Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)

This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust
how much light is output from the bulb.

The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.

Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite
awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off
for a little amount of time.

With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on.
Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....

Hello, Bill!
You wrote on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:03:35 -0800:

B> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where
B> you can adjust how much light is output from the bulb.

B> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on
B> and off.

B> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while,
B> then off for quite awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner"
B> is on for a long time, then off for a little amount of time.

I don't know if such "variable" ranges exist but the off and on
process seems to work OK if the response is fast as it seems to
be on my stove. I wonder how variable heat would work, not I
hope like the dimmer on my outside lights that kills fluorescent
bulbs on the same circuit!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

In article >, "James Silverton" <not.jim.siverton.at.comcast.not> wrote:
>Hello, Bill!
>You wrote on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:03:35 -0800:
>
> B> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where
> B> you can adjust how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> B> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on
> B> and off.

Bit like a switching power supply in fact? :-)
[I suspect the sort of thing you're after, given the currents
involved, would require a pretty substantial variable transformer.]

> B> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while,
> B> then off for quite awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner"
> B> is on for a long time, then off for a little amount of time.
>
>I don't know if such "variable" ranges exist but the off and on
>process seems to work OK if the response is fast as it seems to
>be on my stove. I wonder how variable heat would work, not I
>hope like the dimmer on my outside lights that kills fluorescent
>bulbs on the same circuit!

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

On Feb 12, 12:03 pm, "Bill" > wrote:
> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust
> how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite
> awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off
> for a little amount of time.
>
> With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on.
> Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....

Our rough and ready electric cooking range seems to work well enough.
It has two larger and two smaller elements on top. Each 'burner' has
one of those rotary thermal controls. They last a long time; we have
rarely replaced one.
Also the usual top and bottom elements in the oven controlled by the
clock/timer and a thermostat.
Seems to be no problem setting any element to Full, or Low or anything
in between.
I think you are correct; but it would require a thermostatic control
for each element'. More complicated, more wiring and more expensive.
Do not see the practical need. Cooking requires attention in any case;
something as simple as sliding a pan off centre of a 'burner' (hob)
can slightly alter the cooking and improve/ruin an omelet!

In article >,
says...
> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust
> how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite
> awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off
> for a little amount of time.
>
> With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on.
> Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....
>
>
>

Why do you want this? The on/off technique works just fine in my
experience. The thermal mass of the burner and the pan even things out.
For example, when I am simmering a soup on low, the soup simmers at an
even, constant rate even though the element is on for 2 seconds then off
for 10 (more or less).

Microwave ovens work the same way, although I have some vague
recollection that some fancy models have variable power.

--
Peter Aitken

"Peter A" wrote in message
>
> Why do you want this?
>

Well I installed a woodstove and tried cooking on it. I cooked eggs and
noticed they came out perfect!

When I cook eggs on my electric range, they will tend to stick to the bottom
of the pan or overheat / underheat.

Anyway the difference between cooking on the woodstove and on my electric
range is amazing! The difference of course is the "steady heat" of the wood
stove as opposed to the "on/off" heat of the electric range.

And of course I don't have my woodstove fired up in the summer....

I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? No real cooking can
be done on them.

--
Steve Barker


"Bill" > wrote in message
...
> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can
> adjust how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for
> quite awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time,
> then off for a little amount of time.
>
> With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and
> on. Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....
>
>

"Steve Barker" > wrote in message
...
>I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
>amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? No real cooking
>can be done on them.
>
> --
> Steve Barker


Bullshit. Who told you to say that?

Hello, JoeSpareBedroom!
You wrote on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:27:24 GMT:

J> "Steve Barker" > wrote in
J> message
...
??>> I think the main question here is why would anyone who
??>> does any serious amount of cooking want an electric range
??>> to begin with? No real cooking can be done on them.
??>>
??>> --
??>> Steve Barker

You probably have noticed the massive cross-posting on this
topic: a pretty good troll indicator, IMHO!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

I think you're jumping to conclusions. I doubt it's any variation
in heat that's making the difference.

