Induction & Infrared

Anybody looked into these for brewing or decoction?
I have a pot that is 12" in diameter and i "think" it might fit on the induction cooktop, but if it doesn't, will it be useless for decoctions?
For the infrared, was gonna buy another bayou classic banjo burner but came across this. thoughts?


1. DUXTOP 1800-Watt Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner 8100MC v2011
Amazon.com: DUXTOP 1800-Watt Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner 8100MC v2011: Lafraise

2. Char-Broil 10101480/08101480 The Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer
Amazon.com: Char-Broil 10101480/08101480 The Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer: Patio, Lawn & Garden


Cheers!

Aluminum generally wont conduct the electricity to get the induction burner going, hopefully your pot is stainless steel, this is what we have to use in our kitchens at work. That said, I've seen several posts on here about those from years ago, maybe you can necro one of them to get some feedback from the people who were using them then.

Those sure have come down in price, it is tempting if you can get it to work!

Infrared I am pretty sure does not use liquid of any sort, just circulating air and infrared emitters, like in the oven, what was your plan for it?

There are a ton of threads on induction cooktops to search on this forum.

Basically, don't try to mash with them unless you want to spend on a serious unit. Almost all of them have 4 (at best), 10, or 20 degrees or so difference in the temp settings- which you can notice by the '10 power levels' they advertize. Only a Vollrath and Cooktek Apoggee will give you precise temps. Decoction sounds like a good use especially since you are starting with warm liquid and making it boil. In any case you wouldn't want to commit to a large volume unless you were going with the 240V units that go up to 3500 watts. A heater element inside a tun is a much better way for a larger volume.

One use I can think that the induction cooktop is perfectly suited for (cause I don't want to get bugs into everything) is a temp regulated sour mash. You can have it from 100-120 for 48 hrs (unless there's an auto off feature, I guess), put saran wrap over the top , and make a very well regulated sour mash. I've never done it though.

Most of the cooktops have a chip that auto detects the pot size that has a limit at 14" (for some, not all), so IMO your 12" pot might be fine if it's magnetic. My Bayoo Classic is.

thanks guys. have read a lot of the posts on induction here and came to the conclusion that it is not quite ready for all-grain brewing. I like the technology however and want an excuse to get one for cooking and brewing. thought a decoction might be a good fit for it. I'll give it a whirl and let you know how it goes. Thanks!

Update on induction, bought this:
DUXTOP 1800-Watt Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner 8100MC v2011 from Amazon
The pot I had that worked with this technology (magnetic bottom) was too big for this unit I think. My pot diameter fits the specs of the unit but not the burner size. It took 20 minutes to boil 1 gallon of water, I can get this performance from my crappy electric stove. Sounds like a great idea. Smelled a lot of "electrical" smell when the unit was running too. I love the technology but not up to par for my decoction brewing or other cooking needs. Might send it back and try another unit making sure i check with the manufacturer on "cooking" diameter, or just wait a few years until this technology becomes more mainstream.

The thing i loved about this vs. electric stove stops, as soon as you turn it off or reduce power, it "immediately" effects the cooking. i.e. stop boiling. Whereas with electric cooktops, you have to fumble a lot to get to the temp you want. I see the potential!

Didn't bother with the infrared based on lotbfan's post.

Thought i would give you all an update.

I am very happy with using induction cookers for brewing. I have one I use to heat my HLT. I can easily heat 5 gal. to 170 F. I use a second unit to heat my mash tun. It works very well. I don't bother with the heat settings. I set it on high to heat my strike water and turn it off at the appropriate temp. I use a 40 qt pot as my mash tun. I have it insulated with the metalized bubble wrap. 5 layers and it holds temp very well. I also do lots of step mashes and it ramps nicely at almost 1 degree per minute.

I think induction cookers work fabulously for mashing. Where they fall down is boiling. Here you need a lot more power than a standard table top unit will deliver. Although add in a heat stick and 1800 watts should be enough. In my test with my 1400 watt unit, I could bet 6.5 gal to a light simmer, but that was it. I boil with propane.

AussieBrewerInColorado said:

It took 20 minutes to boil 1 gallon of water,

Click to expand...

(assuming you ran it on full power...) that cooktop uses 1800 watts per hour, which at 100% efficiency would translate into 6145 BTUs of thermal energy per hour.

to boil 1 gallon of water, assuming a starting temp of 70 degrees, requires 1178 BTUs. you did that in 20 minutes, so that is 3534 BTUs/hr.

(actual/theoretical)*100= efficiency%

(3534/6145)*100 = 57% electrical efficiency, which is average for induction
(for comparison, a normal water heater element is around 98% efficient)

pjj2ba, what unit do you have?
audger, thanks for the info, good to know they are on average that efficient.