I've had a Caso portable induction unit for a couple years now, and it has been a joy to use. I've definitely become an induction believer. Living in an apartment, though, my choices are limited. I cannot replace the old electric coil stove, so I decided to add another portable induction unit to my arsenal. After a good deal of research, I decided on the Waring Commercial WIH400. I just received it today, and my goodness, the quality of construction is fantastic. The case is stainless steel, and the cooking surface is made of the same Schott Ceran glass-ceramic that is used in a lot of built-in cooktops. Here's a picture of it next to my old Caso:
I've run into an unexpected problem, though. The cooking surface of the Waring contains some etching to identify the location of the induction element (similar to all induction units I've seen). The etching does not feel rough to the touch, but after quickly stir frying some vegetables at high heat, I realized that the bottom of the stainless steel pan was significantly more scratched than before. I've stir fried vegetables on my old Caso unit countless times, shaking the pan frequently in the process, and there is only minor scratching on the bottoms of my pans from those experiences.
My best explanation for the difference is that the etching on the Waring unit is more abrasive to a stainless steel surface, even though it does not feel rough to the touch, and the wet cleaning cloth I used on the cooking surface didn't show any signs of abrasion. Has anyone else noticed this problem on a portable or built-in induction range?
Of course, cookware will experience a lot of wear and tear over time, and I expect that. But I was disturbed by how thoroughly scratched the pan was after a single routine stir-fry on this Waring unit. I'd like to avoid abrading the pan at that rate, if possible. Any ideas?
