[sam003]

Looking for following
1. Built- in Microwave
2. Built-in Oven

which make and model is good. And any choices.

And regarding refrigerators any one bought Panasonic, how good is service and product.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by meerkat

Do you have any concrete data in support of this assertion?. I'd think it would be cheaper to use a microwave for reheating for the following reasons:

1. It doesn't spend much energy in heating the environment (utensils, air etc.), and is streets ahead compared to gas in this respect.

2. It takes less time.

3. One needs less pots/dishes for reheating + serving. Having to clean those extra things means extra cost to me!

As far as I'm concerned, nothing else even comes close to microwave for reheating food.

I made a comparison some time back LPG vs Microwave vs Induction (before going in for a "authorized" LPG connection, I don't have it with me right now, but let me try once again):

1. Calorific value of LPG = 46.1 MJ/kg
Price of LPG ~Rs 410 for 14.2 kg (=28.9 Rs/kg)
Which means we pay Rs 0.6 for each MJ of heat supplied by LPG.
HOWEVER, since flame heating comes with convective and radiative losses (about 60%), only 40% is used to actually heat food.

Which makes the Rs/MJ value of 0.6/0.4 = 1.5


2. What is the price of electricity?
About Rs 5 per kWh (known as "unit"). Converting this to MJ (1 kWh = 3.6 MJ)
We pay Rs 1.4 per MJ of heat supplied by electricity.

HOWEVER, typical microwave is not 100% efficient, (1100 W oven supplies 700 W microwave = 64% efficiency)
Therefore only 64% is used to heat the food.

This the Rs/MJ figure of 1.5/0.64 = 2.2

In case of induction the efficiencies improve to about 80%. And thus the Rs/MJ figure becomes 1.5/0.8 = 1.7

have taken Wikipedia figures for efficiencies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inducti...nmental_impact
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwa...ing_efficiency


And I have not included the inefficiencies of generating electricity at the power plants (about 40%).
The LPG is directly burned for heat. Microwave and Induction plates use electricity which required coal or gas to be burned at the power plant. (add the transmission losses - at least 10-15% in India)

So environmentally LPG/NG is definitely more green than microwave and induction.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@Thad; I used pans for scrambled eggs for ages, then tried microwave and have been hooked ever since. Maybe something to do with the technique. Mix egg & milk and a dot of butter. Microwave for 1 minute. Then use a fork to mix it up, add a decent dab of butter. Then again for a minute and allow to cool for another minute. Again whisk a bit with a fork and you are done.

I have had many bad experiences of British-cafe microwaved scrambled eggs --- but your technique is much more sophisticated. No doubt it produces much better results. Thanks for the recipe

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I have had many bad experiences of British-cafe microwaved scrambled eggs --- but your technique is much more sophisticated. No doubt it produces much better results. Thanks for the recipe

Cafe stuff may for all you know be with powdered eggs! I have been using my trick for over 25 years,

[dkaile]

Something for the kitchen this month -

Kaff Cooking Range KSQ 60 - http://kaff.in/templ...t.php?pr_id=167 Made in Germany product. MRP 44990/-. Got it for 41000/-



Kaff Chimney - http://kaff.in/templ...ct.php?pr_id=11 MRP 18990/- Got it for 12500/-



Kaff Cooktop - http://kaff.in/templ...t.php?pr_id=102 MRP 9490/- Got it for 8000/-

[drchernish]

Was there any specific need for cooking range since you already ordered a cook top? You could have got a built in oven under the counter.

[Thad E Ginathom]

That is all nice stuff ...but there is an essential design fault. It is the same on almost every range/stove I see: there is no all-round pan support.

It is the same on my Kaff kook top, and I am only too aware of how easily pans can fall off. I suspect design by some one who never cooks!

[sgiitk]

dhiraj; Thanks fo the info that Kaff now also have cooking ranges. Earlier it was component systems only. My Faber was bought in 1999 and maybe one of these days I may think of replacing it.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by drchernish

Was there any specific need for cooking range since you already ordered a cook top? You could have got a built in oven under the counter.

