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by yurishimo 917 days ago
"True" foodies are largely being converted to induction, albeit they sometimes drastically overpay for it [0]. The control is better than gas on all but the cheapest of models, and indoor air quality is dramatically better. Nobody wants to pay to heat outside in the winter, but if you don't crack a window or turn on the venthood, you're sucking in tons of CO2.

0: https://www.sousvidetools.com/eu/thepolysciencecontrol-freak... ($1500~)

2 comments

Induction is very convenient, and is better for some stuff, but overall isn't as good as it doesn't heat the pan as evenly -- how much of a problem that is depends on the pan -- or allow you to move the pan as much.

In particular if you want to cook with a wok, gas is much better.

That particular overpriced product is truly excellent. Njori tried, and utterly failed, to compete. Impulse Labs is working on something.
Sure, it is a good product, but for most cooks, I would argue it’s absolute overkill. Even skilled chefs likely don’t need that much control for “creative” cooking, though I can easily accept an argument for consistency in a commercial/professional kitchen.
I don't see it as being about more control. I see it as being about easier and more consistent control.

If I want to saute some onions, I can set it to 300F and focus on the onions. With a stove that controls power instead of temperature, I need to pay attention to how done the onions are as well as how hot the pan seems to be so I can adjust it. With a slowly-responding stove like an electric radiant stove, this is unpleasant.

This is an especially big deal when using a nonstick pan. A temperature-controlled stove is pretty good at automatically avoiding overheating it.