Electric Stoves and cast iron

[Guardian]

It looks like I'm in the market for a new stove. Does anyone have any experience with using cast iron cookware on an electric stove top? Does it normally take FOREVER for the cast iron to heat up, or is this just because we have a very old stove?

I hate to go plop down $500.00-$1000.00 for a new stove, only to find out it still takes almost an hour to heat up a cast iron skillet and/or grill.

 

[pete02]

I have an electric stove and cook with cast iron Guardian. The pan heats up within a minute depending on what temp I set.

The only thing you could try that comes to mind is replacing the stove top coils. They're relatively cheap and easy to replace if that's all that's wrong with it.

 

[Guardian]

I have an electric stove and cook with cast iron Guardian. The pan heats up within a minute depending on what temp I set.

Really? Wow....ok I could live with that :)

The only thing you could try that comes to mind is replacing the stove top coils. They're relatively cheap and easy to replace if that's all that's wrong with it.

I tried that first, right after we moved in, and it didn't make much difference. :(

 

[Jacques]

I have an electric stove and cook with cast iron Guardian. The pan heats up within a minute depending on what temp I set.

Same thing for me except that it takes 5 minutes to be very hot.

 

[Nicholas]

Same here. On medium heat, my 10" cast iron skillet is ready in less than 5 minutes.

 

[Guardian]

When you're cooking meat on the stove top do you just keep flipping it to make up for the fact that it doesn't have a hot top like the George Foremen grill?

 

[RedFox]

Or maybe this one? Any opinions on these grills? For me food is a time thing. I take meat out of the fridge, throw it in the grill, and when it smells right, I eat it. I'm VERY defendant on the grill because I hate the microwave...it's always bothered me, makes me itch if I'm in the room.

http://www.buy.com/prod/waring-large-italian-style-panini-grill-tostato-supremo-flat-cast-iron/q/sellerid/16111072/loc/66357/212994478.html

_http://cgi.ebay.com/LANG-PANINI-GRILL-ELECTRIC-/160588114309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2563cc2985
_http://cgi.ebay.com/Lang-Panini-Grill-Electric-PB-24-Double-/150601460240?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23108bea10
_http://cgi.ebay.com/LANG-PB-24-PANNI-GRILL-/130521483352?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e63afc858
Used cast iron grills similar to the one above for under $300 (shipping may be heavy though). Check the voltage though, says it needs 208/230v single phase.

Or a smaller one that's new and uses 120v for over $300 (shipping is estimated at $140)
_http://cgi.ebay.com/FMA-PANINI-SANDWICH-GRILL-FLAT-TOP-BOTTOM-9-75-X10-5-/380334299617?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588db0d9e1

When you're cooking meat on the stove top do you just keep flipping it to make up for the fact that it doesn't have a hot top like the George Foremen grill?

I tend to flip it a few times, you'll probably want to flip it at least once.

*edit* as those grills are for panini's, I didn't notice any spill trays for fat draining off, just a heads up.

 

[pete02]

Yeah I flip my steaks too. No more than two or three times tho. Usually I can cook a steak in under ten minutes on medium heat.

 

[Jacques]

Yeah I flip my steaks too. No more than two or three times tho. Usually I can cook a steak in under ten minutes on medium heat.

Idem for me. And the time of cooking will vary according to the thickness of the meat and the way you want to eat it (rare, medium...)

 

[mcb]

It looks like I'm in the market for a new stove. Does anyone have any experience with using cast iron cookware on an electric stove top? Does it normally take FOREVER for the cast iron to heat up, or is this just because we have a very old stove?

I hate to go plop down $500.00-$1000.00 for a new stove, only to find out it still takes almost an hour to heat up a cast iron skillet and/or grill.

I haven't had to use an electric stove for several years now, and I didn't try it with cast iron cookware, but it really shouldn't matter whether you use gas or electric. Electric will take longer to heat up, but not that much longer, and it has more residual heat (the heat doesn't stop when you turn the burner off) but not nearly as much as a cast iron pan does (they just keep on cooking, even on a gas stove).

What matters is the energy output of the burner. It may not be the age of the burners that is the issue, but the overall wattage of the range. There is a good reason that full-sized electric ranges (and ovens) have those large 240V plugs. With everything turned on, there is a lot of current flowing and the higher voltage helps keep the wiring (apart from the burner itself) from overheating by reducing the current by half from what would be needed at 120V. In a range, though, the circuit has to be able to power all of the burners at once and that limits the capacity of any one burner even more.

