WATTS explained

[Nxkharra]

Hi all, specially electrical engineers or know hows. We just purchased an induction cooktop. It has choices for Watt from 300 up to 1800, and temperature setting from 150 up to 450. It also has a timer.
My question is if I have a choice of temperature setting for the cooking then what is the Watt selection is for? Does it make the cooking time faster?


Itasca Meridian 36M, 2013. Jeep Wrangler X, 2009
Full Timer from Norfolk VA

[tim myers]

More Watts = more heat. 1 watt = 3.414 btu's most microwaves AR in the 800 to 1200 watt range for reference and most domestic ovens are in the 12000 watt range

[Old-Biscuit]

Watt settings.....allows you you choose a 'power' setting for those interested in calculating amp draw
IE: 300W/120V=2.5A 1800W/120V=15A

[Nxkharra]

So if I have the temperature on 450 and watt of 1800 I get more heat compared to temperature setting of 450 and watt setting of 1000?
If yes why the temperature is the same on both case?

Sorry but watt and volts are confusing to me.


Itasca Meridian 36M, 2013. Jeep Wrangler X, 2009
Full Timer from Norfolk VA

[docj]

Most induction burners are set up so that they can be either controlled by power level or temperature. For example, if you want to simmer a pot you can either adjust the power setting until you get the simmering action you are looking for or you can adjust the temperature to around 210 degrees and get the same effect.

Generally, the more expensive induction units have more power and temperature selections which offer finer control over how the device operates.

We use our induction burner nearly every day and most of the time we use it in the "power" mode where we are adjusting the "watts". This is the way you are accustomed to controlling regular stove burners.

However, when we fry bacon we do use the burner in the temperature mode or otherwise it tends to overheat and turn off. By controlling it to 400 degrees we can get bacon crisp without too much trouble.

[Old-Biscuit]

Can't select a watt setting AND a temperature setting

One or the other.......
Watt (power) or TEMP (Heat)

[Dennis_K]

With our True 1800 watt induction cooktop we have found that the Temperature settings never seem to work as expected. We always use the "Level" settings. With practice you will learn what settings are best for what you are cooking.

[beaverfever]

there is 746 watts per i horse power. so i guess it depends on how much of the horse you wish to cook,
sorry i couldn't resist. sold electric motors for years and would get phone calls with this question all the time. people would think they were calling the power company

[MSHappyCampers]

If you're using the True Induction cooktop you'll notice in their advertising they claim to provide "up to" 1800 watts, but I haven't found anyone that gets 1800 watts!

The first one I got would only produce 1250 watts. I returned it and the replacement produces about 1650 watts, which is fine. No problem cooking with it.

Just wanted you to be aware that the 1800 watts claim is somewhat of a "stretch"!

[Nxkharra]

How do you measure what the watt output is?


Itasca Meridian 36M, 2013. Jeep Wrangler X, 2009
Full Timer from Norfolk VA

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Nxkharra

How do you measure what the watt output is?

Water takes a set amount of watts to heat up so they can take a known volume of water and time how long it takes to heat it to a specified temp. That's a very general methodology.

[docj]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Water takes a set amount of watts to heat up so they can take a known volume of water and time how long it takes to heat it to a specified temp. That's a very general methodology.

Not too be overly fussy, but a known amount of water will take a specific number of joules, not watts, to heat up a specific number of degrees. Watts is a measure of power (joules per second), but the water heats because energy (joules) is applied to it.

But you are basically correct, by measuring how long it takes the water to heat up a certain amount you can determine the power that was being supplied in that time period.

[Nxkharra]

Sorry but can I ask for more elaboration. Why do we have both temperature setting and watt setting?
Please not too technical.


Itasca Meridian 36M, 2013 - Jeep Wrangler X 2009

[CoCoDave]

Originally Posted by Nxkharra

Sorry but can I ask for more elaboration. Why do we have both temperature setting and watt setting?
Please not too technical.

Here's a whack at it.

Watts are an expression of electrical power. For your purposes watts are found by multiplying voltage by current. This can vary by certain factors such as is it AC or DC voltage but for your situation think of it as volts times amps.

When you adjust for a given number of watts your appliance is going to attempt to keep a given amount of current (amps) flowing through the induction element. It's not going to care about temperature. Temperature can/will vary based on mass of cooking vessel and its contents as well as ambient temperature. It may get too hot or not hot enough for your needs of the moment. But this is the way the standard stove tops normally behave.

When you adjust for temperature the appliance is going to regulate current thermostatically. When the temperature of the element falls below the set level current will be increased until it rises above level set by the control that you adjust.

The appliance can simply switch power on and off to maintain temperature like your furnace does or, depending on sophistication of your appliance, vary the current constantly and proportionally to the changes of the element's temperature.

This all presupposes that voltage is constant which it should be within a reasonable range depending on quality of power supplied by the park, generator, etc.

HTH