• 0 Posts
  • 46 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
Cake day: June 14th, 2023
  • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.worldtoTechnology@lemmy.world•*Permanently Deleted*English
    13·
    20 days ago

    It isn’t just corporations that have ruined everything, it’s spammers and scammers and cybercriminals too. Searching any topic these days is a crapshoot, with a high likelihood of falling into a spammer’s tarpit.

    To me it feels like the internet is evolving into a virtual Dark Forest. We float around in these little bubbles of sanity, hiding amid a yawning expanse of seething chaos.

  • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.worldtoFirefox@lemmy.ml•The poll is over, and the result is clear:
    3·
    27 days ago

    We’re talking about two different things here.

    Actually trying to end world hunger vs pushing a button and having it happen. The former is really hard and probably way beyond the means of any individual, no matter how wealthy. The fact that Elon promised to do it is only evidence of his extreme ego, not his ability nor his ethics (which his donation to himself calls into question).

    If he could push a button and end world poverty at a nominal cost of $xxx billion, I think he would do it. But to actually put in the work over a lifelong project which has a high potential to fail? I don’t for a second believe he’s capable of that. But who is?

  • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.worldtoVideos@lemmy.world•Induction cooking - but what about woks?
    4·
    1 month ago

    I have carbon steel and stainless steel, as well as cast iron. I don’t use nonstick whatsoever. It is well known that induction doesn’t perform well with carbon steel. The issue is carbon steel’s poor heat conductivity which makes it very difficult for heat to spread up the sides of the pan. Gas doesn’t have this issue because the flames and hot gases wrap around the sides of the pan and heat them directly. Having hot pan sides is critical to prevent the eggs from sticking when you tilt the pan to roll up a French omelette.

    As for warping? Just search on YouTube. There’s tons of videos showing how easy it is to warp a pan on induction: just use high heat. This is never an issue on gas because of the superior evenness of heating, so you can crank gas as high as you want. Yes, you can turn the induction heat way down to avoid warping but then your performance and responsiveness goes out the window and you spend a ton of time waiting around for the pan to preheat.

    Another issue is when you’re searing meats, frying eggs, or sauteeing veggies and basting by spooning hot fat over them. To do this you need to tilt the pan at an angle so the fat pools on one side and then rapidly baste the food. Unfortunately, induction burners stop heating as you try to lift and tilt the pan. Plus the sides of the pan aren’t getting hot so the fat cools when it reaches the sides of the pan as you tilt. You can still do the technique but it’s much slower, clumsier, and less effective without gas (which continues heating no matter how you tilt the pan).

    Here’s some videos on the technique:

    Steak

    Eggs

  • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.worldtoVideos@lemmy.world•Induction cooking - but what about woks?
    81·
    1 month ago

    I wouldn’t exactly call it niche if you’re an Asian family who cooks with a wok every day. Yes, Technology Connections videos are heavily focused on the North American market because this is where Alec’s audience is largely from.

    North Americans love gas stoves because of how simple and performant they are. North Americans also tend to have a fascination with wanting to cook with professional, restaurant-grade equipment (including ultra-expensive Sub Zero refrigerators and freezers, for some reason).

    Having said all that, induction cooktops are still pretty niche in North America because large ones with large cooking surfaces that can handle large pans (without creating intense hot spots that literally warp and destroy your pans) are insanely expensive here ($4000++). Even the best Wolf professional induction ranges cannot do what a gas range does with carbon steel pans: heat the bottom and sides of the pan evenly. You always get intense heat where the bottom of the pan makes contact and then the sides are hundreds of degrees cooler, which means your French omelettes stick to the sides of the pan and get ruined.

    This induction wok device from the video is cute but it only works with woks that are the exact same shape as the one included with the device. A carbon steel pan with a flat bottom and gently sloped sides won’t work at all with this thing.

    See, the thing Alec complains about with gas stoves (the flames going around the pan and heating up the room) is actually a feature for people who know how to cook and want their pans to heat evenly and perform really well. There’s no electric stove on the market (radiant or induction) that can replicate this!