I have just take delivery of an induction hob after years of cooking by gas, so far very impressed at the speed of heating when on top power. When Turning down the power setting it seems as if the heat is delivered in pulses - the lower the heat setting then the longer between each pulse of power, is this normal with induction hobs?
Induction hob question
- Thread starter Royc
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Thank you for the response, perhaps I have not described it very well - when I have a pan of water with greens or the like just simmering you can just see the bubbles as if it was just boiling but the bubbles stop and after so long you hear a click (depending on the power setting) and the bubbles start again, it is as if the power comes on every x number of seconds when on a low power setting. It does not happen on full or near full power. This is no problem as such and it all works fine but I was just wondering if this was normal or if there was a problem with the unit.
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It is how all electric or induction hobs control temperature as far as i know. The heat setting just controls the length of the time the hob is pulsed on.
Don
Presumably it would be some form of PWM system, but the operating frequency should be high enough that you wouldn't notice I would have thought?
Oh, that's odd. I've never experienced that with ours. On low heats it just seems to be a constant power. But even if it isn't, and it does go on and off, it isn't to an extent where it is noticeable.
Not sure if mine is extremely cheap or not but it cost £600
This is exactly how mine works. You get the an on or off state for the heating elements, but a variable time between pulses, with full power being essentially constant heat.
It heats up fine - it's the cooling down that takes an age, so you have to anticipate where it's going to be. God do I miss gas
It heats up fine - it's the cooling down that takes an age, so you have to anticipate where it's going to be. God do I miss gas
Soldato
It heats up fine - it's the cooling down that takes an age, so you have to anticipate where it's going to be. God do I miss gas
Unless I've read wrong, I thought induction hobs were the best for fine tuning exact power, and because of the way it works, the power output change is immediate?
Don
You tend to only have 10 or so power output levels on induction hobs, with gas, you can effectively control continuously between 0 and 100%.
Apologies for dredging this up from the depths, but I've got to say that most of the experiences in this thread don't ring true with my own when it comes to induction hobs.
Firstly, there shouldn't be any 'pulsing' evident. The heat should be quick, even and constant - it's more like using gas than using an electric cooker. Secondly, you shouldn't be getting an audible 'click' from the hob - a slight buzzing from the pans perhaps, but nothing audible from the innards of the hob itself.
And lastly, you should be able to have full power - or any degree of power for that matter - to multiple rings at the same time without having to compromise on the output.
Induction cooking should be near-instantaneous, progressive heat with none of the drawbacks that some people seem to be experiencing. I've got no idea why you all seem to be having trouble, but it would be interesting to see who has which model from which manufacturer.
There shouldn't be any real issue with either, if I'm honest.
Firstly, there shouldn't be any 'pulsing' evident. The heat should be quick, even and constant - it's more like using gas than using an electric cooker. Secondly, you shouldn't be getting an audible 'click' from the hob - a slight buzzing from the pans perhaps, but nothing audible from the innards of the hob itself.
And lastly, you should be able to have full power - or any degree of power for that matter - to multiple rings at the same time without having to compromise on the output.
Induction cooking should be near-instantaneous, progressive heat with none of the drawbacks that some people seem to be experiencing. I've got no idea why you all seem to be having trouble, but it would be interesting to see who has which model from which manufacturer.
That does seem to depend on the hob's controller itself. Some are set with levels, like an electric hob, where some have a more variable control that a gas hob.
There shouldn't be any real issue with either, if I'm honest.
Caporegime
Ours doesn't do that, or at least not that we've ever come across in the past two years. On low power settings it's constant low power, and on high power settings it's constant high power.
I do believe some models operate in the way OP is describing, though.
I do believe some models operate in the way OP is describing, though.