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"Variable heat" electric range available anywhere?

Does anyone manufacture a "variable heat" electric range, where when you select the heat setting, it would have a constant heat at a certain temperature? (Like you can do with a gas range...)

This would be sort of like a dimmer switch for a light where you can adjust how much light is output from the bulb.

The way electric ranges work now is they go on and off, on and off.

Less heat means the "burner" goes on for a little while, then off for quite awhile. Then with more heat, the "burner" is on for a long time, then off for a little amount of time.

With a gas range, you can adjust the heat so it is constant - no off and on. Seems they could do this with an electric range as well....

Reply to
Bill
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Why do you want this? The on/off technique works just fine in my experience. The thermal mass of the burner and the pan even things out. For example, when I am simmering a soup on low, the soup simmers at an even, constant rate even though the element is on for 2 seconds then off for 10 (more or less).

Microwave ovens work the same way, although I have some vague recollection that some fancy models have variable power.

Reply to
Peter A

I'm with the OP. I was just commenting that this kind of thing would be nice to my husband yesterday as I was making our week's dinners. We have a piss-poor glass-topped electric stove. We think it's crappy because it might be low-watt, but don't know for sure. It can't boil a gallon of water unless it's tightly lidded, and even then it takes over a half an hour. Last weekend, I was making a roux, and I really noticed how poor it is there too. I had trouble getting the correct temp to cook the roux - it cooked fine while the burner was on, but all cooking stopped when the burner cycled off. We HATE the thing.

- Sharon "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!"

Reply to
Sharon

Sounds awful, but it has nothing to do with it being electric. A decent electric stove will boil water faster than a gas stove and is usually superior at low-heat cooking. Time for a replacement maybe?

Reply to
Peter A

? "Peter A" ?????? ??? ?????? news: snipped-for-privacy@news-server.nc.rr.com...

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

The problem lies elsewhere.While on a gas range all (or almost all)of the fuel's energy is directly converted to heat, with electricity it has to pass through a number of stages, so the fuel's initial energy is converted to electricity (with an efficiency at best of 33%),transformed up, transmitted, transformed down,distributed,reaching your residence, and transformed finally to heat again)

Reply to
Tzortzakakis Dimitrios

Do you know why they disappeared?It might be just a different implement of the same technology, I think(I mean-the general idea is the same, but appliances differ across the pond).In USA you use 220 volts for the range, don't you?Do you know that european washing machines are front loaded, with a perpendicular drum, and heat the water for cotton white almost up to boil, aka 95 deg.celsius?They used to have some special motor,induction and now have (the better ones-)shunt DC motor.

Reply to
Tzortzakakis Dimitrios

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