I hate to start this topic again, but there are new faces, new
opinions and hopefully new technologies. Several years ago and
against my better judgement, we bought an all-electric home. I will
never get used to heat that feels like air conditioning and I'm about
to give up on food. Standard ribbon burner electric ranges are such a
cruel joke. I do a lot of cooking in a plain old carbon-steel wok.
In good weather, I resort to using a propane-fired burner outdoors.
Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
in an electric range? Induction is out of the question. Are there
any particular types that will be more compatible with the old wok?
Is halogen a good selection or would radiant be better? I know none
of them are that great, but I'm pretty much out of options. Thanks in
advance for your opinions.

"TheAlligator" > wrote in message
> Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
> in an electric range?

It may be very easy to have propane installed and get a gas range. I did
that many years ago and I'm very happy with it. We spend about $85 a year
for the fuel and they deliver once a year.

"TheAlligator" > wrote in message
...
>I hate to start this topic again, but there are new faces, new
> opinions and hopefully new technologies. Several years ago and
> against my better judgement, we bought an all-electric home. I will
> never get used to heat that feels like air conditioning and I'm about
> to give up on food. Standard ribbon burner electric ranges are such a
> cruel joke. I do a lot of cooking in a plain old carbon-steel wok.
> In good weather, I resort to using a propane-fired burner outdoors.
> Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
> in an electric range? Induction is out of the question. Are there
> any particular types that will be more compatible with the old wok?
> Is halogen a good selection or would radiant be better? I know none
> of them are that great, but I'm pretty much out of options. Thanks in
> advance for your opinions.

We have used a flat top electric for five years and like it a lot. With any
electric range, the "trick" to wok cooking is to get a flat botom wok and
set it directly on the element. Having it positioned above the element on a
ring never works at all - you need the direct contact to get the heat you
need for proper wok cooking. To turn the heat down instantly, slide the wok
off the element. Electric is never as good as gas for wokkery, but with this
method you can get excellent results.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
om...
>
> "TheAlligator" > wrote in message
>> Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
>> in an electric range?
>
> It may be very easy to have propane installed and get a gas range. I did
> that many years ago and I'm very happy with it. We spend about $85 a
> year for the fuel and they deliver once a year.
>

That's a good option. We have an electric range but has a single burner wok
hob installed with a propane tank. Works quite well.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 16:05:14 GMT,
(TheAlligator) wrote:

>I hate to start this topic again, but there are new faces, new
>opinions and hopefully new technologies. Several years ago and
>against my better judgement, we bought an all-electric home. I will
>never get used to heat that feels like air conditioning and I'm about
>to give up on food. Standard ribbon burner electric ranges are such a
>cruel joke. I do a lot of cooking in a plain old carbon-steel wok.
>In good weather, I resort to using a propane-fired burner outdoors.
>Now on to my question. What are your opinions of the best alternative
>in an electric range? Induction is out of the question. Are there
>any particular types that will be more compatible with the old wok?
>Is halogen a good selection or would radiant be better? I know none
>of them are that great, but I'm pretty much out of options. Thanks in
>advance for your opinions.

Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
anything else.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Nathalie Chiva" > wrote in
message
>
> Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
> on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
> induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
> anything else.
>
> Nathalie in Switzerland

Induction has not taken off yet in the US. Expensive, limited option, the
need for certain cookware.
>

Interesting.....what's induction?

TJ

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 23:16:01 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>
>"Nathalie Chiva" > wrote in
>message
>>
>> Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
>> on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
>> induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
>> anything else.
>>
>> Nathalie in Switzerland
>
>Induction has not taken off yet in the US. Expensive, limited option, the
>need for certain cookware.
>>
>

Nathalie Chiva > wrote:

>Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
>on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
>induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
>anything else.
>
>Nathalie in Switzerland
>
Nathalie, could you elaborate on this, if you have the time? In the
US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

"TheAlligator" wrote:

> In the US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
> guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
> time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
> maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
> perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

At http://www.mingspantry.com/comsooncookm.html there's a discussion about a
specific induction wok unit. It gives a general description of how it works.

(Speaking of Ming Tsai, I enjoyed watching him beat Bobby Flay on "Iron Chef
America" Sunday night.)

