Vandweller Forum

This isn't in regard to anything in particular, I'm just wondering.

I was making spaghetti last night, and a neighbor called and wanted to tell me about his new dog.  The water had just hit boiling, so I turned it down, because the guy is a talker.  And that created this question.
 
If I have a large pot of water and want it to boil, I turn it on med-high.  The electric meter starts running.  After a while, I turn it down to between Low and Medium.  Does it use the same amount of power at medium-low as it does at med-high?  Or does the electric meter just understand ON and OFF?

(It's really great to have people here who know this stuff!)

The burner should come up to a temperature and shut off until it cools to below that temperature before turning back on. This is unit specific of course but most electric stoves are not like gas stoves with consistent heat below the high setting. With mine I can hear the click as the burner comes on and off maintaining the temperature.

Pretty sure it does not lower wattage, but just assumes an on off duty cycle to mimick a lower heat setting.

And is why I dislike skillet cooking on electric.

Yep. Changes how long it's on vs. off as it cycles. It does save electrons.

The higher the temp you try to maintain , the more electricity it will use...
A higher setting uses more electricity but heats faster.
The meters measure how many watts and for how long it's using it.
Electricity is billed in Kwh.
Kwh = Kilowatt Hours = 1000 watts for an hour
OR
500 watts for 2 hours , 100 watts for 10 hours ,,,,etc.

So...how did the spaghetti turn out?

I loves me some ba-sketti......

It came out fine. It's always fine since I discovered Frontier pizza seasoning. YUM!

Just as a side point. Once the pasta is in the water, and it is at a full rolling boil....you can turn it off and cover it. It will coast to done. No need to keep the water at a boil.

(One of the few lessons I learned in cooking class).

I'll try that next time! Thanks!