Way back in the mid-nineties we used Justin's employee discount at Sears to buy an already discounted induction cooktop. We couldn't even use it when we bought it because we didn't have our own place yet. It wasn't until December 1996 that we bought a condo and installed it. We enjoyed four lovely years of induction cooking. I haven't used it since December 2000 when we moved from the condo. It has travelled with us through six moves since then. The long awaited day of its re-enlistment into active duty arrived this weekend. Was it still intact? Was it going to fit into the hole where the ugly, ancient electric cooktop sat? Was it still going to work once it was hooked up? Yes, Yes (with a little help from a reciprocating saw), and Yes.
YES! My precious is back.
An induction cooktop produces a magnetic field which causes the electrons in a ferrous pan to vibrate. The vibrations produce heat causing the pan, and in turn its contents, to become hot. The heat is instant like a gas cooktop yet the heat is uniformly even over the cooking surface. And the heat is instant, so, unlike an electric cooktop, I can move a pan from one burner to another without losing any cooking time.
I can't tell you how much I have missed this particular appliance over the years. Now that its back its even better than I remember. It looks a little rough around the edges--the paint on the control panel is chipped in spots and even a little rusty--but I can live with that. Kenmore still carries parts for it, so, we can restore it to its original beauty. And in the meantime it beats the heck out of the eyesore it replaced as far as aesthetics go. In fact, there is no comparison (aesthetically or culinarily.)
Click here to see the newer induction cooktops available at Sears and here is a article on induction cooking.
Bon Appétit!
Jen