Bill wrote:
> "Peter A" wrote in message
>> Why do you want this?
>>
>
> Well I installed a woodstove and tried cooking on it. I cooked eggs and
> noticed they came out perfect!
>
> When I cook eggs on my electric range, they will tend to stick to the bottom
> of the pan or overheat / underheat.
>
> Anyway the difference between cooking on the woodstove and on my electric
> range is amazing! The difference of course is the "steady heat" of the wood
> stove as opposed to the "on/off" heat of the electric range.
>
> And of course I don't have my woodstove fired up in the summer....
>
>

"Bill" > wrote

> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)

If you're talking about the stovetop, perhaps a diffuser would help
your situation if you can't find what you're looking for.

nancy

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:11:05 -0500, "James Silverton"
<not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not> wrote:

> I wonder how variable heat would work, not I
>hope like the dimmer on my outside lights that kills fluorescent
>bulbs on the same circuit!

Same circuit or switch leg?

Lou

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:22:38 -0600, "Steve Barker"
> wrote:

>I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
>amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? No real cooking can
>be done on them.

Nonsense. Maybe 50 years ago, but today electric smoothtops have
just as much heat and control as gas.

Lou

Hello, Lou!
You wrote on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:45:19 GMT:

??>> I wonder how variable heat would work, not I
??>> hope like the dimmer on my outside lights that kills
??>> fluorescent bulbs on the same circuit!

LD> Same circuit or switch leg?

In the case of the bulb killer, it's the same circuit and
doesn't affect adjacent circuits but I wonder whether a "dimmer"
on the massive amperage stove circuit might affect others.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

On Feb 12, 10:03?am, "Bill" > wrote:
> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust
> how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite
> awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off
> for a little amount of time.
>
> With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on.
> Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....

Electric cook tops do not cycle on and off, only the oven does because
it is thermostatically controlled, exactly the same as with gas
ovens. I don't think you understand your own question... I think what
you want is an electric cooktop with a constantly varible control
rather than with preset detents as most all incorporate, but such a
system would serve no purpose because you cannot visually interpolate
the heat setting directly as one can with an open flame... having
preset detents makes more sense with electric cooking. If you really
want constant variable control buy an inexpensive electric hot
plate... perhaps buy an electric fry pan... or get a gas stove.

Sheldon

On Feb 12, 11:48�am, Lou Decruss > wrote:
> On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:22:38 -0600, "Steve Barker"
>
> > wrote:
> >I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
> >amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? *No real cooking can
> >be done on them.
>
> today electric smoothtops have just as much control as gas.

Bullshit. Who told you to say that?

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha . . . .

Sheldon

On Feb 12, 11:45?am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> "Bill" > wrote
>
> > Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> > select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> > temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> If you're talking about the stovetop, perhaps a diffuser would help
> your situation if you can't find what you're looking for.

Electric cooktops maintain constant heat (as do gas), Electric element
cooktops are just not instantly responsive. If one wants the best of
both worlds they need to consider induction cooking, but will also
amplify the worst of both worlds. All things considered, for
precision cooking nothing to date beats gas.

Sheldon

On Feb 12, 12:06 pm, "Sheldon" > wrote:
> On Feb 12, 10:03?am, "Bill" > wrote:
>
> > Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> > select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> > temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> > This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust
> > how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> > The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> > Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite
> > awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off
> > for a little amount of time.
>
> > With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on.
> > Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....
>
> Electric cook tops do not cycle on and off, only the oven does because
> it is thermostatically controlled, exactly the same as with gas
> ovens.


Of course they cycle on and off, that's how they control the amount of
heat. What do you think they use, a big resistor?





I don't think you understand your own question... I think what
> you want is an electric cooktop with a constantly varible control
> rather than with preset detents as most all incorporate, but such a
> system would serve no purpose because you cannot visually interpolate
> the heat setting directly as one can with an open flame... having
> preset detents makes more sense with electric cooking.

I understood his question. What he wants is an electric range
element that produces a more uniform and more constant heat, as
opposed to cycling on and off for many secs at a time. I too
question how important that is, but that's what he wants. And not
all electric ranges have detent settings. My Jenn-Aire has a smooth,
constantly variable control. But the element behaves exactly as he
describes, going on and off for many secs at a time, depending on how
high the setting is.





If you really
> want constant variable control buy an inexpensive electric hot
> plate... perhaps buy an electric fry pan... or get a gas stove.

I'm not sure an electric hot plate or electric fry pan behaves any
different. I think they all apply full current to the heating
element, and just cycle in on or off for varying duty cycles. What
he wants could be done with that approach, but requires varying the
duty cycle on cycles of very short duration.



