| Click here to send us email. |
Click here for
TheInductionSite.com site directory |
"Where order in variety we see,
And where, though all things differ, all agree."
--Alexander Pope
Classifying Induction-Cooking EquipmentHow to Sort the HeapThere are several ways in which one might organize a discussion of induction-cooking equipment and its makers. One might be geographic availability, for there is little point in reading about units you cannot obtain. But units not available in some one locale can often be ordered elsewhere, and--even with shipping, insurance, and customs costs added into the price--might be attractive packages. Another way to organize might be "commercial" versus "residential" units--save that many "residential" cooks like to use so-called "professional" level equipment. Yet another scheme might be to organize by type of equipment: true, integral cooktops (four or five elements in an integral housing); free-standing, one-element units (some meant for commercial catering use, others for tabletop residential use); drop-in modules (one- or two-element units intended for placement in custom kitchen-countertop designs); and so on. What we have decided to do is to begin by presenting comprehensive, world-wide lists, after which we tabulate by major regions what makers' products seem available where. You need to be aware that in the always (and rapidly) evolving world of "white goods" (as major apliances are known in the reade) all these data are necessarily snapshots of moving targets, and thus likely to be a bit blurred. We will strive mightily to keep up, but the pace of change these days is positively dizzying in this field, which is exciting but hectic. Always double- and triple-check anything you see here with the horse's mouth before making any crucial decisions. (But we didn't need to tell you that, did we?)
Parallel BrandsEven to the inexperienced eye, it is obvious that not a few lines of induction equipment bear a suspicious resemblance ot other lines under other brand names--indeed, the name and logo on the unit often seems the only difference whatever. That is not mere parallel evolution at work: there is probably a definite connection between those parallel brands. One such connection is common ownership by an "appliance group" (that is, holding company); another is the use by one maker of "guts" (internal electronics) made by another company. Also, many "brands" are actually "outsourced" goods, meaning the so-called "maker" in fact just contracts out the making to another company and puts its own brand label on the product; sometimes the outsource maker will also make units under its own name and sometimes it is strictly a background manufacturer with no brands of its own. In any event, the point of note to the consumer is that many lines of induction equipment with substantially differing prices are in fact virtually identical: all you would be paying for in many cases is the "image" or feel-good quality that the brand projects, not the actual hardware. Common OwnershipKnowing that Brand X and Brand Y are owned by the same paernt company does not mean that you can automatically treat their equipment lines as equivalent--but it is a useful thing to have in mind when balancing possible purchase choices' merits, especially when the products look and spec out with obvious parallelism. Here, then, is a list, very probably incomplete, of who seems to own which brands. Brand names not on this list are either--we think--independents or are members of a group that makes no other induction equipment. The "group" links (in boldface) are to web-site pages of the groups themselves; the following by-brand links are each to the page of this site that deals with the brand in question. Keep in mind that some brands, whether subsidiaries on this list or nominal "independents", may use equipment made by some other company; we'll list some of those in a moment. This list is just ownership.
Common EquipmentSome brands, though under distinctly different owners, may use hardware from some one source, necessarily making their lines quite similar. That arises because there are really only a few companies that have developed and maintain the actual technological and manufacturing capability of making induction equipment from the ground up. Some of those companies themselves market finished gear, while others remain in the background simply as suppliers to the known name labels. Here are the ones we think (no oaths taken) we have identified:
All Makers and Their ProductsHere is a click-on/jump-to list of the data we have for each of the induction-cooker makers we know of. Each of our pages includes a link to the maker's own web site, as well as information on the maker and a list of all that maker's induction products (usually with full details on each). Other related key resources on this site are our pages on: What Is Available WhereObviously, not all makers' induction products are to be found in all nations or even regions. Moreover, within a given region--say "Europe"--a given maker may distribute a number of units that differ in variety and exact detail from nation to nation (in fact, that is common). So this guide is really only a top-level approximation of availability. The sharpest divide is between Europe and North America, presumably owing to those regions' each having its own electrical codes and standards. Even though, in realistic and practical terms, any European unit will operate "as is" perfectly in North America, and vice versa (assuming only an appropriate supply voltage, and almost all major appliances run off 240-volt lines worldwide), a unit is not legal for sale or use till it has been certified by the appropriate authority for a given region. (Your tax dollars at work.) Here is our best knowledge; outside North America and Europe, it is, we readily concede, spotty knowledge at best; we're trying to discover more. — end — |
Site Access:
| Search this site, or the web, for: | ||
|
(a brief site overview) |
The site's introductory Front Page |
|
|
(the what, how, and why) |
Induction Cooking--the Basics: | |
|
How Induction Works: which explains why it is different from all other cooking methods |
||
|
The Pros and the Cons:
an honest appraisal of the advantages and disadvantages |
||
|
Kitchen Electricity 101:
important things you should know about power |
||
|
Replacing Existing Combination Stoves
problems with and solutions for replacing "slide-in" range/oven combination units |
||
|
Radiation--a Hazard?
