This entry was posted on Monday, February 12th, 2007 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Luxury Gifts, Luxury Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
The Cooktop that Cannot be Ignored
I am seasoned enough to have had more than a few stoves and cooktops in my cooking life. There have been the ones I hate (Frigidaire’s electric/glass cooktop, for example) because they have no self control—and allow little from me. Favorites have included a great big commercial Garland with six burners, large oven, a salamander and a spacious grill.
Those were the days!
But the hands down favorite cooktop of my life was an induction model we had in the mountains. It looked like a typical black glass electric cooktop, but the similarities ended there. To everyone’s delight, it would bring water to a rolling boil in a flash, and the water would stop its movement immediately when the power was shut off. The cooking surface remained cool (except from reflected heat of the pan), and control over cooking temperature was perfect. It was even better than gas ranges.
This morning, I discovered that the difficult-to-find induction cooktop is in the news. Reading about PATH’s selection of the Top Ten Technologies for the Housing Industry in 2007, it was a thrill to see the induction stovetop make the grade.
And it’s about time. The induction cooktop is not only a superior cooking surface compared to all others (my opinion), it also achieves power savings of 40 to 70 percent compared to conventional stovetops.
How does this technology work? According to the Induction Site
Induction is a third method, completely different from all other cooking technologies– it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel, it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat.
I have already started shopping online, and my early choice would be the Viking 36” All Induction Pro Series Cooktop. It seems to offer the most burners, and is manufactured by a great American name.
It may not be the most beautiful appliance in the modern kitchen, but for cooking precision and easy clean-up, it can’t be beat. Soap and water can dispense with most cooking spills, because the surface doesn’t get hot enough to burn these messes into the surface.
It’s a great cooking appliance for cooks who love speed, precision, and energy savings—but hate clean-ups!
For other fun luxury home appliance and improvement reading, see:
Switchable Mirror Glass Windows
Sonos: The Expandable Sound System
Wine Storage for Oenophiles
Haute Refrigerators for Cool Kitchens
A Hummer for the Links or Estate?
The Venetian Plaster Master
February 13th, 2007 at 7:02 am
Roberta, sounds like a great stove…now if only I cooked. But then again it looks nice! Congrats on reaching the “60″ mark. I shall strive to get there someday.
February 18th, 2007 at 11:26 am
We have had the GE induction cooktop for over 13 years and never had a problem with it.
February 18th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Gena: It is a terrific cooktop. See? Even Sellsius agrees! As for that “score?” Easy come, easy go. But, if we were to start chatting about Howard Stern and Anna Nicole–or Brittney Spears shaved head, our blog scores would surely increase!
jf: Our experience was the same. I wish we were still cooking with it now.
February 21st, 2007 at 8:49 am
[...] H/T: Luxury Home Digest (a blog by Roberta Murphy, dedicated to the luxurious niche. A must read.) [...]
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:21 am
[...] The Virginia blogosphere’s own Jim Bacon will be speaking at the Economic Opportunity Luncheon on 6 March at 11:30. The speech is titled: A Train Wreck for the 21st Century — Why Virginia Transportation Policy is Running off the Rails. Mark your calendars and get your tickets here. Top 10 Technologies for the Housing industry in 2007. (hat tip: Luxury Home Digest) [...]
March 8th, 2007 at 8:24 am
[...] Luxury Home Digest:Â One of the best luxury cooktops around that will not be ignored [...]
May 24th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Heavy duty built-in induction cooktop engineered for use in commercial kitchens and restaurants. It is a perfect choice for professional chefs. Drop-in design, single cooking zone (burner); Heavy duty electronic components; Extra fans on control box for heat exhausting.
June 19th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I have never heard about induction cooking until now. I can’t wait to find one in a house I am selling and tell my clients all about it. Thanks for sharing.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Heidi: We had a GE Induction Cooktop in our last home and it was an all time favorite. Induction cooks at least as fast as gas (and is just as controllable), the cooktop is very easy to clean, and it cools down very quickly.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Martin: We acquired our first GE induction stove top in 1992. I still miss it–but would be even more interested in your 36″ Miele!
Thanks for stopping by–
Roberta
April 17th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
[...] Induction-Cooktop for the Luxury Kitchen [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 9:44 am
We remodeled our kitchen, and we got a Bosch induction cooktop. It is the best decision I have ever made. Wish we chose to do it sooner.
http://www.bosch-appliances.ca
July 25th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I love induction cooktops…..they are so easy to clean, fast to cool down, and look very sleek and stylish.