ᐅ Planning kitchen appliances: How to approach it. The market is overwhelming.

I don’t really understand the issues either, but I have to admit that I also use a 90cm (36 inches) induction cooktop with 11kW / 5 zones.
So the size would definitely be right for me, although I’m not entirely sure about the power rating. The individual cooking zones deliver 3200 or 3700 watts (center) with the boost function, so you can see that even 3x boost is the maximum, leaving not much power for the other two zones. I’ve only occasionally used the boost on 2 zones at the same time, for example when you have several pots with a lot of hot water. Otherwise—especially for frying pans—that’s really too much power (unless you have unsuitable pans or pots that warm up slowly, but in that case you should replace them, not the stove). The pans heat up so quickly, even at a few levels below full power, you barely have time to be ready to start cooking the meat—so odors aren’t really an issue when cooking in an organized way. I also find it hard to imagine a stronger boost function, because the power/heat at the bottom of the pot is so high that the water practically boils immediately and can’t circulate any faster, so more power would only cause problems.
Apart from that, I have to say the cooktop electronics cool down quite well for me, since you can draw almost full power for some time, at least long enough until everything boils and you have to turn it down anyway. Apparently that’s not a problem (referring to the post about the 7.5kW cooktop).

daniels87 schrieb:
I apologize. My comment was inappropriate and arrogant.

Not many do that, respect. For me, that settles it.

daniels87 schrieb:
because the effect occurs with aluminum as well and primarily depends on the frequency. So it has to do with the cooktop being modulated at a high frequency.

Yes. But due to the lack of magnetism, aluminum cannot create an asymmetry in the excitation field that shifts the field more toward the pot. Thermal effects caused by hysteresis are also absent. It is simply not a suitable material for the functional requirements of an induction cooktop.

daniels87 schrieb:
No, a pan with a "good" base leads to higher utilization of the cooktop at the same setting. I can demonstrate this with measurements over the weekend.

I assume you really can, so: what is the reasoning? My knowledge of electrical engineering is only basic—I have always considered an induction cooktop simply as a transformer with the excitation coil as the primary and the pot/pan as the secondary coil without a load.

daniels87 schrieb:
And it obviously makes a difference whether I use a 26cm (10 inch) pot with a lid or sear food for several minutes in a 40cm (16 inch) pan with a lot of contents.

The difference in the cookware itself is undoubtedly clear—on the same cooking zone, both receive different magnetic fields due to their different base areas. But heat content from the lid or the amount of food certainly does not influence the power output in kilowatts that the cooktop delivers—only the total energy in kilowatt-hours.

One thing remains my opinion despite this clarification: that you can (or even have to) operate a pan for several minutes on boost mode on one cooking zone seems odd to me because it contradicts my experience. I still don’t see the fundamental necessity for it. But in the end, it’s a matter of personal preference, and such preferences are not up for debate.

I would definitely be very interested in how much power a cooktop draws on the "Boost" setting. As I mentioned a few days ago, I assume it is significantly less than the maximum power stated in the datasheet. I do have a Fluke clamp meter, but no suitable measurement point for the individual conductor, otherwise I would measure it myself. If you measure it, please let us know.

chand1986 schrieb:


I’m assuming you really understand this, so: What’s the reasoning? My electrical knowledge is only basic—I’ve so far thought of an induction cooktop simply as a transformer, with the excitation coil as the primary and the pot or pan as the secondary coil without a load.

The principle of conservation of energy. If the energy isn’t converted into heat (for example, with aluminum), then it simply isn’t converted at all, so little or no current flows. The same happens with the current in a transformer without a load on the secondary side—basically, nothing.

Knallkörper schrieb:
I would definitely be very interested to know how much power a cooktop draws on “Boost.” As I mentioned a few days ago, I rather expect it to be significantly less than the maximum power stated in the datasheet. I do have a Fluke clamp meter, but no suitable measurement point for the individual conductor, otherwise I would measure it myself. If you measure it, please let us know.

Calculate it using a thermometer and a defined amount of water. Heat the water from the starting temperature up to 95°C (203°F) and record the time. Then you can calculate the amount of energy that has actually been transferred to the water.

The power section of an induction cooktop cannot be compared to a transformer. It is a resonant circuit, or a resonance converter. The IGBTs only supply the amount of energy taken from the resonant circuit. When a pan is placed on the cooktop, the resonant circuit is damped, causing the power that needs to be supplied to increase.