How does that clean anything? For God's sake Japan must be the weirdest place in the universe.

 

[valve bouncer]

How does that clean anything? For God's sake Japan must be the weirdest place in the universe.

Try it, works really well. I was just as surprised as you were. Anything that's baked onto glass or ceramic it'll get off but it'll also remove the pattern on ceramic if you go too hard. Quite harsh but effective.

 

[syadasti]

Try it, works really well. I was just as surprised as you were. Anything that's baked onto glass or ceramic it'll get off but it'll also remove the pattern on ceramic if you go too hard. Quite harsh but effective.

Mmm, aluminum residue for extra fast alzheimer action

Something I never knew before today - the British scientist who isolated aluminum wanted to call it aluminum - it really is the original British scientific name:

Word expert Michael Quinlon, who says he "writes about International English from a British viewpoint," notes that in 1807 Humphry Davy proposed the name alumium for the metal Davy was trying to isolate electrolytically from the mineral alumina. In 1812, Davy finally settled on aluminum, [12] which, as other sources note, matches its Latin root. The same year, an anonymous contributor to the Quarterly Review, a British political-literary journal, objected to aluminum and proposed the name aluminium

 

[Nobody]

I have one of those halogen cooktops that I didn't think I would like, but I'm really happy with it. Starting from scratch, I'd probably go gas, but the halogen ones are light years (haha...) ahead of the coil electric stoves (which are indeed evil personified...)

I'm curious about those, too. Any info?

 

[Silver]

I'm curious about those, too. Any info?

Not really. It came with the house

It's got a glass top over some burners that use halogen instead of electric coils, which means that it heats up way faster than the coil ones, and gives you (totally pulled out of my ass guess) 80-90% of the control that gas does.

It's nice because you don't have to scrub the kitchen walls every couple of months, and the cooktop stands up to cast iron skillets very well.

 

[dw]

Here is another intersting page that I found comparing induction and Halogen cooktops. Not a lot of really positive info out there on the Halogens...

http://www.ece.mtu.edu/~mtromble/induction/cooktops.html#work

http://theinductionsite.com/

I was interested in the EMF output, and it seems that they are within safe limits.

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=103867&catId=100447&tid=100008&p=5&title=Test:+Induction+cooktops+(archived)

 

[SkaredShtles]

Here is another intersting page that I found comparing induction and Halogen cooktops. Not a lot of really positive info out there on the Halogens...

http://www.ece.mtu.edu/~mtromble/induction/cooktops.html#work

http://theinductionsite.com/

I was interested in the EMF output, and it seems that they are within safe limits.

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=103867&catId=100447&tid=100008&p=5&title=Test:+Induction+cooktops+(archived)

I presume when they're discussing the "efficiency" of the different types of heat that they're not factoring in the inefficiencies of electrical transmission from source, no? I'd bet that gas would stack up quite a bit better if they did....

Of course, it'd be harder than Hell to quantify that, I suppose.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Here is another intersting page that I found comparing induction and Halogen cooktops. Not a lot of really positive info out there on the Halogens...

http://www.ece.mtu.edu/~mtromble/induction/cooktops.html#work

http://theinductionsite.com/

I was interested in the EMF output, and it seems that they are within safe limits.

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=103867&catId=100447&tid=100008&p=5&title=Test:+Induction+cooktops+(archived)

Halogen suck, they heat up quick, but not when you're cooking, tops scratch really easy if you don't use the right cleaning products, and it's tough to regulate temperature.

 

[Silver]

Halogen suck, they heat up quick, but not when you're cooking, tops scratch really easy if you don't use the right cleaning products, and it's tough to regulate temperature.

Actually, no they don't. I use one every day. See post above...

 

[stosh]

I'll sick with my non energy efficent

Doesn't your wife work for an oil company?

That explains it all!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DaveW]

Halogen suck, they heat up quick, but not when you're cooking, tops scratch really easy if you don't use the right cleaning products, and it's tough to regulate temperature.

And just don't even bother trying to cook with a wok on one.
It was so impossible to use I ended up bying a lil portable propane gas burner to use instead.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Actually, no they don't. I use one every day. See post above...

I'm just going by the several times I used my parents halogen, since then they wised up and went to gas.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Doesn't your wife work for an oil company?

That explains it all!!!!!!!!!!!!

Different company, my wife works for Chevron, not the natural gas company.



Support the huge SUV's & Pick ups!!!!!!! :biggrin:

 

[Nobody]

I'm just going by the several times I used my parents halogen, since then they wised up and went to gas.

I'm just curious because I'm now living in a penthouse [yay] in an older building [boo] that can't use gas [sob].

I guess I'll just have to use generic electric and hope for the best...