I saw this only after I responded to a similar question at the end of the other thread on "Induction Question."

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0708501023840.html?24613

I'll just summarize. You can move large pans onto small hobs just as you can on any other kind of stove. And, you will have the same kinds of considerations that you have when putting a large pan on a small burner or any other kind of stove. Obviously, a small burner puts out less heat that a large one, so performance drops off in that sense.

You should be able to avoid one problem that occurs with oversize pans on radiant smoothtops, Oversize pans on smoothtop radiant burners can confuse the sensors that regulate heat cycling and result in large pans not being able to boil water or result in taking an extremely long time to bring water to a boil. Induction does not use those kinds of sensors.

See this link for a more detailed recent disucssion of this subject:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0708501023840.html?24613

Thanks. Sorry for the confusion - I started a new thread because it seemed like the new question got lost in the original thread.

No need to apologize. Also, I think I posted the same link twice when I meant to have a link to another thread on a similar question. I meant to send you to the one below. See if it has answers for your questions. if it does not, it should at least help narrow things down.

Here is a link that might be useful: Using two 11 inch pans on induction

There is an issue on some units of a hot pan overlapping under-surface electronics and overheating them. Use of silicone pads to "air-gap" the pan from the surface MIGHT extend the safe diameter in these cases. It likely depends on what temperature one runs the pan base at. Wokking is a lot hotter than frying eggs.

Also note that the diameter bounds specified for hobs is the flat bottom surface of the pan, and not the wider diameter at the top of the pan.

kas