Solid disk vs coil cooktops
Bob Seawright
I'm interested in buying a new cooktop and have been looking at the solid
heating element type vs the standard coil type cooktop. One advantage of
the solid disk is that the surface is sealed - there's no drip pan to
gunk up. On the down side, salespeople tell me that they take longer to heat
up and retain heat much longer. They definately recommend getting a glass
surface vs stainless steel as the stainless variety retain a significant
amount of heat for a long time after turned off.
Does anyone own one of these beasts? Do you like it or do you wish now
that you'd bought a standard cooktop? Is the glass surface easy to clean?
I have had experience with a smooth top (corning type?) cooksurface and
definately didn't like it.
Any personal experiences with this type of cooktop would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Mark Robert Thorson
What if you heat it up to red hot, then dump ice water on it? How
about if it already has little scratches in it from use, when the ice
water hits. If it'll survive all that, I think that sounds like a neat
invention.
P A Stankovich
We have a Kenmore stove with a solid disk and glass top.
I can't really compare it with coil cooktops because I
haven't cooked on one since I left home 10 years ago (since then
we've had gas stoves). It took some adjustment. They do
seem to take a while to heat up. But again, I'm not
sure if it's because of the solid elements or I'm
just spoiled by gas stoves. They are very easy to clean.
You can use regular glass cleaner on the top and they
sell a special product to keep the disks themselves
looking new. It's almost like black shoe polish.
All in all, I think it's a good stove.
References: <5...@secola.Columbia.NCR.COM>
Sanjeev Srivastav
>
>We have a Kenmore stove with a solid disk and glass top.
>All in all, I think it's a good stove.
Sounds like all your cooking is done in flat-bottomed pans ;-)
Using woks on one of these would be quite a pain, wouldn't it?
If they take a while to heat up, I guess they must take a while to cool down
too. So turning off the stove is not enough, you have to take the pot off it
quickly too.
S.
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P A Stankovich
> Using woks on one of these would be quite a pain, wouldn't it?
> If they take a while to heat up, I guess they must take a while to cool down
> too. So turning off the stove is not enough, you have to take the pot off it
> quickly too.
>
> S.
> --
isn't a problem. After a while you can judge when to shut
the burner off and just let the pot finish cooking. It was
a little tricky in the beginning. We were so used to cooking
on gas and just turning everything off without having to
remove the pot. We had quite a few "overdone" dinners
for a while. I guess it's all a matter of what you
are used to.
hui Yu
From my own experience of cooking Chinese food on electric stove, a 4.5 qr.
Dutch oven is the best I have ever used. A wok can never get hot enough and
I do not find any difference between using a flat-bottom wok and a Dutch oven(
for not too much food). One thing I learn in stir-frying Chinese food is to
remove the pot from the heat slightly(sorry, I cannot give a specific time which
varies according the food, the amount, the serving time,...) before the food
is done and add sesame oil, parsley,... then transfer it to serving dish
immediately.
I am a Chinese and have lived in America for almost a decade. Most of the
time I cook for myself, Chinese of course. I lived and ate in the dorm for
a while. Among those "American" food served there, I liked a chicken dish
called "Chicken and Dumplings". Can anyone give me recipes for that? Thanks.
In fact, I know every little about American cooking. Any other recommendation
will be welcome.
C. Hui Yu