Bob

"TJ" > wrote in message
...
>
> Interesting.....what's induction?
>
> TJ

Induction uses a magnetic field to generate heat. You need a metal pan for
it to work.
http://www.selectappliance.com/exec/...bits/induction

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 08:46:26 -0500, TJ
> wrote:

>
> Interesting.....what's induction?
>
Scroll down to "How does an Induction Cooktop Work?"
http://stuweb.ee.mtu.edu/~mtromble/i.../cooktops.html


sf

On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:47:58 GMT,
(TheAlligator) wrote:

>Nathalie Chiva > wrote:
>
>>Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
>>on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
>>induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
>>anything else.
>>
>>Nathalie in Switzerland
>>
>Nathalie, could you elaborate on this, if you have the time? In the
>US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
>guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
>time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
>maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
>perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?

Sure.
Induction works using a magnetic field to generate heat. On top of the
induction elements, you have a standard ceramic glass cooktop.
The pros a
- It's *very* powerful
- It's the most economical cooktop, energy-wise - I've seen gas listed
at 30 to 50% efficiency, normal electric plates at 60%, induction at
90%.
- Like gas, it reacts immediately to a change of setting
- You can simmer and cook as slow as you want - I've made zabaglione
on it without a water bath with no problem, which is totally
impossible with any other cooktop
- Because the heat is in the pot or pan itself, it's very safe - the
cootop itself gets a little hot by contact, but you can't have a 3rd
degree burn on it. Also, if you leave a burner on without a pot on it,
it stops after 1 minute. Same if you leave something to boil and
liquid spills on the cooktop.
- Because the cooktop in itself never gets very hot, spilt food
doesn't burn on it, making it very easy to clean. Mine is spotless
after 6 years, I take about 30 seconds to clean it maybe twice a week.
The only con is : You have to have compatible pots and pans. Which
mean that they must have a totally flat bottom, and they must be
magnetisable (I carry a small fridge magnet in my handbag, if I want
to buy a pan I just put it on the bottom of the pan, if it sticks it's
OK). Note that regular cast iron works very well on it.

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie Chiva > wrote in
:

> On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:47:58 GMT,
> (TheAlligator) wrote:
>
> >Nathalie Chiva > wrote:
> >
> >>Why is induction out of the question? I've cooked on gas, I've cooked
> >>on several types of electrical ranges, but since I cook with
> >>induction, I'm in heaven. If I have a choice, I'll never go back to
> >>anything else.
> >>
> >>Nathalie in Switzerland
> >>
> >Nathalie, could you elaborate on this, if you have the time? In the
> >US, I have only seen single-burner countertop induction units. I
> >guess, being fairly igonrant of the technology involved, I have a hard
> >time believing this would work well with a wok. Come to think of it,
> >maybe purchasing one of these single-"burner" units would be the
> >perfect thing for wok cooking. Any comments?
>
> Sure.
> Induction works using a magnetic field to generate heat. On top of the
> induction elements, you have a standard ceramic glass cooktop.
> The pros a
> - It's *very* powerful
> - It's the most economical cooktop, energy-wise - I've seen gas listed
> at 30 to 50% efficiency, normal electric plates at 60%, induction at
> 90%.
> - Like gas, it reacts immediately to a change of setting
> - You can simmer and cook as slow as you want - I've made zabaglione
> on it without a water bath with no problem, which is totally
> impossible with any other cooktop
> - Because the heat is in the pot or pan itself, it's very safe - the
> cootop itself gets a little hot by contact, but you can't have a 3rd
> degree burn on it. Also, if you leave a burner on without a pot on it,
> it stops after 1 minute. Same if you leave something to boil and
> liquid spills on the cooktop.
> - Because the cooktop in itself never gets very hot, spilt food
> doesn't burn on it, making it very easy to clean. Mine is spotless
> after 6 years, I take about 30 seconds to clean it maybe twice a week.
> The only con is : You have to have compatible pots and pans. Which
> mean that they must have a totally flat bottom, and they must be
> magnetisable (I carry a small fridge magnet in my handbag, if I want
> to buy a pan I just put it on the bottom of the pan, if it sticks it's
> OK). Note that regular cast iron works very well on it.
>
> Nathalie in Switzerland
>
>

I have a smallish induction one burner hotplate (120Volts AC), works
great! But a whole cooktop costs too much at present. Perhaps in a while
the prices will come down, then I'd get a cooktop in a heartbeat. While
the induction unit works very well with very even and fast controlled
heat and is very easy to clean, they cost double or double plus what a
decent electric or gas range unit would cost.