>
> Sheldon

In article >,
says...
>
> I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
> amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? No real cooking can
> be done on them.
>
>

Absolute drivel. Anyone who cannot figure out how to use an electric
range for any and all cooking is a feeble-minded nitwit. See
http://www.pgacon.com/KitchenMyths.htm (scroll down to "Gas stoves are
better than electric").

--
Peter Aitken

In article >, "James
Silverton" <not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not> says...
> You probably have noticed the massive cross-posting on this
> topic: a pretty good troll indicator, IMHO!
>

You are right - I had not noticed, I should pay more attention to this!

--
Peter Aitken

In rec.food.cooking wrote:
> On Feb 12, 12:06 pm, "Sheldon" > wrote:
> >
> > Electric cook tops do not cycle on and off, only the oven does because
> > it is thermostatically controlled, exactly the same as with gas
> > ovens.

> Of course they cycle on and off, that's how they control the amount of
> heat. What do you think they use, a big resistor?

Yes, of course they do. Sheldon is making up crap because
he doesn't really know how electrical appliances work.

> I don't think you understand your own question... I think what
> > you want is an electric cooktop with a constantly varible control
> > rather than with preset detents as most all incorporate, but such a

More nonsense. Most of the electric cooktops I've encountered had
continuously variable settings, with perhaps a detent for highest and
lowest, but they still cycle the heating element full-on/full-off
with overall heat being controlled by the duty cycle.

> If you really
> > want constant variable control buy an inexpensive electric hot
> > plate... perhaps buy an electric fry pan... or get a gas stove.

> I'm not sure an electric hot plate or electric fry pan behaves any
> different. I think they all apply full current to the heating
> element, and just cycle in on or off for varying duty cycles. What
> he wants could be done with that approach, but requires varying the
> duty cycle on cycles of very short duration.

Exactly right. I think what the OP might want to look at is
an inductive cooktop. Expensive, and I'm not sure how they
achieve their variable heat settings, it may just be a duty cycle
switching type of control also, but they are supposed to have
very steady heat control.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

On Feb 12, 10:03 am, "Bill" > wrote:
> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust
> how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite
> awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off
> for a little amount of time.
>
> With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on.
> Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....

Please read it thru -

So it seems! that with a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is
constant. If you want to adjust the heat -- , say, if you could even
begin to calibrate it in your own mind, let alone in actuality -- from
a heat setting to 1.2 to 1.4, you would be hard pressed to judge how
much heat you had added to get it that .2 degrees. You could very well
overshoot and not have that .2 change. I always wonder if the gas
coming out is indeed a constant at any rate. But be that as it may:

My electric range has adjustment increments: 1; 1.2; 1.4; 1.6; 1.8 and
so on up thru 10. If I adjust it from 1.2 to 1.4, the element will
come on long enough to get it to 1.4. Mere seconds? I don't know. But
I'll bet the higher heat isn't ON as long as it might be mis-
calculated if you turned up the gas-burner knob.

The problem for you it seems to me is that you don't like the burner
coming on to catch up when it is falling from 1.2 to 1.0.
I think if you have an electric range that is fine-tuned in the tenths
degree you will find that these catch-up/heat-up times make such a
small as to be unnoticeable difference.

I know -- I was worried about it myself. I considered gas for that
very reason, but I am satisfied that this is the ticket!
Dee

Lou Decruss wrote:
> On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:22:38 -0600, "Steve Barker"
> > wrote:

>>I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
>>amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? No real cooking can
>>be done on them.

> Nonsense. Maybe 50 years ago, but today electric smoothtops have
> just as much heat and control as gas.

There's an element of truth to it. Unless you use an induction element,
you cannot turn an electric element *down* quickly...it takes some time
for the heat in the element to dissipate.

Also, commercial-grade gas ranges have heat outputs that far exceed
electric ranges (and indeed most residential gas ranges). This can be
useful for some types of cooking.

Chris

In article >, Peter A > writes:
> In article >,
> says...
>> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
>> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
>> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>>
> Why do you want this? The on/off technique works just fine in my
> experience. The thermal mass of the burner and the pan even things out.
> For example, when I am simmering a soup on low, the soup simmers at an
> even, constant rate even though the element is on for 2 seconds then off
> for 10 (more or less).

I'm with the OP. I was just commenting that this kind of thing would
be nice to my husband yesterday as I was making our week's dinners. We have a
****-poor glass-topped electric stove. We think it's crappy because it might
be low-watt, but don't know for sure. It can't boil a gallon of water unless
it's tightly lidded, and even then it takes over a half an hour.
Last weekend, I was making a roux, and I really noticed how poor it is
there too. I had trouble getting the correct temp to cook the roux - it cooked
fine while the burner was on, but all cooking stopped when the burner cycled
off. We HATE the thing.

