I've had the Avantco for over three years. At its price point, I've been very happy with it. My previous countertop unit used push buttons, and the temp adjustment button failed. The Avantco rotary encoder has been a much better choice in terms of reliability. All of these small induction units have a "hot spot" where the coil is, and require a minimum diameter (magnetic) cooking vessel. My daughter, with young ears, also says she hears an annoying sound when it's on; I don't hear it.

avid wrote:That is exactly how I ended up purchasing my Electrolux all induction slide-in range. Once you try induction there is no going back! Guests are positively blow away at how fast something boils. It also simmers incredibly well. Of course, you know that your cookware has to be appropriate. The check is simple. Does a refrigerator magnet stick to it? If so, you are good to go.

If you don't use pressure cookers in the kitchen that is the next step up in cooking quality and speed.

Agree, we came from a gas stove house, now in a rental with plain electric, so getting used to that was pretty difficult haha! Good news is that we can plan for our next place whatever we want.

BlueWater wrote:I've had the Avantco for over three years. At its price point, I've been very happy with it. My previous countertop unit used push buttons, and the temp adjustment button failed. The Avantco rotary encoder has been a much better choice in terms of reliability. All of these small induction units have a "hot spot" where the coil is, and require a minimum diameter (magnetic) cooking vessel. My daughter, with young ears, also says she hears an annoying sound when it's on; I don't hear it.

Hi Mike, thanks for the info, good stuff! I have been mostly thinking about getting the cheap unit just to boil water for a while, then see how it goes and maybe get something else to use if family like it for cooking. The high pitch noise is an interesting one to keep in mind, will have to see what my daughter thinks.

I use two Cooktek cooktops (made in Chicago).

A double burner Apogee (2x 2500W) and a double standard (2x 3500W).

The Apogee has 100 levels of power (making it about 25W per level). The standard has 20 (so 175W per graduation).

The resolution is excellent on the Apogee. So as an example, when making Soffrito (6 hours cooking time), after sweating the onions, the power is dropped to 11%, and every 120 minutes or so, another % point goes. End up at about 9% when the cooking is done. If I don't want to touch it, I just set it at 10% and let it be. Reduced to 9% when I add the tomatoes at 3 hours.

The standard is excellent for frying, albeit in most cases you won't ever exceed 5/20. The sole exception is boiling water, which for a full pasta pot takes about 10-15 minutes at 3500W.

The downside of this setup is that when we visit friends and have to cook it is extraordinarily painfully slow....

As for noise - these are industrial units and sounded like a wind tunnel. I replaced their fans with low noise computer ones. Did not have a problem with overheating (except twice, when a forgotten pan on the 3500W unit; I have actually delaminated 2 Demeyer pans on the thing...).

Note if you do this - these have enough energy in the circuitry (in the capacitors) to defibrillate and kill - and kill irreversibly too.

AssafL wrote:Note if you do this - these have enough energy in the circuitry (in the capacitors) to defibrillate and kill - and kill irreversibly too.

Good story! I have been thinking I'll need to remember to take off any mechanical watch when working with them...being a powerful electromagnet and all.

I meant for anyone working to replace fans or otherwise open them up.

They will have no effect on a watch. Unless you turn them on and lay your hand with the watch, and the watch has enough ferromagnetic material (unlikely) to allow the oscillator to start.

And if it does start - your wrist will burn quickly.

That said be careful leaving knives on the cooker. It will ruin the forging of blade steel.

avid wrote:That is exactly how I ended up purchasing my Electrolux all induction slide-in range. Once you try induction there is no going back

Agreed!! We went from gas to a GE Induction range 7 years ago. I was tired of the cleanup & igniter issues with our gas range but wanted better response then you get with electric burners.

Probably going to pick up this to try it out:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMCAM2G


But I realized Counter Culture uses this one after looking more into CookTek, definitely like it:
http://www.cooktek.com/product/cooking- ... op-cooktop

When I setup my new kitchen, may put one of those in the coffee area, or this one:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/vollra ... 59501.html

We've got a drop in single burner in our little condo, there's a minimum diameter requirement.
The Moka pot is too small by itself, a tiny kettle would have the same issue.

Couldn't you use one of the induction Interface disks like this:

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/ ... swodg-gOIw

Obviously it wouldn't be ideal but would make it possible to use the induction hob if that was all you had. The whole trick to induction is turning the bottom of the cooking vessel into the burner.

Horrible! The disks usually don't make good contact with the pot, so aren't very efficient. Furthermore, since the heat has to go somewhere it ends up heating the hob itself.

Note that the hob has a fan because it doesn't like heat. A layer of cerglass, and then a heat shield and then spacers to the actual coil - and still needs a fan. So the disks which heat up the hob are not a good idea.

As for size - there are Moka pots made for induction. (Most are aluminum and are not ferromagnetic so won't work with induction). The size itself is less relevant than the amount of steel in the pan base. I can cook with a medium sized steaming pitcher. It can even heat a large chef's knife.

It depends on the design and how sensitive is the oscillator to the permeability of the pot.

As an example, I have a de buyer copper saucepan with an induction base. Both the 3500w and the 2500w can cook on it. However, the 2500w is a lot more stable cooking with it on the mid ranges (like 20-60% heat). The 3500 keeps oscillating at mid level heat.