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2littlefishies

My Thermador Induction- Heating Not Even???

2LittleFishies
10 years ago

I've been meaning to ask this..
With a large frying pan on my largest (13") hob, the bottom 1/4 of the pan doesn't get as hot as the rest of the pan. I could see it clearly tonight when frying chicken cutlets or even when making pancakes. The ones towards the top and middle of the pan are done faster.

I have the pan dead center and it's a 12" pan. I've tried moving it up a bit but doesn't make much difference.

Why would this be?

Comments (12)

  • dodge59
    10 years ago

    What kind of pan is it, Brad, (I think that's your name).

    The pan, as with any type of heat can make a huge difference!

    When I was demonstrating that the elux Icon cook top that I have is NOT fussy about pan size, I took my largest pan and put it on the smallest hob with water in the pan.

    At first I saw a ring of bubbles about the size of the hob, (5 inches I think), but then the bubbles quickly spread to the rest of the bottom of the pan.

    The pan was "Emerilware" a "cheaper version" of All Clad.
    It is a clad pad, with SS, aluminum and most importantly copper layers. The copper, being the best heat conductor quickly spread the heat to the rest of the bottom of the pan.

    An all SS pan is not the best conductor of heat and such a pan would take longer to distribute the heat evenly.

    Now I have a question for you, OK?
    I love your range, and the fact you had the guts to buy it. Love the knobs, but are the settings continuously variable?
    "To Me", Low, Med, and High would not be enough choices for me, (and yep I know I left a couple out).

    Thanks

    Gary

  • 2LittleFishies
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi dodge-- I'm Valerie : )

    I bought a set of 3 fry pans from Chefs Catalog.
    http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/27059-chefs-tri-ply-stainless-steel-nonstick-fry-pan.aspx

    The description says "heats evenly" but I don't see any mention of copper...

    I don't have a range... I have a cooktop. Are you thinking I am someone else? : )

    Here is a link that might be useful: CHEFS FRY PANS

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    2 Fishes - so sorry to hear about your problem. I thought my Wolf wasn't even at first but I know to let it warm up a bit and it evens out.
    I have an eclectic set of pans.

  • ginny20
    10 years ago

    I have Tramontina TriPly, among other pans, on my KA induction, and on the biggest hob, there are sectors where the chicken cooks faster, browns better. I just move stuff around. But you're right - it's not entirely even for me, either, and it's not apparent why, since the distance from the center is the same.

  • 2LittleFishies
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks, a2gemini!
    I'll have to put a different pot there that's another brand (Tramontina) and test out if there is a difference...

  • 2LittleFishies
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ginny- thx for your post! Let's see what others say !

  • dodge59
    10 years ago

    Yea, Sorry about that Valerie, "CRS" kicked in again. I was thinking of "luvstoputt" and his Viking range, Shhheshhhh I wasn't even close!!!!

    Anyway, the copper does make a huge difference, or at least the "Emerilware" does.

    I have a "ranging inferno" gas , 2 burner DCS cook top out on the patio kitchen. It is "Open burner" although not the style of the Bluestar or Capital Cullinarian burners.

    With the aluminum pans, everything gets hotter on the outside edges of the pans and it never does equalize, so that which I cook out there I have to keep stirring or keep moving it, (Like bacon or chicken). This really doesn't bother me as I'm used to it and enjoy cooking outside.

    When I cook inside using pans with better heat distribution on the induction, I just put the food in the pan and forget it, till its done.

    IE, Long winded version of saying, it isn't the heat source, it's how well the pan distributes the heat.

    Gary

  • 2LittleFishies
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks so much Gary- I'll try a different pan there!

  • chas045
    10 years ago

    OK folks, I'm unclear if the pan has anything to do with this issue. Valerie, are you saying that chicken near the front of the cooktop take longer whether the 12 inch pan's handle is to the left AND/OR the right (or toward and away from you)?? If the front is always cooler, then the front of the heating surface must be different and presumably defective.

  • 2LittleFishies
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    chas045- Yes, that's what I'm saying... However, I probably always have the handle on the same side so right now I'm going to make pancakes with the handle on the opposite side!

    I"ll be back!

  • 2LittleFishies
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well, I faced the handle towards me b/c I know I've never done that. Now all the pancakes are very even. I wonder if that's really the problem. I'll have to do some frying to really tell the difference in heat distribution, however the pancakes were better than normal.

    I don't know how the cooktops are made... Is the heat coming from one or more areas of the hob and then (like dodge said) it's up to the cookware to distribute? And that some do a better job than others? But I don't know why turning my pan would make a difference necessarily.

    Like I said I"ll try with some frying in the future. Any thoughts, of course, are welcome : )

  • llaatt22
    10 years ago

    1. If it's a pan problem, the problem should rotate with the pan every time you take it out and cook with it turned to a different position. It may or may not also take some time to show up both after purchase and during any cooking session.

    2. If the induction pattern is the problem, it should be revealed to some extent by the pattern shown by the preboil water bubbles. Similar to the idea of focus adjustment producing beam shape on a flashlight, the smallest cooktop burner or a portable induction unit should start up with a centered, small circle, thick bubble pattern. As you go up in burner size and power there should be a less dense, more even, and bigger donut shaped area of bubble coverage.