Induction hob

[alix101]

Ive been looking at the best way to heat 100l brew length and i came accross the 3kw portable induction hob, has anyone tried this, before i waste more money, they can boil 2 l in 11 seconds and use less energy all seems good if it works!!

[Kev888]

If its like a normal induction hob its 'very' dependent on your pot; some pots with thin bottoms or unhelpful grades/types of metal don't respond well to inductive heating. I don't know for certain but I'd imagine the very thin pots many homebrewers use wouldn't be that great, and if its aluminium probably not much mileage at all. So probably best to check that out before you buy.

Cheers
Kev

[alix101]

You can use stainnless steel pots, but ill check out the grade and if it matters.

[Kev888]

Yep, probably wise. I looked for a pressure cooker some time back and even of those that detailed their hob compatibility, many of the stainless ones didn't claim to be suitable for induction so I guess there must be some attribute needed over and above just being stainless.

Cheers,
Kev

[orlando]

The attribute you are looking for is, does your pot allow magnets to stick to it, as the concept works on magnetic induction. If a magnet sticks to it your in business. One other thing to be aware of is how flat the bottom of the pot is, below a certain surface area some hobs may think it is a small object like keys and the built in safety measures will kick in and not heat. I have one in my kitchen and before hand I cooked with and swore by gas as the best way of cooking. I am now totally sold on these devices the speed, control and efficiency of induction hobs is quite amazing.

One other question to ask your supplier is does the hob have the ability to decide how long it will run for at a given temp (here of course I'm thinking boiling) before again safety measures kick in and turn the hob off.

[sparky Paul]

Apart from the issues selecting suitable vessels, induction hobs are some way short of 100% efficient, even under ideal conditions. Whilst they can be better than other hob types, they will not use less energy than an immersion element - which is virtually 100% efficient.

[alix101]

The one i was looking at cuts out after 2 hrs, and i thought they would preform better than an immersion!!