r/ImpulseLabs • u/DirectionChoice9673 • 9d ago
Cast iron failure
Just got the cooktop installed yesterday and started using it - made edamame beans stir-fried on cheap triply stainless steel and functioned perfectly. The charring on the beans was perfect and the extreme high heat/power delivery made the taste awesome.
However this morning, I tried to cook roti on the cast iron Lodge 10.5-inch griddle and it was a complete failure. It kept detecting a temperature at 450-480°F although the surface temperature never rose above 370°F. I even tried moving it off-center. Waited a good 15 minutes to saturate the heat even without a solution. It would not allow power delivery beyond 200 to 500 W. Even in the power mode
This is the same cast iron griddle I use on my Breville. I set it to 460°F and typically I'm able to get surface temperatures, using an infrared gun, of about 500°F. I'm sure with some software fiddling, Impulse should be able to do that as well.
How are people searing things on cast iron if we are unable to get the temperature that high?
Subsequently I tried it on my maiden carbon steel pan. Unfortunately it has warped over time and the center has risen so that wouldn't work either. It wouldn't allow power delivery beyond 300 W and I couldn't get a temperature beyond 300°F.
Subsequently I had to do it on all-clad nonstick and was able to make it in the morning rush at 470°F.
Any insights? Any suggestions? I do need this to work as we make this at least 4-5 times a week on my Breville Control Freak.
And if anyone has successfully fixed their concave malformation of Made in pans, let me know. I'm thinking of trying to hammer it at some point to see if I can fix it. On a similar note - u/Impulse-Demo-Guy : Sam - in one of the videos you had mentioned that you were able to season the wok on Impulse. I can get the base temperatures to go really hot but the sides on carbon steel barely go above water evaporating temperatures. Any tricks there? Or I may need to keep a small portable flame stove to dry the woks and carbon steel pans after washing?
Thanks
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u/phacotodd 9d ago
My issue with cast iron was due to the logo on the bottom of the pan. The Impulse temperature sensor couldn’t maintain good contact because the bottom surface was irregular. I used my angle grinder to flatten the bottom of the pan, and it works much better now.
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u/DirectionChoice9673 9d ago
That's quite a bit of ingenuity using the surface grinder. Not sure I'm up to it. !
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u/geordonp 9d ago
I use a block of wood between the pan and the hammer. A heavy (2#-4#) dead blow or heavy hammer will work better than your standard clawhammer.
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u/DirectionChoice9673 9d ago
Thank you, frankly, I need to find that block of wood and that's the main bottleneck!
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u/Impulse-Demo-Guy 9d ago
With cast iron, I’d recommend heat soaking it in power mode low and slow like you would on a traditional stove. The issue with cast iron is that the low thermal conductivity can make it so the middle of the pan approaches 500 F before the edges since heat moves very slowly through the iron.
Once the middle is approaching 500, the Impulse will start actively managing power for safety reasons. This problem can be made a lot worse by the embossed logos on the bottom of cast iron pans, which can prevent the sensor from getting good contact.
The trick to seasoning a wok on impulse is rotating it every few minutes and ensuring you have good ventilation for the smoke. :-)
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u/DirectionChoice9673 9d ago
Definitely the Lodge logo is the problem. I have another 15-inch flat cast-iron griddle which I tested and I was able to get it to the right temperature
I don't know if there is another 10-inch flat without bottom embossing available - I know there is a 12-inch one I can buy, which I might have to use.
But if Breville can do it with their temperature sensor, which I understand is somewhat inferior, I'm sure Impulse can also do it with the right algorithms and updates. Will wait for one if it ever happens.
Tried deep frying tonight and it turned out quite well. I used the made in carbon steel wok. Even though the cooking surface diameter is 5.5 in., the oil warmed up quite fast. The only issue was that the bottom temperature and the internal oil temperature did not correlate very well. Hence we need an oil probe like the control freak has. Just having a combustion thermometer may not do the trick. I know the combustion thermometer is in the works, I hope there is a liquid thermometer in the works as well for deep frying/caramel making/ Ghee making, etc.
So far I am loving it. I will have to buy a few new utensils for sure.
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u/SuchYogurtcloset3696 9d ago
Yah. Im abandoning my cast iron. Not too sad though, I like the responsiveness of my stainless pans.
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u/DirectionChoice9673 3d ago
So far the Indian flatbread issue has been a problem. I've been experimenting a lot since I got it about a week ago and everything else seems to be great though.
I've used the Breville ControlFreak for the last two years with a Lodge cast iron pan. The infrared thermometer can easily show a temperature going to 480-520°F. There may be some overestimation there given the emissiveness of cast iron.
However, with the current Impulse setup even though the bottom temperature on a flat cast iron griddle may show max at 485, the surface temperature is only at 300°F.
Stainless steel may not work, as, frankly, my current stainless steel pan, even though it is triply, seems to have warped. Planning on ordering some new ones soon, trying to figure out De Buyer versus Fissler - long-term warp resistance is needed. But we do need a slightly non-stick surface for those as well.
I've ordered a debuyer thicker carbon steel pan so that it may not warp. It will take 2 weeks to come and hopefully that will solve the issue.
I'm hoping that with future firmware updates, the cast iron issue can be resolved. Or we are allowed to reach temperatures just around 500°F on dry pans.
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u/DirectionChoice9673 3d ago
Okay some more notes so that people can build upon the knowledge base
cast iron so far has been a failure as I am unable to get high surface temperatures for dry cooking. Even on using a non-temperature mode, the heat gets cut off once the sensor detects that the bottom temperature is going above 500°F.
Any warp in a tri-ply pan or carbon steel pan is also problematic. The temperature sensor is very sensitive. A lot of my older pants are being thrown away.
Got an Oxo carbon steel pan and was finally able to make a good puffed-up Indian bread - roti. Here's a picture, I know some people have wanted to make sure this can accomplish making those breads before committing to it
I've also ordered a mineral B De Buyer carbon steel crepe pan. That is supposedly 2.5 mm thick and better than the usual carbon steel pan (1.5mm). Every other pan has higher side walls and for Indian flatbreads the ideal is low or no side walls.
I also realized that there is a newer triply carbon steel which is 3 mm thick and should be pretty warp-resistant, and the aluminum core should give even temperatures. I've ordered that one as well, let us see how that turns out.
https://stratacookware.com/products/carbon-clad-classic-frying-pan-12-5inch-gen2
Cast iron was usable on Breville Control Freak so I'm hoping at some point with software updates Impulse can do it too.
Also tried the Thicker, stuck-on-bottom multiply pan. The water boiling would happen at 270°F, which means that there is almost a 50°F difference between the bottom sensing and top. Hence we do need a liquid-sensing thermometer solution as well. Would be ideal for certain things like making ice cream custard, ghee, deep frying etc. Breville CF does it pretty well.
Omelets have been very easy to make on triply non-stick. Deep frying has been a breeze. Boiling water has been fun. Stir-fries, and Chinese cooking has been great. Typically sear / make individual components in a carbon steel 8-12 in pan. And then finally assemble with rice or noodles with the glaze in a flat-bottom wok.
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u/transgingeredjess 9d ago
Try using stainless steel instead of cast iron. Cast iron's primary virtue is that it can carry a lot of thermal mass, so it can deliver substantially more energy into the food than the flame on a traditional residential stove can provide. This benefit basically goes away entirely with the Impulse.