Nathalie how does the magnetic field effect computers? Would it be
possible to have a puter close to one in the kitchen, without messing up
your hard drive, etc? Or is the magnetic field fairly weak about 1 foot
away from the unit? My puter is about 1.5 meters away (thru a wall ) from
where I occassionaly use the induction hotplate and I have no problems,
but a full cooktop might have a different/larger field arrangement.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 12:23:15 GMT, Hahabogus >
wrote:


>Nathalie how does the magnetic field effect computers? Would it be
>possible to have a puter close to one in the kitchen, without messing up
>your hard drive, etc? Or is the magnetic field fairly weak about 1 foot
>away from the unit? My puter is about 1.5 meters away (thru a wall ) from
>where I occassionaly use the induction hotplate and I have no problems,
>but a full cooktop might have a different/larger field arrangement.

Hmmmm.... I don't know. Will ask my SO, he's sure to know. I do know
that some friends of mine have their induction cooktop quite close to
the cat door. It's one of those doors activated by the chip in the
cat's collar. Well, when their cooktop is on, the cat door clicks
open, shut, open, shut,.... But then, that's because it's a magnetic
lock.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:
>Induction uses a magnetic field to generate heat. You need a metal pan for
>it to work.
>http://www.selectappliance.com/exec/...bits/induction
And a "metal pan" I guess is the perfect description of a carbon steel
wok. Thanks for the link and all the suggestions from everyone. Now,
a little more research is in order . . . whatever that means.

>Nathalie Chiva > wrote:
Thank you, Nathalie and again to everyone. My only concern about
induction (besides missing the rush of flames around the wok) is
whether a round-bottomed traditional wok has enough contact area for
it to work properly. I'll do a little more searching. Or better, yet
find someone who has one and who will let me give it a try.

On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:57:34 GMT,
(TheAlligator) wrote:

>>Nathalie Chiva > wrote:
>Thank you, Nathalie and again to everyone. My only concern about
>induction (besides missing the rush of flames around the wok) is
>whether a round-bottomed traditional wok has enough contact area for
>it to work properly. I'll do a little more searching. Or better, yet
>find someone who has one and who will let me give it a try.

No no no. Round-bottomed won't work on induction, period - the bottom
*must* be flat. A round bottomed wok won't even stand properly on the
cooktop! Sorry!

Nathalie in Switzerland

Nathalie Chiva > wrote:
>No no no. Round-bottomed won't work on induction, period - the bottom
>*must* be flat. A round bottomed wok won't even stand properly on the
>cooktop! Sorry!
Didn't think it might. Thanks for the help. I'll think of something.
Actually, the old propane burner is great for the wok - it's just not
convenient. I don't use anything that runs off a 20 lb tank in the
house, although I have resorted to cooking with it in the shed or
garage when the power is out. Maybe the suggestion about getting a
real propane tank is a good one to look into. Now, where to bury it.
Course, I could just get a flat wok, but somehow that seems perverted
.. . .old school, you know.

TheAlligator wrote:
> Nathalie Chiva >
wrote:
> >No no no. Round-bottomed won't work on induction, period - the
bottom
> >*must* be flat. A round bottomed wok won't even stand properly on
the
> >cooktop! Sorry!

> Didn't think it might.

Absolutely untrue... the pan shape doesn't mean a whit with induction
cooking, one of it's beauties... it's called "induction" for a reason.
As long as the pan is magnetic and placed within reasonably close
proximity to the induction coil it will cook. Btw, there are single
element induction units specfically made for [supporting] round bottom
woks... some can even be built into a countertop... they are expensive,
but for someone who does a lot of woking it sure beats needing to have
a flame thrower gas burner in a residential kitchen.

Sheldon

"Sheldon" > wrote:
>As long as the pan is magnetic and placed within reasonably close
>proximity to the induction coil it will cook. Btw, there are single
>element induction units specfically made for [supporting] round bottom
>woks...
I really didn't know this at all. Thanks, I'll do some looking
around. Yeah, I know it'll be fairly expensive, but I could seriously
live with only a wok and nothing else . . . except for something to do
the pinto beans in. The new low-fat diet ( 'cause of a medical
condition) has seriously changed my food life. I call it the
anti-Atkins diet. Low salt, low fat, high carb and limited protein.
I haven't touch any form of fast food in almost a year. That change
alone has had amazing results.

