The Dainty Dot

Dainty has been absent, but I have a good .. strike that .. I have a great excuse. I’ve moved.

Not far. Just a mile or so down the road. But even if the distance was 10 feet, it’s still a huge process. Packing, unpacking. Oh, and buying the place. And dealing with a construction crew that is – even a month after moving – still on site. But they are good boys so I don’t mind them being around.

Yes, the builders are still here. And yes, this building is new construction. It’s an unusual building, too. The design is based on the Powerhaus design used quite a bit in Germany and apparently this is the first building of its sort in the U.S.

And what makes it so unusual? It’s incredibly energy efficient. Like, super super efficient. I’ll get into it in more detail eventually, but let’s first talk about how it impacts Dainty the most: In the kitchen.

I’ve cooked with gas stoves since I learned to cook. But, the question in this Powerhaus design is this: Is gas efficient? No. Apparently gas is upwards of 70% less efficient than electricity. Bleh. I hate electric stoves. I mean, fire is so fierce, you know? Fire is awesome.

But, fire fails in efficiency. So … Dainty now has an electric cooktop. To be more specific, it’s an Electrolux Radiant/Induction Cooktop. It has two radiant burners and two induction burners on its flat surface. What’s induction? You know that commercial with Kelly Ripa making a meal and her water boils in 90 seconds? That’s induction.  It’s a little like magic. But water boiling in 90 seconds? Awesome.

After about a week of avoiding all forms of cooking once we moved in, I decided to cook something on the induction burner. Or at least boil something. Can’t go wrong with boiling, right?

I boiled eggs. It’s a simple enough process: Eggs in pot, cover with an inch or so of water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Turn off heat. Let them sit for 12-15 minutes. Rinse with cold water to bring down temp. I did exactly as outlined.

And I got a soft-boiled egg.

Here’s where I went wrong: When cooking on a radiant, coiled or gas burner, it takes time for the water to come to a boil. During that time—what? maybe 5-6 or so minutes?—those eggs are slowly cooking. When using induction, that time to boil is cut drastically short and hence the cooking time is cut short. Ergo, soft-boiled eggs.

I’ve gotten back up on the cooktop and tried boiling eggs again. One minute at a full boil is not enough. 90 seconds, not enough. Two full minutes, a tad too much. Plus, without a slowly firming inside the shell, the shells tend to crack when they come to a rolling boil so quickly, spilling their whites.

So, what’s the solution?

Using the radiant burner. Thank goodness it’s a hybrid.

Tagged: boiling, eggs, induction cooking, new home

§ 2 Responses to Induction Is Like Magic

• Lynne says:

  October 5, 2012 at 12:20 pm

  Welcome back! And congrats on your new digs!! You’re such a whiz at cooking; love your posts and adventurous spirit! I learn something new everytime. And I can’t wait to learn more about your energy efficient building and the Powerhaus design. Sounds uber cool! 🙂

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• The Dainty Dot says:

  October 5, 2012 at 12:23 pm

  Thanks, Lynne! It’s a very cool building. I’m getting used to the induction cooktop. The convection oven? Totally horrible – so far.

  Reply