- Sharon
"Gravity... is a harsh mistress!"

"Sharon" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Peter A
> > writes:
>> In article >,
>> says...
>>> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
>>> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
>>> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>>>
>> Why do you want this? The on/off technique works just fine in my
>> experience. The thermal mass of the burner and the pan even things out.
>> For example, when I am simmering a soup on low, the soup simmers at an
>> even, constant rate even though the element is on for 2 seconds then off
>> for 10 (more or less).
>
> I'm with the OP. I was just commenting that this kind of thing would
> be nice to my husband yesterday as I was making our week's dinners. We
> have a
> ****-poor glass-topped electric stove. We think it's crappy because it
> might
> be low-watt, but don't know for sure. It can't boil a gallon of water
> unless
> it's tightly lidded, and even then it takes over a half an hour.
> Last weekend, I was making a roux, and I really noticed how poor it is
> there too. I had trouble getting the correct temp to cook the roux - it
> cooked
> fine while the burner was on, but all cooking stopped when the burner
> cycled
> off. We HATE the thing.
>
> - Sharon
> "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!"


You cannot compare a crappy glass top stove with a well designed electric
open-coil stove. That's like saying you like a certain shampoo better than
you like the size of the glove box in your car.

On Feb 12, 2:58 pm, Chris Friesen > wrote:
> Lou Decruss wrote:
> > On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:22:38 -0600, "Steve Barker"
> > > wrote:
> >>I think the main question here is why would anyone who does any serious
> >>amount of cooking want an electric range to begin with? No real cooking can
> >>be done on them.
> > Nonsense. Maybe 50 years ago, but today electric smoothtops have
> > just as much heat and control as gas.
>
> There's an element of truth to it. Unless you use an induction element,
> you cannot turn an electric element *down* quickly...it takes some time
> for the heat in the element to dissipate.

> Chris

I bought two Berghof induction units, and like them. As far as
turning down an induction element quickly, the induction plate/element
still holds the heat from the pan, while it is being turned down. I
have not tried the induction by turning it from a 10 to a 1 to see how
long it takes to stop boiling; vs. turning the range unit from a 10
to a 1 to see how long it will take to stop boiling.
>From cooking with both, but neither one for a loooooong time, I would
say the induction takes less time to stop boiling.
However, this was not the question, I realize, as the OP's emphasis is
on creating a invariable/non-variable heat.
Dee

In article >,
says...
> In article >, Peter A > writes:
> > In article >,
> > says...
> >> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> >> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> >> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
> >>
> > Why do you want this? The on/off technique works just fine in my
> > experience. The thermal mass of the burner and the pan even things out.
> > For example, when I am simmering a soup on low, the soup simmers at an
> > even, constant rate even though the element is on for 2 seconds then off
> > for 10 (more or less).
>
> I'm with the OP. I was just commenting that this kind of thing would
> be nice to my husband yesterday as I was making our week's dinners. We have a
> ****-poor glass-topped electric stove. We think it's crappy because it might
> be low-watt, but don't know for sure. It can't boil a gallon of water unless
> it's tightly lidded, and even then it takes over a half an hour.
> Last weekend, I was making a roux, and I really noticed how poor it is
> there too. I had trouble getting the correct temp to cook the roux - it cooked
> fine while the burner was on, but all cooking stopped when the burner cycled
> off. We HATE the thing.
>

Sounds awful, but it has nothing to do with it being electric. A decent
electric stove will boil water faster than a gas stove and is usually
superior at low-heat cooking. Time for a replacement maybe?

"Bill" > writes:

>Well I installed a woodstove and tried cooking on it. I cooked eggs and
>noticed they came out perfect!

>When I cook eggs on my electric range, they will tend to stick to the bottom
>of the pan or overheat / underheat.

>Anyway the difference between cooking on the woodstove and on my electric
>range is amazing! The difference of course is the "steady heat" of the wood
>stove as opposed to the "on/off" heat of the electric range.

There are many possible explanations for this. Perhaps you just pay
more attention when cooking on the woodstove. Perhaps the large flat
iron cooking surface of the wood stove heats your pan more evenly than a
coil element on the electric stove. Or maybe the cyclic temperature
variations do matter. You haven't provided any evidence for the latter
explanation.