TheAlligator wrote:
> "Sheldon" > wrote:
> >As long as the pan is magnetic and placed within reasonably close
> >proximity to the induction coil it will cook. Btw, there are single
> >element induction units specfically made for [supporting] round
bottom
> >woks...
> I really didn't know this at all. Thanks, I'll do some looking
> around. Yeah, I know it'll be fairly expensive, but I could
seriously
> live with only a wok and nothing else . . . except for something to
do
> the pinto beans in. The new low-fat diet ( 'cause of a medical
> condition) has seriously changed my food life. I call it the
> anti-Atkins diet. Low salt, low fat, high carb and limited protein.
> I haven't touch any form of fast food in almost a year. That change
> alone has had amazing results.

http://www.mingspantry.com/comsooncookm.html


(As seen on TV - a Ming favorite) Induction is different than any other
cooking method you have ever seen. Unlike a gas burner or traditional
electric stove, the induction cooktop is 100% incapable of producing
heat. That's right, the cooktop itself produces no heat whatsoever.
When the cooktop is turned on, a coil underneath the surfaces generates
a magnetic field about a third of an inch above the surface of the
glass top. If you place an aluminum pan, glass pot, or even a piece of
paper on the surface - nothing will happen. But, when you place a pan
made of magnetic metal on the glass top, the magnetic field generated
by the cooktop immediately excites the magnetic molecules in the pan
resulting in instant, precise and very controllable heat.
The cooktop's glass-ceramic surface is unaffected by the magnetic field
since it contains no magnetic material. The heat of the pan will warm
the glass; however, the cooktop will remain much cooler to the touch
than other smoothtop surfaces.
Faster - Because energy is directly transferred within the pan metal,
induction heating is extremely fast - even faster than gas.

Safer - With no open flame, red-hot coil or other radiant heat source,
induction is much safer to use than other conventional method.

Cleaner - Because the surface remains cool, a damp sponge cleans the
surface in a breeze - even while you're cooking.

Cooler - The lack of an open flame provides for a much cooler,
work-friendly cooking environment.

Cheaper - Induction cooking is extremely energy efficient. In fact,
90% of every dollar you spend on energy goes right where you want it -
in the pan!



Standard Features:

Portable tabletop design with stainless steel edging, aluminum housing
and control box, heavy duty electronic components, and specially
engineered, high-impact, high-temperature, recessed plastic wok bowl
designed for use in commercial and home kitchens
(Drop - in installed model available with special order - please call
1-888-COOKTEK)


Induction coil surrounds plastic bowl to allow for maximum heating of
induction compatible wok pan

14 inch Wok Pan

Control knob for ease of use and automatic power or temperature control


SmarTempTM Temperature allows for 20 power cook settings

Pan Maximizer feature achieves maximum heating rate of induction
compatible wok pan

Sloped front panel allows for easy viewing and operation.

Microprocessor monitors vital components 120 times per second to check
for overheating, power supply problems, and more. Cooktop shuts off and
displays error codes enabling user to diagnose and fix minor problems

LED display for precise user feedback

Automatic pan detection allows for instant energy transmission to pan,
and no energy use when pan is not present

Automatic shut-off feature prohibits overheating

Easy-to-clean surface

Integral cooling fan keeps internal electronics cool

Available in 1800 Watts (100-120V)

One year limited warranty

Made in the USA

Free Ground Shipping in the Continental United States

Please allow 3 weeks for delivery

Please Note: The Cooktek Induction Wok is shipped UPS ground only in
the continental United States. For shipping to Alaska or Hawaii,
please contact us for exact shipping amount.

This item is not available for Two Day or Next Day shipping.

CookTek MW 1800 Induction Wok with 14 in. price: $799.00

"Sheldon" > wrote:
>cooking method you have ever seen. Unlike a gas burner or traditional
>electric stove, the induction cooktop is 100% incapable of producing
>heat.
<snipped a lot of good stuff>
Wow. Thanks, you did all my research for me. Appreciate the help.

On 3 Feb 2005 08:40:09 -0800, "Sheldon" >
wrote:

>
> Absolutely untrue... the pan shape doesn't mean a whit with induction
> cooking, one of it's beauties... it's called "induction" for a reason.
> As long as the pan is magnetic and placed within reasonably close
> proximity to the induction coil it will cook. Btw, there are single
> element induction units specfically made for [supporting] round bottom
> woks... some can even be built into a countertop... they are expensive,
> but for someone who does a lot of woking it sure beats needing to have
> a flame thrower gas burner in a residential kitchen.

Why not use a flat bottomed wok?

sf