Our kitchen had a built in space for a cooking range and the old one needed replacement as it was nearly 25 years old. Also LPG ovens are said to be more efficient and cost effective than electric ones. And with the state of power outages in UP, a LPG one is always a safer bet. This one comes with a rotisserie, timer, auto ignition, grill, light and all the works. Also my wife is spoilt by working on 2 x 4 hobs since our kitchen's inception in 1991 , hence the need for 2 hobs.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

dhiraj; Thanks fo the info that Kaff now also have cooking ranges. Earlier it was component systems only. My Faber was bought in 1999 and maybe one of these days I may think of replacing it.

Thanks. Kaff has 3 cooking range models. 2 are of 60cm width and 1 of 90cm width according to your needs. Out of these 2 are Made in Germany products while 1 is assembled here.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

That is all nice stuff ...but there is an essential design fault. It is the same on almost every range/stove I see: there is no all-round pan support.

It is the same on my Kaff kook top, and I am only too aware of how easily pans can fall off. I suspect design by some one who never cooks!

Thanks. You can very well see the round pan support on the cooking range. They have given a separate attachment for that to be placed on top of the normal burner.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks. You can very well see the round pan support on the cooking range. They have given a separate attachment for that to be placed on top of the normal burner.

You mean the one for larger, round-bottom pans? Yes, I know about that, and use it on my own Kaff cook top. What I mean is that there is no protection front, back and sides, and if you move a pan off-centre, it can fall. I speak from experience.

There are also the small square supports, as in top-right-burner of your cook top. These are useful for small pans, but not for large.

I suspect that designers work with the brief to i) save materials and ii) make something that looks pretty. Every time I look at these products I look for an exception, seldom finding one. This makes it a problem for me to post an example of what I mean, but if I do find one, I will.

EDIT: Even looking at the website of my favourite UK store still leaves me dissatisfied with the designs, but this one gives much better support

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

but this one gives much better support

That one would work only on flat bottom utensils because there is bar bang in the centre of four of them. Round bottom ones would not at all be stable on that as far as I can tell from their design. I think this Kaff design is much better for round bottom ones which we predominantly use in India. And we are used to such cooktops design since ages without issues.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yes, Good points. In fact, I don't like that bar straight across either.

Round-bottom pans are much less likely to fall when placed on cross or star supports, but I'm amazed at the lack of corner support on hobs on that UK site, where flat bottoms are the order of the day. (Err... pans, I mean!)

[manolin]

Originally Posted by guptavis

Your last statement does not seem correct. In my understanding, microwave heats fluids better and faster than solids. ie microwaves heat the water molecules (moisture) in food, this is what heats or cooks the entire volume of food. solids are not as quickly heated by mwave.

I think the bigger problem is the splashing caused by boiling liquids/curries in a microwave. Cleaning a microwave is just so painful.

[Dr.Sumit Bhatti]

Originally Posted by mercedised

Need a microwave oven, I have shortlisted

http://www.flipkart.com/lg-mc-8082pr...uery=lg%208082

I am a complete noob in microwave cooking so please advice. The oven should have good ergonomics, I mean buikt-in menus. How usefule are they?

Hi. After going through the specs of a lot of microwaves, a new Panasonic without a turn-table (that's an interesting story- earlier ones did not have turn-tables!), basic ones, swing doors, drop down doors, ceramic coatings, steam clean and so on, I selected this LG MJ3281BCG Microwave: http://www.lg.com/in/microwave-ovens/lg-MJ3281BCG. It's worth a look.

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by alpha1

...

So environmentally LPG/NG is definitely more green than microwave and induction.

Good math over there. However LPG is a fossil fuel and unless you consider the ecological impact and efficiency of manufacturing LPG from crude oil and distribution, the comparison is not complete. More than 90% of LPG supplied in India are through cylinders and not piped. That causes cumulative impact due to filling, storing and transporting them. Electricity distribution costs are mostly fixed. Then comes the cost of subsidy for LPG in India. We should consider the actual cost of LPG, for example the private gas costs more than double of the subsidized ones. In addition to all, burning LPG releases CO2 which has significant impact on global warming.