Cooking on coil tops taught me a weird respect for them

In my first kitchen job, we only had those clunky electric stoves with the glowing rings. I learned to judge heat by watching how fast a drop of water sizzled away. Most chefs now would call me crazy, but I still believe they're perfect for slowly melting chocolate without a double boiler.

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jordanb807mo ago

That weird respect is just old tools teaching patience.

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kevin1797mo ago

Weird respect... that's one way to put it. My old coil stove just taught me how to burn stuff real slow and even. I guess that's a skill. Paying attention mostly meant smelling the smoke and running over. I'll take my cheat codes and my un-burnt sauce any day.

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grantjones7mo ago

Read a chef's memoir where he argued that coil tops force you to learn the basics in a way modern induction never will. It's not just patience, it's building a real feel for heat transfer without any digital numbers to cheat with. That slow, even heat is actually why they're so good for tasks like that chocolate melting you mentioned. I mean, you have to pay attention instead of just setting a timer. Maybe it's just me but that grounding feels kinda lost now.

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