Yes, it is: It's just a smooth glass surface. I believe the glass top (and the controls) are exactly the same as for the regular electric model, though.

When we got the cooktop we had some problems with the controls and the elements not being close enough to the glass. The controls work by static electricity; you touch the glass and a sensor underneath it detects your finger. This sometimes leads to problems if the surface gets wet (common when cooking or cleaning) - it causes all the controls to go into "error" mode and shut off the elements. This also happens when objects are placed on top of the controls, which happens a lot because the stovetop is safe to use as a counter!

The heating elements detect when there is a ferrous object on top of them and refuse to switch on if there isn't. This was a problem when they were a little too far from the glass and we were using something that was not flat on the bottom (a cast-iron griddle). It got better after they repaired the problem with the controls, but now I have a gas grill so I don't use that thing much.

It is very nice to be able to use cast iron on the stovetop, but to get the most efficient use out of your induction stovetop, you need to use special "induction ready" pots that are perfectly flat on the bottom. They don't have any curvature on the bottom edge. Non-ferrous pots (e.g. aluminum and copper) won't work at all.

Nancy, the eggs sound like a great idea. BTW, the thread you linked to on eGullet is very interesting -- and long!

I took it out after 30.5 hours. It's a good thing I did too because the threads of ziplock seal were disintegrating. The pieces of chuck fell apart as I tried to remove them from the bag. There's tons of flavorful liquid. Surprisingly, the beef has a dark, dark exterior as if it had been seared, which it was not. The meat is very flavorful but not particularly juicy. Of course my method was imprecise. The fennel seed was particularly delicious with the meat. I would use a little more next time.

When I finished it in a sautee pan, it got an incredible crispy crust. This would be a great way to cook cubes of meat for hash or for soup (with a shorter cooking time), but it was overcooked for pot roast. It was either too hot or too long or both. I think it's destined to become great roast beef hash. I'll add the juices to some soup.

Interesting! I love the idea of fennel seeds, I'm going to try it in my pork roast. So 30.5 might have been too long. Maybe 20ish?

It's hard to say. Maybe 20. Remember, they say you need to cut to to a maximum of 70 mm (2.75 in) thick. I think that's part of the reason that its juices ended up in the bag rather than in the meat.

I love fennel seed.

You're going to get some juice in the bag, there's no avoiding that. If the bag is vacuumed sealed it tends to stay closer to the meat though. And the higher the temperature the more juice comes out. But then you use that to make a sauce!

I gotta say ... I just made the best hash I've ever had using that pot roast. I sauteed a few tablespoons of diced onion in some of the fat, added 5 ounces cubed pot roast, some herbs and a big minced clove of garlic. Wow. Somehow that overcooked meat is getting a crispy crust that I've never achieved using any other method. Definitely worth repeating.

Wow! That sounds great!

I'm getting closer to perfecting custard. Just made a chocolate raspberry one, too sweet and the texture was a little loose. Probably needs a bit higher temperature.

I also made baby carrots tonight. I put in bacon fat and tarragon. Cooked around 185 for a couple hours. They were overcooked. I really could use some guidance on cooking veg. I was afraid the tarragon would be too strong but it wasn't at all, in fact could barely taste it.

I've been enjoying my hamburgers sous vide too!

Ok, decided today was time to try the pork roast. Unfortunately I didn't consult the recipe until I was ready to stick it in the sv pot and it needs 6-12 hours of brining! Bleh! Fine, it is in the brine. I used xylitol instead of sugar thinking it might be sort of anti-bacterial, although I didn't use that much... kind of afraid of the side effects. Not that much really sticks to the roast.

I'm thinking of these flavors:

Fennel
Cumin
Onion and Garlic powder
S&P

Hey, did using whole pepper corns work ok in your pot roast? Did you taste the pepper?

I can't remember ever putting fennel seed and cumin together. I love both but never thought of it. The Flavor Bible says it works.

I didn't really taste the peppercorns, overtly anyway. I only used 4 for four pounds of meat. I was afraid of the flavors concentrating so I was cautious.

I haven't even got 1/4 of the way through that thread on eGullet, but the posts I've read have people doing veggies 30 - 45 minutes.

I tried the eggs but got caught up in something I was doing and let them go way too long -- not great. I need to try again, being more careful.

Hmmm... it shouldn't matter how long the eggs go as long as the temperature doesn't get too high.

What did they end up like?

I never think to look in the flavor bible!

Ok, I ground up corriander, fennel, pepper and I think I added cumin, but I might have forgotten! I had the bottle out... Anyway, also used garlic and onion powder. No salt since it was brined. Now 24 hours in a 155 sv.

Ooooh! I hope it comes out good!

That's what I thought.


The whites were luscious and creamy. The yolks were still translucent throughout, but hard like hard-boiled. They also developed that ugly gray/green ring around them like you see on overcooked hard-boiled eggs. The hard-but-translucent yolks were sticky and stuck first to my spoon and then to my teeth. Eggs are delicate.


Sounds good. That combination is common in Indian food. Maybe it will come out tasting Indian? I thought you would go for something African ....

I would've but been too busy to investigate! Shame about the eggs.

Oh! Thought of something... what's your thermometer like? A probe on a wire? Maybe the eggs should be lifted off the bottom of the pan. I do that for custard. I put a heavy ceramic bowl in upside down because the bottom of the pot is hotter than the top. And I'd probably go by the temperature of the pot towards the bottom.

The pork shoulder came out nicely! There was a ton of broth but it's unusable because I brined the shoulder so it was way too salty. The texture is firm, but not too firm and unlike pork shoulder cooked in a crockpot it's not mushy and not grey! Horray! It's a tiny bit too salty, so next time I brine I'll use less salt. The spices are good, quite subtle, I can't really pick any any particular spice.

Overall I'm pleased. It isn't the amazing transformation like a cheap steak is but miles ahead of using a slow cooker.