Search the Community

Hi Again, KKers! [i hope this is appropriate for this section of the KK Forum!] So last Saturday, SWMBOI is watching TV and "napping" in the bedroom while I'm Watching baseball on the Big Screen. All of a sudden, at a critical juncture on the ball game (doesn't every interruption happen at some critical point?) SWMBOI comes and switches the TV to an infomercials about the NuWave Induction Cooktop. AAAARRRRGGGHHHH! This had better be dadgummed good! She tell me to watch! SWMBOI knows I've been looking at induction stoves here for the house, but as little as we use a stove, I'll be dipped if I'm spending that kind of money on a new stove. (These things are the newest, latest, and great, but they ARE expensive!) I don't have to be an early adopter. Now I just HATE infomercials with an undying passion. I truly do. I just hate the "But WAIT!, there's more!" Here is this induction cooktop that is only $99 bucks. I've been thinking about getting a propane burner like you see on many breakfast buffets and used to do omelettes. The more I look at this induction thingy the more I think it just might do the deal on the patio next to Beauty! and TheBeast. I copy down the web address and back to the ballgame. I missed the dinger that put my team ahead! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! So later that day, after another ball game I go and log on to the website (which I don't remember, but Google. NuWave Induction Cooktop) and I fall for the "But WAIT! there's more!" O order a couple of these induction cooktops and some pans that SWMBOI wants and they thrown in a veggie steamer/fondue pot. Okay, it's not much money. Something under $200. If SWMBOI is happy, my world is wonderful. So this box shows up on Monday afternoon and I unpack it. These NuWave cooktops are more substantial than I thought they would be and the cookware is of better quality than I had hoped for. It's not All-Clad quality, but not much is. The instructions that came packaged with the unit are very well written and easy to follow. The Quick Start guide is written for idiots like me. Here is picture of the NuWave Induction Cooktop. Temperatures are easily controlled and there are preset temps for Low, Med Low, Med, Med High, High and Sear. There are also preset cooking programs so you can automatically cook something at 350F for an hour and then decrease the temp to simmer for 3 hours. Everything is customizable. I was impressed. So who can screw up breakfast, right? ME! If anyone can screw up breakfast on this NuWave Induction Cooktop, it's Yours Truly. So I'm off to cook breakfast and see what happens. Breakfast wouldn't be breakfast without BACON! Here's bacon frying in the new nonstick pan (it's no supposed to off gas at higher temps like teflon). One shortcoming to this cooktop is that the induction surface measure only about 9" on a surface that is about 12". In a 12" pan, as pictured above, is that the last 1.5" on each side will not get cooked. But for the price, I guess I'm happy. One of the hard things to do is cook a really good sunny-side-up egg after frying bacon. That's because of the residual heat in a lot of stove top heating elements and the pan. Not with this system. There is precious little thermal energy stored in the cooktop itself. I'd say that within a minute, two at the most, temperatures came down so that I could get a nice sunny-side-up egg. Here is a pic of the eggs in the new 12" skillet. Again, because the induction surface doesn't extend to the far edge, no cooking occurs in the last 1.5" all around the cooktop and 12" pan. You can see that in the photo above. The albumin just runs. Lesson: Crack the eggs in the center of the skillet running at a higher temp, or, move the edge of the pan into the induction heating area. That's eventually what I did. As always, here is the plated shot. As you can see I'm using my finest paper china for this inaugural cook! All in all, I'd call this a successful inaugural cook on the NuWave induction Cooktop as witnessed by the next pic. What I would tell each of you is that I'm really impressed with this unit. It does everything it claimed and more. The cookware that I purchased with the unit is pretty good quality. The handles don't feel as good to the hand as does my All-Clad, but that's not that big a deal. The included nonstick pans are also not as heavy as their All-Clad counterparts, but as I think about it, that may be by design. These pans respond quickly to changes in the temperature settings because they don't have all the thermal mass of my All-Clad. There is not much hysteresis when using these pans when used in conjunction with the induction cooktop. Before you go running out to order a NuWave Induction Cooktop and think you're going to use the cookware you already have, take a second and make certain your cookware will work with an induction heater. Simply grab a magnet and try and stick it to the BOTTOM of your cookware. If the magnet sticks firmly and tightly, your cookware will more than likely work quite well with an induction cooktop. If the magnetic attraction is weak, rethink your purchase decision. Finally, a note of caution. Induction cooktops use strong electromagnetic fields. These are generally strongest within about 2-3 feet of the cooktop. Strong electromagnetic fields can impair or completely disrupt the function of a pacemaker. Also, be careful of the jewelry you wear around the inductions cooktops. If any of it is susceptible to electromagnetic radiation, TAKE IT OFF! No sense in getting burned while you cook. This means, rings, watches, bangles, etc. So there it is. I'd buy this NuWave Induction Cooktop again. It's the really deal. Is it perfect? No. but it doesn't cost $15,000 like the unit I was considering for the house. This thing is just very good.