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Jean B.[_1_]

wrote:
> I grew up in a house with gas, and recall the oocasional neighborhood
> explosions fondly. Come to think of it, we had one a mile or so from
> here last year... 8
>
> My brother had a high-end gas cooktop installed in his new house in
> Dallas a couple of years ago, and I looked forward to trying it. I was
> sorely disappointed in its performance, by comparison to the recent
> glass cooktops I'm used to.
>
> I've been through four induction hobs in the last year, and still have
> -- and use -- two of them. For efficiency in heat transfer and keeping
> the kitchen cool, they just can't be beaten. But I still haven't found
> one that satisfies all my requirements:
>
> 1. Has an automatic shut-off *with at least a 30-second delay*. It is
> mighty inconvenient when you move a pan slightly, or pic kit up to
> flip or shake, and the hob shuts off, and you have to run through the
> temperature or level setting sequence again.
>
> 2. Has either user-settable or perfectly chosen temperature settings:
> on at 150 or less, one just below boiling water, one just above
> boiling water, and then every 50 (or better yet 25) degrees F up from
> there. Some of these hobs settings are just too coarse, particularly
> at the low end. I must have 150, 200, and 225.
>
> 3. Transmits energy over a selectable area (diameter), akin to glass
> cooktop burners with selectable 6", 9", and 12" diameters. Every hob
> I've seen actually energizes in a circle no large than about six
> inches, which is just too small for sauteeing. The result, even on the
> best aluminum core induction-ready pans I've found, is uneven heating.
> (Maybe someone some day will produce serious induction-ready copper
> core cookware -- not the AllClad joke line -- that will help here.)
>
> 4. Has a top inscribed with sufficient marking to insure any pan is
> centered on the burner. This could be a large number of concentric
> circles, or simply two orthogonal lines extending all the way to the
> border of the surface. ( I have yet to find a cooktop of any type, not
> just induction, with adequate markings.)
>
> So ultimately, I'd want a glass cooktop with two induction elements
> and two radiant elements, with all the features above. I'm not holding
> my breath... 8
>
> -- Larry
> .

Well that last (2 induction elements and two radiant elements) is
what I have. It would be great if it was higher-powered, but this
is an old, feeble unit.

You bring up some good issues, which I will try to keep in mind.
Which cooktops have you tried and found wanting?

Thanks!

--
Jean B.