It would be interesting to measure the amount of temperature swing at
the surface of your electric element as the element cycles on and off.
Then measure it on the inside surface of the pan. I'll bet the
temperature range is not very large.

Dave

"Dave Martindale" > wrote in message
...
> "Bill" > writes:
>
>>Well I installed a woodstove and tried cooking on it. I cooked eggs and
>>noticed they came out perfect!
>
>>When I cook eggs on my electric range, they will tend to stick to the
>>bottom
>>of the pan or overheat / underheat.
>
>>Anyway the difference between cooking on the woodstove and on my electric
>>range is amazing! The difference of course is the "steady heat" of the
>>wood
>>stove as opposed to the "on/off" heat of the electric range.
>
> There are many possible explanations for this. Perhaps you just pay
> more attention when cooking on the woodstove. Perhaps the large flat
> iron cooking surface of the wood stove heats your pan more evenly than a
> coil element on the electric stove. Or maybe the cyclic temperature
> variations do matter. You haven't provided any evidence for the latter
> explanation.
>
> It would be interesting to measure the amount of temperature swing at
> the surface of your electric element as the element cycles on and off.
> Then measure it on the inside surface of the pan. I'll bet the
> temperature range is not very large.
>
> Dave


Coming to conclusions while missing 90% of the pertinent information is a
great American pastime, apparently.

Peter A wrote:
[snip]
> Microwave ovens work the same way, although I have some vague
> recollection that some fancy models have variable power.
>
Panasonic does.

--
Jean B.

Lou Decruss wrote:
> Nonsense. Maybe 50 years ago, but today electric smoothtops have
> just as much heat and control as gas.
>
> Lou

They'd have to be considerably better than mine is! Granted,
mine is ca 7 years old....

--
Jean B.

Sharon wrote:
> I'm with the OP. I was just commenting that this kind of thing would
> be nice to my husband yesterday as I was making our week's dinners. We have a
> ****-poor glass-topped electric stove. We think it's crappy because it might
> be low-watt, but don't know for sure. It can't boil a gallon of water unless
> it's tightly lidded, and even then it takes over a half an hour.
> Last weekend, I was making a roux, and I really noticed how poor it is
> there too. I had trouble getting the correct temp to cook the roux - it cooked
> fine while the burner was on, but all cooking stopped when the burner cycled
> off. We HATE the thing.
>
> - Sharon
> "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!"

OMG! Yours sounds even worse than mine!!!!
--
Jean B.

Jean B. wrote:
> Peter A wrote: [snip]
>> Microwave ovens work the same way, although I have some vague
>> recollection that some fancy models have variable power.
>>
> Panasonic does.

The only modern microwave I've had is my present US$100 (hardly fancy)
Panasonic.[1] So I'm used to being able to control the power. I
figured that was pretty much the norm. It's not?

[1]Okay, $120 -- but only because I got the stainless steel model.


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

"Bill" > wrote in message
...
> Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you
> select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain
> temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)
>
> This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can
> adjust how much light is output from the bulb.
>
> The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.
>
> Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for
> quite awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time,
> then off for a little amount of time.
>
> With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and
> on. Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....
>


I've had numerous electric stoves over the years and the elements don't go
on and off on any of them. They already use a "dimmer switch." The heat is
constant at whatever setting you put the dial.

I had one stove that had an element that was thermostatically controlled and
it did vary the heat. But it didn't just go off and on, as the temp of the
food came up the element would lower the heat output to maintain the temp.
I still miss that stove, it also had an oven and a half.

Ms P

In article >,
lid says...
> > Peter A wrote: [snip]
> >> Microwave ovens work the same way, although I have some vague
> >> recollection that some fancy models have variable power.
> >>
> > Panasonic does.
>
> The only modern microwave I've had is my present US$100 (hardly fancy)
> Panasonic.[1] So I'm used to being able to control the power. I
> figured that was pretty much the norm. It's not?
>
>

You miss my point. All microwaves have variable power but they achieve
it by turning the power on and off. Thus, 50% power is 5 seconds on (at
100% power) then 5 seconds off, repeated. I was wondering if there is a
unit that achieves variable power by reducing the microwave output and
having it on continuously - 50% would be 50% power on all the time.
--
Peter Aitken

wrote:

>
> Exactly right. I think what the OP might want to look at is
> an inductive cooktop. Expensive, and I'm not sure how they
> achieve their variable heat settings, it may just be a duty cycle
> switching type of control also, but they are supposed to have
> very steady heat control.

