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AC_Hacker · 04-08-13, 09:57 AM

I used the Avantco cooker yesterday to cook up a mess of beans.

When I hit high power to bring the water up to boil quickly, the noise from the cooker was only something a mad scientist could love, and a Chinese mad scientist at that. I had to go in the other room to find peace.

But when the water reached boiling temp, and I turned the power down to an ongoing cooking level, the sound became quite tolerable.

I am hearing how the unit maintains temperature, as there are a series or 'ramping-up' sounds and then a 'click' (relay) and a time interval and repeat, etc. It sounds less like a square wave, and more like a saw-tooth wave.

So, later today, I'll have to look at the cooker's innards to see if there is any way to improve things. I think that for sure, a relay-ectomy will be followed with a Solid State Relay replacement. There may also be ways to reduce the noise.

I did talk to one of my close friends who told me, for the first time, that he had been using induction cooking since 1985 and wouldn't use anything else.

He is not having the problem with noise. He just commented on the sound of cooling fans in his induction range... Hmmmmm... I should be so lucky.

I suppose that in an active commercial kitchen, with all the pandemonium of multiple meals being prepared, and insane expectations going on, or in a war zone, with bullets flying and mortars blasting, the raspy, buzzy humming of my cooker wouldn't be so noticeable. Maybe I should count my blessings.

But back to the beans, I was really busy with other tasks as I was cooking, and decided to try cooking at a temp that was just below a simmer, since now I can do that. The thought was that stirring wouldn't be so critical then. I used quite a few fire-roasted (thank you, natural gas) Poblano, Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers in the preparation as well as a whole head of finely chopped garlic chunks sautéed to a light coffee color. All went into the pot, along with salt and some black pepper. Then sub-simmered for about an hour and a half.

The results were much better than I had expected. Not only was there almost no need of stirring, but many of the subtle flavor harmonics that can be lost from boiling, were still there.

Finally, I added some crushed tomatoes and green peppers and cilantro and lime juice, just after I cut the heat. Then I let it meld for about 10 minutes.

Amazing flavor.

Buzz on, little induction buddy, buzz on...

-AC

04-08-13, 09:57 AM	#9
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	I used the Avantco cooker yesterday to cook up a mess of beans. When I hit high power to bring the water up to boil quickly, the noise from the cooker was only something a mad scientist could love, and a Chinese mad scientist at that. I had to go in the other room to find peace. But when the water reached boiling temp, and I turned the power down to an ongoing cooking level, the sound became quite tolerable. I am hearing how the unit maintains temperature, as there are a series or 'ramping-up' sounds and then a 'click' (relay) and a time interval and repeat, etc. It sounds less like a square wave, and more like a saw-tooth wave. So, later today, I'll have to look at the cooker's innards to see if there is any way to improve things. I think that for sure, a relay-ectomy will be followed with a Solid State Relay replacement. There may also be ways to reduce the noise. I did talk to one of my close friends who told me, for the first time, that he had been using induction cooking since 1985 and wouldn't use anything else. He is not having the problem with noise. He just commented on the sound of cooling fans in his induction range... Hmmmmm... I should be so lucky. I suppose that in an active commercial kitchen, with all the pandemonium of multiple meals being prepared, and insane expectations going on, or in a war zone, with bullets flying and mortars blasting, the raspy, buzzy humming of my cooker wouldn't be so noticeable. Maybe I should count my blessings. But back to the beans, I was really busy with other tasks as I was cooking, and decided to try cooking at a temp that was just below a simmer, since now I can do that. The thought was that stirring wouldn't be so critical then. I used quite a few fire-roasted (thank you, natural gas) Poblano, Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers in the preparation as well as a whole head of finely chopped garlic chunks sautéed to a light coffee color. All went into the pot, along with salt and some black pepper. Then sub-simmered for about an hour and a half. The results were much better than I had expected. Not only was there almost no need of stirring, but many of the subtle flavor harmonics that can be lost from boiling, were still there. Finally, I added some crushed tomatoes and green peppers and cilantro and lime juice, just after I cut the heat. Then I let it meld for about 10 minutes. Amazing flavor. Buzz on, little induction buddy, buzz on... -AC __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...