so we bought a new cooktop last year to replace the electric Jenn-Air and ended up going with another glass-top radiant (not induction). not the 1st choice, but not our last house and other options simply too involved. anyway, it's a bear to keep clean and too easy to scratch with my old cast iron, so I recently picked up one of those portable induction units. I have larger skillets in both cast iron and an all-clad that work on it, but my little 8" non-stick (the only teflon pan in the house!) isn't ferrous and doesn't so I'm getting something in that size and trying to decide between a stainless clad, a cast iron, or maybe a carbon steel, which I've never owned. I'm interested in the latter but a little concerned that it might be thin and prone to warping on the induction plate which requires a perfectly flat surface, and also has a smaller heating element than it appears (i.e. one can set a 12" skillet on it, but the actual source of heat--er, electro-magnetic energy--is 6 or 7 inches). Can't recall any discussion along these lines, so open to suggestions. As much as I dig the cast and carbon options for the seasoned surfaces they develop, I'm leaning to an all-clad. My only piece, a 12" fry pan is pretty impressive.


btw in the last few days, I have bought --all because of discussion on vsalon--1) a silky saw 2) an aeropress, and am pretty close, but think I'll hold off on 3) Instant Pot. way too much info on nice stuff here, things that I can and have lived without, but dang.... at least it's not a dogma...