Isabella

Thanks for inquiring.

I've owned the Induction Hob unit about 2 weeks and I use it many time
during the day.

I've actually removed the front large electric coil from my stove and placed
the unit over the hole. I have limited counter top space so I find that this
works well for me there.

The temperature control ranges from 150 to 400 degrees. The wattage from 400
to 1400. You either have a choice of wattage or temperature -- not both at
the same time. Both start at the high end and by - and + buttons you can
control the setting. I think a better, and safer design, would be to start
at the low end of each range.

Of course, everything is instant. You can stop and start water boiling
instantly by the push of a button.

I like to use parchment paper cut in rounds between the glass of the unit
and the bottom of the pan -- just to protect the glass. Perhaps I don't need
to but I don't want to take the chance of scratching the glass with some old
cast iron.

Boiling cold tap water (2 cups) takes less than 2 minutes. With 1 cup, tiny
bubbles start forming immediately -- and in only seconds the water is
boiling.

Thicker cookware takes longer to heat than thinner cookware.

I have used the timer function and it works well, particularly if I want to
keep something at 150 degrees for a couple of hours -- such as a stew,
vegetable curry, soup, etc.

With the right pan, omelets come out nice. Making a Fritatta with a covered
pan using a lower temperature setting makes for a superior dish.

Sweating (not browning) onions and garlic at the low temperature is a
breeze. You don't have to try and balance the heat -- you know what it is.

Stir fry is also easy.

I am still playing around with it, using it for all types of food; some are
mentioned above.

I had some surprises with cookware. As I mentioned, a Sunpentown Stainless
Steel Covered Stock Pot was NON MAGNETIC yet cooked.
However, it is TOO THIN and has a tendency to turn color (which you can
scrub off with Bon Ami, a sponge and elbow grease) The pot 'pops' and
doesn't heat evenly.
http://www.sunpentown.com/hkstpotwico.html
cheaper at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Sunpentown-Stainless-Steel-Induction-Ready/dp/B0007W03Q2/ref...

However, the Sunpentown Non-Stick Fry Pan w/cover (I recommend the model
with the cover) without the cover it is ~$5 cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/Sunpentown-Induction-Ready-NonStick-Frying-Cover/dp/B000Q96G80/ref...
is a highly useful pan.
By using the temperature setting and keeping it under 400 you don't have to
worry about overheating and causing flaking problems -- which is a big
objection by large groups of people to non-stick pans. I own and like this
fry pan.

Another surprise was that I found that some Nordic Ware pans were highly
magnetic. Most normal kitchenware pots and pans are aluminum which, as you
know, doesn't work on an induction hob. Probably not all Nordic Ware with
meet the magnet test and the Nordic Ware WEB site doesn't indicate
'induction ready' except for these three products:
http://www.nordicware.com/search/do/?q=induction§ion=all

The one I was looking at in a store which was magnetic was a 3.5 Qt Stir Fry
unit.
http://www.nordicware.com/store/products/detail/214B8EC0-7C89-102A-B382-0002B326...

I did not buy it but I wrote Nordic Ware asking about induction cooking,
this pan, and others that may be 'induction ready.'

I only paid $99 for my induction hob at Home Shopping Network
http://kitchen-dining.hsn.com/wolfgang-puck-induction-cooker-with-inductamat_p-3753389_xp...

I have seen other hobs out there for a close price and some that look the
same for $250

The unit has a fan that I can hardly hear. After the first day I have to
listing hard. The fan will run, after you turn the unit off for a minute or
so to cool the interior of the unit. There is no annoyance of the fan at
all.

Would I buy it again -- YES!

Would I buy one that costs $250 -- probably not.

The only drawback that I can see for some people is that when you lift the
pan from the device, the device, not seeing the pan, will turn off -- great
safety feature. But I'm a flipper-tosser with some pans and normally pick up
a pan to flip, toss and mix the ingredients. As I can do this quite fast I
can return the pan to the units surface before the unit turns off -- there
is a several second delay -- and the contents will continue to cook as I
desire. A slower person using this technique might find that the unit would
turn itself off and they would have to press a button to get it going again.
Of course, both of us could leave the pan in place and use wooden or silicon
spatulas to mix and stir the contents.

In my reading, I am finding that induction hobs are used very very
extensively in non-US countries -- but they haven't caught on here as yet.
Of course, being a futurist I will predict that they will, in the near
future. So -- tell your friends about it after you get yours.

I also found a couple of WEB pages through Google searches that are highly
interesting. You may want to visit them for some information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooking
How Induction Cooking Works
http://theinductionsite.com/how-induction-works.shtml
Pros and Cons
http://theinductionsite.com/proandcon.shtml
Induction Cookware
http://theinductionsite.com/induction-cookware.shtml

Highly Technical
http://www.analog.com/library/analogDialogue/archives/42-03/inductive_cooking.ht...

Gary Hayman
Greenbelt, Maryland
http://snipurl.com/GarysWebPages

"Isabella Woodhouse" wrote in message
news:noway-6B15CC.14370225072008@sn-indi.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...