scientifically sound assessments (and no, it's not a hazard) |
||
|
Further Information
links to other major internet induction-cooking resources |
||
|
(who makes what, in detail) |
Induction Equipment--the Makers and Their Products: | |
|
Makers and Their Products: all the units--commercial and residential--sorted by maker, with maker information |
||
|
Residential-Use Products Available in North America:
all the "residential" units now available in the U.S.A. and Canada, with comparison tables and full data · build-in equipment · countertop units |
||
|
all the "residential" units now available in the U.K., with comparison tables and full data · build-in equipment · countertop units |
||
|
Commercial-Use Products Available in North America:
all the commercial/professional units now available in the U.S.A. and Canada, with comparison tables and full data |
||
|
Induction-Units Database:
search all the build-in cooktops by size, current draw, and element count |
||
|
The Individual Maker Pages:
AEG | Alaska | Amica | Ariston | Arthur Martin | Asko | Atag | Athena Balay | Bartscher | Bauknecht | Baumatic | Belair | Belling | Benk | Berghoff | Blanco Australia | Blomberg | Bonnet | Bosch | Brandt | Buffet Enhancements Cadco | Candy | Caple | CDA | Cecilware | Chef King | CommercialPro | Constructa | Cookers | Cooktek | Cylinda De Dietrich | Defy | De'Longhi | Dito | Diva de Provence Edesa | Elco | Electrolux | Elro | Etna | Eurolec Fagor | Falcon Gaggenau | Garland | GE | Gorenje | Gram | Grepa Heartland | Hoover | Hotpoint | Husqvarna IKEA | ILVE | Induced Energy | The Induction Company | Ital | Iwatani John Lewis | Juno Kenmore | Kenwood | KitchenAid | Kleenmaid | Kompact | Kuppersbusch Leisure | LG | Liventa Mareno | Mastercook | Menu System | Micromark | Miele | Minky | Molteni | Montague Neff Omega Oranier Palson | Panasonic | Pelgrim | Premium Quoba Ramblewood | Redfyre | Rosieres | Rotek Salvis | Sangiorgio | Sanyo | Sarena | Sauter | Scholtes | SIBIR | Siemens | Smeg | Spring | Stellar | Stoves | Sunpentown Tarrison | Tatung | Tayama | Tefal | Teka | Thermador | Thermaline Valera | Viking | Vollrath | Voss | V-Zug Waring | White Westinghouse | Whirlpool | Windcrest | Wolf | Wolfgang Puck | Zanussi | Zaxx |
||
|
(how to choose and buy a unit) |
Selecting and Buying--Advice and Offers: | |
|
Selecting a Unit: how to decide which unit or units are exactly right for you |
||
|
Induction-Units Database:
pick out North American residential build-in cooktops by size, current draw, and element count [U.K. coming soon!] |
||
|
Induction Products Available in North America:
all units now available in the U.S.A. and Canada, with comparison tables and full data · residential use: - build-in equipment - countertop units · commercial use |
||
|
all units now available in the U.K., with comparison tables and full data · residential use: - build-in equipment - countertop units · commercial use - coming soon! |
||
|
Buying a Unit:
generic advice and tips |
||
|
Why Buy Here?
we retail units--here's why we hope you'll buy through us |
||
|
Induction-Cooking Units For Sale Here:
we only sell units for which we can offer the best price--this is our list of offerings |
||
|
(the best, induction or not) |
Cookware--the Best to Be Had: | |
|
Cookware for Induction Cooking: what defines excellent cookware, whether for induction or not |
||
|
Cookware for Sale Here:
as with induction equipment, we will only offer at the best prices |
||
|
Lines We Offer:
these are the best cookware at the best prices · Lodge Cast Iron and Enamelware · clad cookware coming soon |
||
|
(find and buy any cookbook) |
Cookbooks--Selected and General: | |
|
Selected Cookbooks: how and why they were "selected" |
||
|
Selected Cookbooks, by Category:
· Selected Basic Cookbooks - good for learning cookery · Selected General Cookbooks - unspecialized sound cookery · Selected Specialized Cookbooks - topic-oriented, from fish to vegetarian · Selected Regional Cookbooks - the cookery of a place, a nation, or the world · Selected Miscellaneous Cookbooks - cookery techniques that don't quite fit elsewhere |
||
|
Find Any Cookbook:
an alphabetical master listing of all currently available cookbooks |
||
|
Search For Cookbooks, New:
search for particular cookbooks--or any books or authors or topics--in print and for sale new |
||
|
Search For Cookbooks, Used:
search for particular cookbooks--or any books or authors or topics--for sale used |
||
|
Perhaps interested in growing some of your own vegetables and fruits to cook with?
Visit the Growing Taste gourmet home-gardening web site! |
|
|
This site is one of The Owlcroft Company family of web sites. Please click on the link (or the owl) to see a menu of our other diverse user-friendly, helpful sites. |
|
And why not look in at Is it a blog yet?
So that you need not be a victim of the "Browser Wars," we have taken the trouble to assure that
This web page is strictly compliant with the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) Protocol v1.0 (Transitional).
Click the logo below to test us!
Not every browser renders proper HTML correctly (Internet Explorer famously does not);
so, if your browser experiences any difficulties with this page (or, really, even if it doesn't),
(It's free!)
All content copyright © 2002 - 2007 by The Owlcroft Company
You loaded this page on Friday, 9 May 2008, at 18:51 EDT.;
it was last modified on Sunday, 23 March 2008, at 23:40 EDT.
What do you know about OmniKnow?