Induction Kettles

[hoppus]

I've got somewhat of a perplexing situation.

I had picked up a 44qt bayou classic to use for induction brewing because I had read reports that it was magnetic. The one I received was in no way magnetic, but when I tested it on my 1800W Max Burton 6200 induction cooktop it worked quite well. I'm glad that it works, but I'm curious to find out why. This kettle is only 0.8mm thick and I've read that if the metal is thin enough it doesn't have to be magnetic, but I have no idea why. So, I'm looking for a bit of clarification here.

I'm still within the return period so I'd also like to know if induction is an all-or-nothing sort of thing or if I'm likely losing a fair bit of heating efficiency buy using this kettle.






Kettle:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VXHKMC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[MalFet]

Interesting question!

I believe there are induction cookers out there that work on non-magnetic metals, but usually with less efficiency. If you're sure your Bayou is non-magnetic (I thought they generally were, too), you might want to do a comparison on boil rates.

 

[kombat]

Isn't there usually some sort of "wafer" disc sandwiched into the bottom of the kettle between layers of metal, made from a different metal than the rest of the pot? Is it possible the pot itself isn't magnetic, but this "wafer" is?

 

[MalFet]

Isn't there usually some sort of "wafer" disc sandwiched into the bottom of the kettle between layers of metal, made from a different metal than the rest of the pot? Is it possible the pot itself isn't magnetic, but this "wafer" is?

Right...good point. If the OP checked the sides rather than the bottom, that might be the cause of the discrepancy.

 

[hoppus]

It's claimed as 304 stainless, and as far as I can tell this is just one single 20 gauge piece of metal. I've read 304 can become magentic if it's cold worked, but I tried a couple magnets, including a relatively strong stud finder, and nothing was even remotely attracted to any part of the kettle.

With regard to a test, I only have a 5 gallon magnetic kettle to compare it to. Provided I use the same volume and leave the lid off the entire time, would the data be comparable?




EDIT for science

 

[MalFet]

With regard to a test, I only have a 5 gallon magnetic kettle to compare it to. Provided I use the same volume and leave the lid off the entire time, would the data be comparable?

In broad strokes, yeah. I'd probably leave the lids on and try to insulate a bit, even. You'll have more air to heat up in the 44qt pot, but that's pretty trivial (I'd guess) compared to heat loss from differences in surface area.

It won't be a perfect test, but if your results are within a couple of percent of each other I'd call it a day and say it's good enough to declare the Bayou pot working fine. If, on the other hand, it takes two or three times as long to heat up, it's obvious you've got a problem.

 

[hoppus]

Sounds good, I'll try to run a test with 3 gallons this weekend.

 

[hoppus]

Finally got around to testing this. I still don't understand, but it seems the magnet test is equivocal for induction.

 

[MalFet]

Finally got around to testing this. I still don't understand, but it seems the magnet test is equivocal for induction.

That's weird, since induction cookers basically are magnets.

Did you ever test the *bottom* of the bayou pot for magnetism specifically?

 

[AnOldUR]

I've got the 62qt version of that same pot. There is no clad bottom. It's single wall throughout.

That said, a magnet will stick to mine and it works well with an induction burner. I wrote to Bayou asking why a magnet would stick to 304SS, but didn't get any valid answer. All they told me was that it wouldn't work with induction. Hmmm . . . seems to have been working fine for over a year now.

 

[Spintab]

Is that 1800w cook top enough to bring say 7gal to a rolling boil? I'm super curious about them.

Add: Also curious. When you turn the thing on, is there another step to turn the element on? I'm wondering if the power to the whole unit could be turned on and off for automation purposes like water heater elements.

 

[hoppus]

It's really weird, I'm unable to detect even the slightest attraction of my stud finder to any portion of the kettle (bottom/side/rounded edge of the bottom) other than the handles. I even tried a couple other magnets to be sure. In doing some reading on this, I came a across a post on an cooking forum where a guy had a non-magnetic mixing bowl that boiled water faster on his induction range than his magnetic ones. That's been the only similar account I've found though.

Spintab:
I love using this thing, but I think you'd struggle to boil 7 gallons unassisted. When I brew with it, I also use a 1000W bucket heater and have no problems getting 8 gallons to a strong boil. If you have access to 220V-240V you can get a 3500W cooktop that will be fine as a stand alone unit. I believe AnOldUR uses one to do 10 gallon batches. To answer your second question, the unit I have has on/off control, timers, and variable power settings.

EDIT: Important note, the MaxBurton 6200 is rated to 50lbs but the 6000 is only rated to 25lbs. Many people have used the 6000 without issue, but I'd suggest paying the extra $20 to get the 6200 if you do decide to get a 1800W model.