New Gen Cast Iron

[Michi]

The residual heat you experienced was stored in the pan, not the cooktop.

You are right, me bad!

I suspect it's the lack of an air gap underneath as well. On a gas burner, once I turn off the gas, convection will draw cooler air underneath the pan, making it cool down more quickly.

 

[Luftmensch]

Getting the induction cooktop to go really hot really fast worked well. But getting it to cool down was a bit like my ceramic hot plate cooktop. The cooking surface stores a fair bit of heat so, if I really want something off the heat "right now", I think a gas burner still wins. Once the gas is off, there is very little residual heat to go into the pot.

No...an induction cooktop surface doesn't generate or store any heat.
The residual heat you experienced was stored in the pan, not the cooktop.

I think these are both right.

Induction cook tops need a ferrous material on top of them to generate heat through eddy currents. You can crank up an induction stove and place your hand directly on top of it... But it also makes sense to me that when a pan is placed on the surface, it can conduct heat back into the stove top. The degree to which heat will be absorbed will depend on the quality of the design and materials.

On a gas stove, heat transfer from the pan is mostly through convection (perhaps a little radiation). The surface area for conduction on the trivets is much, much lower.

... like always, it probably depends on the quality of the product being used...

 

[WPerry]

I can only speak for my induction cooktop, but when I turn down the heat it's like slamming on the brakes - I can come down from a boil almost instantaneously, particularly with the clad steel pans.

 

[vicv]

And some of the heat from the pan does make it's it' back to the glass top. It generally isn't bad though but it will absorb some

 

[parbaked]

But it also makes sense to me that when a pan is placed on the surface, it can conduct heat back into the stove top.

And some of the heat from the pan does make it's it' back to the glass top. It generally isn't bad though but it will absorb some

If the induction cooktop gets warm, it is absorbing heat from the pan.
This will reduce, not increase, the heat in the pan.

 

[btbyrd]

I can only speak for my induction cooktop, but when I turn down the heat it's like slamming on the brakes - I can come down from a boil almost instantaneously, particularly with the clad steel pans.

This. Induction is very responsive, comparable to gas.

 

[Luftmensch]

If the induction cooktop gets warm, it is absorbing heat from the pan.
This will reduce, not increase, the heat in the pan.

Absolutely. I am in full agreement - I am just musing on conduction, convection and contact surface area.... Induction can apply heat and turn heat off incredibly quickly in the pan. In the stove, there be a thermal lag that depends on quality of the build. The support material of the stove will absorb heat from the pan during cooking. In doing so, the thermal gradient between the hot pan and the stove top will get smaller. This provides the pan a degree of insulation at the bottom when the inductive heating is turned off.

On the other hand, conducting heat is more effective than convection. So a hot induction stove top might still be better at sucking heat out of a pan than a trivet air gap on gas stoves.


.... I am just spit-balling out loud here! Definitely commenting not from experience. I have only have the pleasure of playing with induction once. Ultimately I would like to own one... apart from the temperature control, it is the greener option...

 

[Hammett]

To bring this back to cast iron. I have a Lodge 12 inch that I love.

I also have a Field no. 8 and no. 12. They are both extremely nice looking pans. My no. 12 is a second, but that was no big deal and saved quite a bit of money. If you want it to look good from the get go, go with the full price models.

The no. 8 is nice and light, but I think that the bottom is just too thin. I found the heat uneven. I only use it for things that will be swished around a lot or when I use it in the oven. I bought it to do eggs and do not use it for this at all.

The no. 12 is made with a thicker bottom and I find this to be a great pan. My understanding is that only the no. 12 (not the no. 8 or no. 10) have the thicker bottom.

The Lodge's come rough, but if you use a metal spatula and/or fish turner and are not too shy about it, they smooth out nicely while also still holding on to the seasoning.

The Fields are nice and smooth, but the seasoning takes a lot longer and is more likely to strip off like it does on carbon steel.

The Lodge is pretty hard to mess up. I love the Fields but they also made me appreciate the Lodge even more.