cooktops

Electrolux cooktop boils water in a flash

Electrolux's 36-inch electric hybrid induction cooktop's selling points are its speed, flexibility, and sophisticated design.

With five burners--three electric and two induction--the cooktop can boil or simmer multiple pots in a hurry, delivering between 750 watts to 3,200 watts to heat the food. The 10-inch induction element on this cooktop will boil water in just 90 seconds.

Induction cooktops generally cost more than their all-electric counterparts do, and this one costs about $1,999.

You must also use pots and pans made of magnetic material such as stainless steel or cast iron on induction burners. You can … Read more

Radiant heat cooktops are safer

When I was first learning to cook, I left a dishtowel a little too close to a burner. At some point, partly through boiling water for spaghetti, the dishtowel caught fire. I've been party to enough similar incidents over the years that I can't help but think that cooktops using radiant heat are a great idea.

The Maytag Electric Cooktop, for instance, uses four of Maytag's Insta-Heat radiant heating elements to replace old fashioned gas and electric burners. The whole thing is one flat surface, and is easy to clean--no more taking half the range apart after … Read more

Portable induction cooking

Ah, summer vacation. That glorious time of year when we pack up the kids and get out to experience nature. And nature decides to give us the full experience by providing nonstop rain. Just picture yourself, trying to heat up a can of beans on your portable gas grill. Brings a tear to the eye--or in my case, outright sobbing.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Fagor's new portable induction cooktop offers a convenient solution for family vacations, dorms, guesthouses, or simply additional cook space for holiday meals. Induction cooking uses less energy than other methods … Read more

Who needs matching appliances when your counter is the appliance?

Let me paint a picture for you: you're in the mood for a burger and some French fries. The health nut in you insists that you include some steamed broccoli too. So you squat on your kitchen floor and set to the task of rooting through your bottom cabinet in search of the antiquated hand-me-down appliances that you're going to need to make your perfect meal happen.

First, you grab the fryer. Granted, it may have remnants of last year's deep-fried Thanksgiving turkey experiment and the residual oil slick on the outer edges may make it a … Read more

Bringing the grill master back to the party

As the weather gets warmer, we can prepare to see a lot of companies that will try to push our summertime cookout buttons. CDS has hit on something big with their line of teppanyaki-style Cook N Dine cooktop tables. The dining table is a solid piece of stainless steel that has a powerful heating element inside it that allows you to grill meat, fish, vegetables, and kebabs in the center of your table while you and your guests eat on the edge. And all you have to do is plug it into an outlet, eliminating the extra trip for propane … Read more