Cooking Time vs Burner Size on an electric smooth top stove
Say I'm cooking using a smooth-top stove. A burner area has a small burner, which is surrounded by a larger burner area.
If I have a small pot on a large element, with a 1-2 inch radius of the large element not touching the small pot (the outer edge of the element)... does this extra heating area go to waste completely? Wouldn't the element heat up the glass cover, which would then be reabsorbed into the nearby pot's metal?
Or would the heat be mostly lost into the surrounding air?
I'm asking because I notice that my soups generally cook alot faster when they are using the large burner instead of the smaller burner, EVEN THOUGH the soup is in a small pot, that only covers the inner small burner area.
Best Answer
A small pan on an oversized burner wastes a lot of heat. Some more may be coupled into the pan but much will go into the room (so not wasted completely). It might damage the handle, especially with something low like a frying pan, as this heat is mainly radiated (the glass is meant to absorb very little). The inner burner may be so much weaker than the outer that even a fraction of the power of the outer is a significant increase compared to just the inner. I seem to recall using one with a 600W inner and 1200W outer - if even 1/4 of the power of the outer went into the pot it would be 50% more heat. The specs for yours don't go into quite enough detail but it looks like the inner might be 1200W and the outer 1800W, so not as marked as my example but it still makes a difference. As the heat is radiant, some heat will enter the sides of the pan, contributing to faster, if not very efficient, heating.
But when you say "cook quicker", how are you measuring cookedness? Is this a rate of reduction in volume (which would scale with power absorbed to a good approximation)? Or is it a subjective done-ness (which has more to do with time-at-temperature, so quite strongly affected by how quickly it reaches temperature). Coming to the boil quicker means you could use both until it boils then simmer using the inner ring only (assuming it's not finished when it first comes to the boil). This is likely to be more marked if you're starting from cold, as the additional power of the outer will cover some of the losses involved in warming up the surrounding parts of the stove.
Pictures about "Cooking Time vs Burner Size on an electric smooth top stove"
Does the size of the burner matter?
For the best performance from your induction burner, match the pan size to the burner size since heating will only occur above the burner's cooking circle. Cookware should make full contact with the glass surface and be magnetic. The induction burners require a minimum pan size in order for the element to turn on.Does food take longer to cook on an electric stove?
Electric stoves typically take more time to cook the food than a gas stove. This is because the coil takes a while to heat up, transfer the heat to the cookware, and then to the food. Increased cook time may also contribute to increased electricity bills.Should I use small or large burner?
\u27a2 The upshot: If you are boiling or steaming liquid in a small pot, use the largest burner that will not allow flames to lick up the sides of the pot. (Flames will rapidly heat metal handles and melt or scorch plastic.) For tasks requiring a small skillet, choose a small burner over a large one.Do glass top stoves take longer to heat up?
The glass stove tops take a little longer to get up to temperature and then retains heat for some time after you turn down the setting.Gas, Induction, Electric: The Complete Guide to Kitchen Stovetops
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