Do you have 240V wiring in your place? Otherwise the best you can do is probably a 1500W single burner unit that you plug in to a circuit that is not being used by anything else. (For example, _http://www.amazon.com/Deni-16310-Stainless-Steel-1500-Watt-Tabletop/dp/B001AQERQG)

 

[Guardian]

*edit* as those grills are for panini's, I didn't notice any spill trays for fat draining off, just a heads up.

Thanks Redfox...since these cost as much as a good used stove, I think I'm going to go with a new (used) stove. My roommate absolutely hates the one we've got. Evidently the oven temp thing doesn't work either. She has to use a hanging temp gauge and wing it.

 

[Guardian]

Do you have 240V wiring in your place? Otherwise the best you can do is probably a 1500W single burner unit that you plug in to a circuit that is not being used by anything else. (For example, _http://www.amazon.com/Deni-16310-Stainless-Steel-1500-Watt-Tabletop/dp/B001AQERQG)

It looks like it's plugged into a 220 outlet, and on its own 20 amp circuit. We do have an electrician living on the property so we can rewire if we need to.

I've been reading and I'm thinking it's a voltage issue too. If the outlet is delivering enough voltage, it could be the wiring in the stove is just breaking down...this stove is at least 25-30 years old?

Edited to add: Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure it's the wiring in the stove, I just reached in and grabbed one of the wires and it SNAPPED in my hand. Insulation is not supposed to do that

 

[mcb]

Do you have 240V wiring in your place? Otherwise the best you can do is probably a 1500W single burner unit that you plug in to a circuit that is not being used by anything else. (For example, _http://www.amazon.com/Deni-16310-Stainless-Steel-1500-Watt-Tabletop/dp/B001AQERQG)

It looks like it's plugged into a 220 outlet, and on its own 20 amp circuit. We do have an electrician living on the property so we can rewire if we need to.

I've been reading and I'm thinking it's a voltage issue too. If the outlet is delivering enough voltage, it could be the wiring in the stove is just breaking down...this stove is at least 25-30 years old?

How many burners do you have? If it draws a maximum of 15 amps from a 220V source (wouldn't want to push the circuit to its maximum, generally), that is a limit of 3300 watts for the entire range. If there are 4 burners, that would average 825 watts per burner (if some elements are smaller and some larger then they will be rated less or more than this amount).

In contrast, the main "power burner" on my gas range, the one I use with my cast iron skillet, is rated at 16,000 BTU/hr which, if I converted it correctly, is equivalent to 4686 watts. I usually preheat the skillet at medium and cook at lower settings, so it seems like 2000 watts would be about right, with maybe 3000 or so for higher-temperature sauteing (full-on 16,000 BTUs isn't useful for much of anything except rapid preheating and boiling, and perhaps cremating small animals and plants).

If you have a 2-burner range then that should give you about 1650 watts per burner, which would be a little low for preheating but OK for medium-low cooking (which is where I do most of mine). Since the problem was that it was taking a long time to heat up, this might well explain it. What I do, though in the morning, typically, is preheat at medium low (equivalent to ~1500 watts or so) while I am getting things out of the refrigerator and otherwise setting up. It does take a long time to heat, but that way I don't have to worry about being a little groggy and accidentally letting all those BTUs heat my favorite pan to glowing (though the smell usually would let me know).

 

[Guardian]

[How many burners do you have?

4...two large and two smaller. Now that I'm looking at this thing, I'm wondering why it hasn't already caught fire. ALL the wiring is stiff and brittle ...and I'm already looking in the IWANNA paper for a replacement.

Thanks so much for the info ...it will help me choose a new (used one) We can get anything that will fit in the cut out since I plan to have Bill at least check, if not replace, the romex running to it. We have plenty of room in the panel box for new circuits since the box and much of the wiring have already been replaced.

 

[3DStudent]

I have an electric stove and cook with cast iron Guardian. The pan heats up within a minute depending on what temp I set.

Same thing for me except that it takes 5 minutes to be very hot.

We have a glasstop range and it takes about 5 minutes to heat a cast iron pan well. The good thing about a glasstop is that when you're done, it doubles as a counter :P. And I have fried pork shoulder steaks on it, but I flip them like every two minutes. I didn't know you could get by with just a few flips, I'm not much of a griller.