The very few experiences I have had with induction cook tops showed me
that they have an on/off duty cycle that controls the heat production.

Matthew

--
I'm a contractor. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?

Peter A wrote:
> In article >,
> lid says...
>> > Peter A wrote: [snip]
>> >> Microwave ovens work the same way, although I have some vague
>> >> recollection that some fancy models have variable power.
>> >>
>> > Panasonic does.
>>
>> The only modern microwave I've had is my present US$100 (hardly fancy)
>> Panasonic.[1] So I'm used to being able to control the power. I
>> figured that was pretty much the norm. It's not?
>>
> You miss my point. All microwaves have variable power but they achieve
> it by turning the power on and off. Thus, 50% power is 5 seconds on (at
> 100% power) then 5 seconds off, repeated. I was wondering if there is a
> unit that achieves variable power by reducing the microwave output and
> having it on continuously - 50% would be 50% power on all the time.

Oh. I figured that's what mine did. I didn't know about on/off cycling
as "variable power'.


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

> wrote in message ...

>
> Exactly right. I think what the OP might want to look at is
> an inductive cooktop.

What the OP "wants" to look at are his cooking habits. Every stove will have
quirks, and there are people who will notice none of those quirks and always
want to buy something else. Cooking involves a certain amount of attention.
The only way around it is a restaurant.

On Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:13:12 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
> wrote:

>"Dave Martindale" > wrote in message
...
>> "Bill" > writes:
>>
>>>Well I installed a woodstove and tried cooking on it. I cooked eggs and
>>>noticed they came out perfect!
>>
>>>When I cook eggs on my electric range, they will tend to stick to the
>>>bottom
>>>of the pan or overheat / underheat.
>>
>>>Anyway the difference between cooking on the woodstove and on my electric
>>>range is amazing! The difference of course is the "steady heat" of the
>>>wood
>>>stove as opposed to the "on/off" heat of the electric range.
>>
>> There are many possible explanations for this. Perhaps you just pay
>> more attention when cooking on the woodstove. Perhaps the large flat
>> iron cooking surface of the wood stove heats your pan more evenly than a
>> coil element on the electric stove. Or maybe the cyclic temperature
>> variations do matter. You haven't provided any evidence for the latter
>> explanation.
>>
>> It would be interesting to measure the amount of temperature swing at
>> the surface of your electric element as the element cycles on and off.
>> Then measure it on the inside surface of the pan. I'll bet the
>> temperature range is not very large.
>>
>> Dave
>
>
>Coming to conclusions while missing 90% of the pertinent information is a
>great American pastime, apparently.
>

That's normal. It's a lot easier to ignore 90% or more of what you
heard, and make up stuff to fill the gap.

"ms_peacock" > wrote:
> I've had numerous electric stoves over the years and the elements don't go
> on and off on any of them. They already use a "dimmer switch." The heat
> is constant at whatever setting you put the dial.
>
> I had one stove that had an element that was thermostatically controlled
> and it did vary the heat. But it didn't just go off and on, as the temp
> of the food came up the element would lower the heat output to maintain
> the temp. I still miss that stove, it also had an oven and a half.

In reality, those electric stoves were going on and off the whole time, and
you never noticed! If you have a very quiet kitchen and you listen very
carefully, you can hear the switch turn the burner off and on. The "dimmer
switch" is adjusting how long the "on" time is versus the "off" time. The
owner's manual on my 1982 GE electric range even mentioned the noise the
switch made in the troubleshooting section, to put to rest the minds of
people who noticed the sound.

Even dimmer switches for lights are in a way turning the light on and off to
adjust the light intensity. The dimmer switch is varying the amount of time
the light bulb filament is turned on versus turned off. Only it is happening
60 times a second versus every several seconds as on an electric stove
burner. The principle is basically the same, but on dimmers the controls are
solid state electronics, while on a stove burner the controls are
mechanical. It would be costly to make a solid state electronic control to
handle the power required for a surface burner. Most light dimmers are 300
watts capacity. A surface burner is about 2,500 watts.

This cycling of the burner is different than thermostatic control. What it
is doing is keeping the burner on for a percentage of the total time, giving
a proportional heat output, regardless of how hot the pan ends up getting.
There are thermostatically controlled surface burners out there, but they
are not that common.