Using the Rinnai Burner Hob

Related Posts
1 Using the Rinnai Burner Hob
2 Rinnai Inner Flame Technology
3 Review:Rinnai 2-Burner Hob RB-2CG

Rinnai Burner Hob RB-2CG
After Citygas turned on the gas supply to the apartment, I tested the Rinnai burner.

Initially the burner failed to light as there was no spark ignition, no matter what I did. I called Rinnai service center (Tel: 67489011) and a lady named Sarah attended to me. She suggested replacing the battery. So simple solution, made me embarassed! I took out the battery and put it back again. That fixed the problem. Maybe the contact points were bad. I turned on the burner.

My immediate reaction was: "wah, so hot...!"

Inner flame burner really burns hot!

Seems the inner flame burner gives a hotter fire, and I could feel the heat of the flame even as I stepped back. The reason is obvious: the burner puts out a vortex of fire that is focused and directed towards a smaller spot, unlike conventional burners where the flame is directed outwards around the rim.

Rinnai inner flame burner

Incidentally, Sarah from Rinnai confirmed the ceran glasstop, same as the hob itself, is guaranteed for only 1 year. This was contrary to what the Rinnai rep at the

Citygas showroom told me: she said the Schott ceran glasstop came with lifetime warranty, when I enquired about breakage. A replacement would set me back $300, though Sarah mentioned she had not received any customer complaint yet of the glasstop shattering. Maybe that was because she was only in her job for 9 months. Well, time will tell.

In any event, despite no lifetime warranty for the ceran glass, my impression of the inner flame hob is still positive. I don't think Rinnai will continue to produce the ceran glasstop model for sale if the breakage rate has been bad. We shall see.

ADDENDUM
15-May-08 : Some readers wrote in to ask our experience with the Rinnai inner flame hob burner. After using the burner for two weeks now, we can say - we love it!

With only two burners on the hob, the hob was a breeze to clean. The trivets were easy to take out and wash under the tap if needed, and overall it was easy to maintain the hob.

Owing to its inner flame vortex, we found we could turn the flame down to a very

low level without extinguishing the flame, or worrying that a sudden gust of wind would blow out the fire. The inward directed and focused nature of the vortex jet simply kept the fire going. Simmering under low heat was not an issue.

Secondly, maybe it was our imagination, but we felt water boiled quicker and Basmati rice definitely cooked much faster compared to our previous Elba burner. The fire was hot and the heat could be felt from a distance.

Maybe it was too soon to make a call. But we found the Rinnai hob burned very cleanly, with no soot. All our pots and pans showed no sooty bottom after cooking on the Rinnai hob with the inner flame. We think Rinnai's vortex jet "pulls" in air to burn the gas more completely. As a result the fire is hotter and burns with a blue flame. Gas that is incompletely burned will burn with a yellow flame.

Third, it seemed the Rinnai hob was made specifically with Asian cooking in mind. Woks could be placed directly on the Rinnai burner without requiring a wok trivet, like with my old Elba hob. That made for a cleaner burner hob that is easier to keep clean.

The only thing that had some issue was turning on the burner. We had to turn the knob fully anti-clockwise, hold for a few seconds, then release the knob gently. Otherwise the flame would be extinguished when the knob was released. It needed getting used to.

UPDATE: 14-May-11
Several readers pm'ed they were a bit disconcerted at the 'apparent' difficulty in turning on the fire when they tried to use the hob. I then explained an easy method to turn on the flame:

1 - Push down the burner flame knob and gently turn anti-clockwise until you reach resistance i.e. you feel the knob cannot be turned further. That resistance signals the "end" of the knob-turn but do not let go of the knob yet, continuing to pushing it down.

2 - As you continue to push the knob down, turn a bit more anti-clockwise until you meet resistance again. At that point you then turn back the knob in a clockwise direction until you hear a "click" sound. That' a "locking" indication you've turned on the fire successfully.

With the above procedure you should have no difficulty in turning on the fire!

Update: 20-Nov-2011
Just last week I cooked biryani chicken in a heavy-bottomed pot (WMF 20cm High Casserole) on the hob's lowest flame setting. The chicken pieces were covered with drained basmati rice that was 50% pre-cooked in boiling water. As there was no water in the pot, I needed to set the fire to a very, very low level to cook slow-cook the meat and rice in a closed environment of water vapor that was emitted from the heated rice grains. I discovered to my surprise the Rinnai hob was able to set and maintain a very very low fire it was barely visible, without the wind blowing it out! The flame continued to burn hot and strong. And my biryani chicken turned out perfectly. Everyone exclaimed it was so delish!

My point is - if you set burners without the Rinnai inner-flame technology to a low fire, it will be snuffed out by wind sooner or later. Set to a very low level? Forget it - those burners simply aren't made for that low flame, if my experience with my Elba burner is anything to go by.

Oh, if you are interested in cooking biryani chicken, follow the full recipe on my blog here.

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2 Rinnai Inner Flame Technology

Review Series
1: Blanco Sink - 3 stars
2: Rinnai Gas Heater - Not Rated
3: Fujioh hood FX-900 - 5 stars
4: Rinnai Tumble Dryer RDT-600CG - 5 stars
5: Rinnai Oven RBO-7MSO - 3 stars
6: Bellari Liquid Dispenser - 1 star
7: Rinnai 2-Burner Hob RB-2CG - 5 stars
8: TOTO Omni Toilet Bowl- 5 stars
9: Asuka Acrylic Worktop - 2 stars
10: Premier laminated floor tiles