I know there are special induction units for heating a wok. They're very
expensive. Is there a way a conventional induction cooktop can be made
to work? Special wok with a partially flat bottom? Or are there adapters
for woks like those sold for use on gas/electric stoves?

Jason
--
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On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:45:55 GMT, Jason >
wrote:

>. They're very
>expensive

I am positive you have a reason trying to fix something that was never
broke......????

In article >,
says...
> On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:45:55 GMT, Jason >
> wrote:
>
> >. They're very
> >expensive
>
> I am positive you have a reason trying to fix something that was never
> broke......????
>
>
>
Huh?
--
reverse my name in email address

"Jason" > wrote in message
.. .
>I know there are special induction units for heating a wok. They're very
> expensive. Is there a way a conventional induction cooktop can be made
> to work? Special wok with a partially flat bottom? Or are there adapters
> for woks like those sold for use on gas/electric stoves?

Make a small hot fire with coals like woks are really used. No adapters
needed.

In article >,
Jason > wrote:

> I know there are special induction units for heating a wok. They're very
> expensive. Is there a way a conventional induction cooktop can be made
> to work? Special wok with a partially flat bottom? Or are there adapters
> for woks like those sold for use on gas/electric stoves?

you'll need to get a plug in the wlal outlet style electric wok. These
are not as good as real woks over gas, but I don't think you can get a
wok for an induction element. I may be wrong, but I did a little
hunting on the net and came up cold (sorry, couldn't resist).

jt

On 2007-08-25, Jason > wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>> On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:45:55 GMT, Jason >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >. They're very
>> >expensive
>>
>> I am positive you have a reason trying to fix something that was never
>> broke......????
>>
>>
> Huh?

He is criticizing your choice of induction, on the premise that
traditional gas or electric cooktops are not broken. Similarly, there
is nothing broken about horse-drawn carriage technology, but these
days we pretty much all drive horseless carriages. In the future we
will all telecommute into detailed virtual reality offices, and
eventually be reduced to direct-wired brains floating in vats of
synthetic nutritive solution. It is right around that time that
induction cooktops will have finally shown up in the majority of
kitchens, I suspect.

There are lots of things "broken" about gas, such as the waste heat
and toxic combustion products released into your home environment,
necessitating a powerful exhaust hood if you care about such things.
Also there is the additional risk of fire, burns, and even explosions
if something goes very wrong with your gas lines. Which is not to say
that induction is without dangers, but, well, there are certainly
arguments in its favor.

But to get back to your original question -- you can find flat-bottom
works pretty easily, and so long as they are ferrous, this should work
on induction. It will have slightly different heating characteristics
than cooking with a wok over gas flame, or the traditional
fire/smouldering coals, as less heat will travel up the sides of the
wok. However, you may be able to use this to your advantage with some
adjustments to cooking technique.

--
Randall

In article >, usenet8189
@wonderclown.com says...
> On 2007-08-25, Jason > wrote:
> > In article >,

> > Huh?
>
> He is criticizing your choice of induction, on the premise that
> traditional gas or electric cooktops are not broken.

Granted. We have a gas cooktop now (with an exhaust hood). It is
adequate, but we wish the burners were hotter.

> There are lots of things "broken" about gas

....

Agreed. The ability to very quickly change the temperature is its best
attribute.

> ... you can find flat-bottom
> works pretty easily

In fact (blush) I have one - and ferrous at that! I'd forgotten. I
understand that induction heating won't be "real," in the traditional
sense, but neither is using it with a weak gas burner as we do now.

Thanks for your response, Randall.

Jason

PS - I also posted about potential RFI troubles with induction cooktops.
I'm slowly convincing myself that there aren't any, since they are very
widely used in Europe where many people listen to shortwave radio. If
cooktops were a problem I would think I could find that mentioned and
have not unless I'm not framing the queries properly.


--
reverse my name in email address

On 2007-08-25, Jason > wrote:
[...]
> PS - I also posted about potential RFI troubles with induction cooktops.
> I'm slowly convincing myself that there aren't any, since they are very
> widely used in Europe where many people listen to shortwave radio. If
> cooktops were a problem I would think I could find that mentioned and
> have not unless I'm not framing the queries properly.


I don't actually have an induction cooktop yet (though I covet one),
so I can't offer you my experience. However, I can suggest that there
are small freestanding (just plug into the wall outlet) countertop
units that are quite inexpensive (around $100-$200), and yet they pack
quite a lot of power. I might be worth giving one of those a try
before you invest in an expensive built-in unit, to get an idea of how
it will work. Sunpentown seems to be the most readily available
brand. When you're done with it, keep it as a spare or sell it on
eBay. Or give it to me!

--
Randall

I use my wok with the wok ring on my electric burners all the time. They
work just as well as when I go over to my girlfriend's place and use her gas
range. Either way, it's not as good as a commercial range with super high
heat, but it's what most consumers have. And I have a round-bottomed wok,
since I think flat-bottomed ones are pointless -- might as well just use a
large sautee or sauce pan.

In the wok ring my wok sits about 1cm above the electric element and gets
just as hot as with my girlfriend's gas burners.

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:01:07 -0700, "Zippy P" > wrote:

>I use my wok with the wok ring on my electric burners all the time. They
>work just as well as when I go over to my girlfriend's place and use her gas
>range. Either way, it's not as good as a commercial range with super high
>heat, but it's what most consumers have.


It would be interesting to know if any 'Wok' induction hobs exist
(i.e. shaped to fit.).

I've been doing a little research (well, some months ago) about
getting a Wok burner that would heat to 'proper' Wok temperatures,
without much success. The 'Wok' burners that you typically get as the
fifth burner on a hob put out about 3-5 Kw in power, versus about
18-20 for a commercial unit.

>
> I don't actually have an induction cooktop yet (though I covet one),
> so I can't offer you my experience. However, I can suggest that there
> are small freestanding (just plug into the wall outlet) countertop
> units that are quite inexpensive (around $100-$200), and yet they pack
> quite a lot of power. I might be worth giving one of those a try
> before you invest in an expensive built-in unit, to get an idea of how
> it will work. Sunpentown seems to be the most readily available
> brand. When you're done with it, keep it as a spare or sell it on
> eBay. Or give it to me!
>
> --
> Randall

That's exactly what I did while trying to decide on a cooktop. I ended up
buying two. Now that I have my range, I still use them outside to cook
stock or any other long cooking food where a slow-cooker would not be
appropriate.

Keep it if you buy one in case your range doesn't work for some reason.
Dee Dee