On Thu 02 Mar 2006 09:42:32p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Dee
Randall?
>
> "Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
> 28.19...
>> On Thu 02 Mar 2006 07:50:33p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Dee
>> Randall?
>>
>>>
>>> "Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Dee Randall wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Maybe there should be a thread here for smoothtop vs. induction.
>>>>> Boy, oh, boy, I can't figure out what the difference is between
>>>>> smooth top vs. induction. Can you give me some lessons.
>>>>> You can email me if you wish or if you want to
>>>>> post here or separately, no problem. Maybe there are others as
>>>>> clueless as me -- and I'm getting ready to get ready for purchase.
>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>> Dee Dee
>>>>
>>>> Here's a pretty straight forward explanation Dee
>>>>
>>>> http://www.ece.mtu.edu/~mtromble/ind.../cooktops.html
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Steve
>>>
>>> Thanks, Steve, I've been reading a lot and this is pretty
>>> straightforward to me, too. What is confusing to me and I'm going to
>>> have to look out for it in my purchase is for instance, I looked at
>>> maybe 15 of ranges in Sears (different brands), and I assumed that
>>> they were all 'induction,' now I'm not sure what the heck they were.
>>> Now that I know induction, I'm wondering what the heck the other
>>> ranges are that have that smooth look, so I can ask, "Is this
>>> induction, or Is this halogen, or Is this whut! I looked at the GE
>>> online that was referenced and I nothing about what the smooth top
>>> actually is. I can look-see whether it is coil or gas, but the smooth
>>> top without any further description is still beyond me.
>>>
>>> Thanks again,
>>> Dee
>>
>> The vast majority of ranges you see will be neither halogen nor
>> induction. Especially in the US, if a cooktop has either of these
>> technologies, the description and advertising will be prominant.
>> Another measure will be price. Both halogen and, especially, induction
>> will be markedly more expensive than a convention radiant smoothtop
>> range.
>>
>
>> Wayne Boatwright ożo
>
> Damn! No doubt out of my price range. So! then, is there a choice when
> you say, "let me look at your smooth-tops" as to the question to ask,
> "what's the burner-elment underneath"? ceramic, or what? Is there a
> big difference as to the cooking abilities of the different elements?
> Thanks, Wayne,
> Dee
First off, it depends largely on whether you want to buy a full range
(cooktop and oven) or a separate cooktop. I don't know of any domestic US
free-standing ranges that yet have induction elements in the cooktop.
Jenn-Air makes a removable 2-burner unit with halogen elements. Another
manufacturer (I forget which) has 1 halogen element, the remaining 3 being
resistance elements. There may be others, but there won't be many. That
leaves at least 99% of models that have some form of resistant element
under the glass. The two major configurations of those elements are a wire
coil and a ribbon. I don't think there's a measurable performance
difference between the two. One of the main questions you want to ask is
the wattage output of each element on the cooktop.
If you're looking for just a cooktop, then all options are available, and
more than one technology may be included in different elements on the
cooktop. The one least available in the US is an all induction cooktop
and, IME, disproportionately expensive.
Haviang said all that, the halogen and induction technologies are quite
common in European cookers, both in free-standing ranges and in separate
cooktops. They've been using them for years.
I'm not interested in either halogen or induction as the cost is beyond my
means, but I've done considerable research on free-standing ranges. One
model I'm seriously considering is a Kenmore. It has one dual 9"/12"
element, 1 high-output 9" element, 2 6" elements, and a low-output warming
zone. It does not have a bridge element, but I have no need for that.
Here's a link to that model...
http://tinyurl.com/njnvg
--
Wayne Boatwright ożo
____________________
BIOYA