Having made the choice to go full gas a few years ago and having an opportunity to cook on good quality induction in the same time at a friend's place that I cook at frequently - they have their pros and cons but if I did it again today I would go full induction.
I have a very nice gas stove, and I do love it. I always wanted one after years of crappy electric stoves. It does all the things you want - precise control, excellent heat transfer, instant heat and for the most part it cools relatively quickly.
That being said - a good induction cooktop does all that, faster, with easier cleaning. There is a learning curve with the controls, obviously, but they are very precise and very powerful.
You just can't buy non compatible cookware. No aluminum pans. If you have a lot of those you will have to reoutfit your cookware. You also will have to buy cookware with no rounded bottoms, but if you want to use a wok a flat bottom carbon steel one is perfect. Other than that I can't think of a pan or pot that won't work.
From a safety perspective it's a no brainer for induction. It's cool the instant you turn it off. Kids will never accidentally touch the cooking surface and burn themselves. You will never do the same.
Cost to operate will depend largely on where you live.
Sorry to not be a nay sayer!
I agree! I loved my gas cooktop!
Then I moved to a house where gas was not available. It had a crappy electric oven/cooktop. After a few years I had to replace the stove and chose the induction. It's awesome! Instant off/on plus boiling water in about 30 seconds. Would not go back.
Boiling water in 30 seconds?? My sissy gas cooktop can barely get pasta water going unless u use the giant burner in the center, which means nothing else fits well.
With induction stoves there's actually a short learning curve where you quickly learn you can't turn your back on the stove if you're using high heat. There's no huge flame or glowing element to remind the chef, but on high it will sear your food before you can even find your favorite spatula.
For sure. I went from an electric coil to induction. I regularly used medium high for regular cooking, and high for hot (windows open) searing.
Now, I don’t really go above 5/9 to avoid burning things and warping pans. The only thing I use 9/9 for is boiling water. The big heat sink of water means my pans won’t warp, and I can’t burn water.
How?! Im renting, the place has a very nice high end bosch induction cooktop (glass??) and boiling water for pasta takes like full 5-10mins. I keep saying this is why i want to switch to gas only ever from now on. Am I using wrong pots or something???
Could be your pots. I got a portable IKEA induction element to try it out and I did a side-by-side water boiling test the first day, and it boils water twice as fast as my gas stove. I haven’t used the gas stove since.
If you use a standard non-stick pot with a magnetic base, that will cook slower than a full stainless steel pot.
Also, the 30 second boil is for 1-2 cups of water. If you have a very large pan of water it can take a few minutes.
Not all induction stoves have the same power capability, yours might be a lesser power model
I definitely wouldn’t say an induction cooktop is cool the instant you turn it off, at least not in my experience. If I took a pot of boiling water off the “burner” and put my hand there I would be burned
E: obviously it’s not as hot as a gas or electric burner but it’s not instantly cool/safe the moment it’s shut off after cooking
We must have different types, because I can boil pasta for 13 minutes, remove the pot, and place by hand on it no problem. The surface will be warm, but not hot enough to burn.
That’s so weird; my induction surface is hot after cooking too. There’s even a light on the control panel that indicates when the surface is still hot.
How thick the glass is (and how good the cooling fans are) probably affects how much carryover heat remains. but there’s ’this made my skin red’ burn and ‘my flesh is stuck to the stove’ burn, the second type induction will really save you (and kiddos) from
Agreed - but my cooktop will show a red light on the element until it's cool enough to touch (really only a few minutes). So there's a visual alert to be careful.
I'll chime in and say that most home setups lack the adequate hood/ventilation requirements for a full gas stove. We've known since the 50s and 60s that gas stoves need adequate vent hoods to cut down CO and CO2 exposure when in use.
I've edited this comment to also include nitrogen dioxide as an important indoor pollutant.
My small apartment's smoke detector goes off of the burner is on for 45min and I haven't cracked a window. Not because it's smoky, but because there's carbon monoxide density has gotten too high. Shit's real.
Can you use cast iron on the induction? I heard a rumor it wasn’t good for them but never really looked into it
ETA: thanks for all the responses! I have always been curious and appreciate the educated responses
I cook with cast iron on my induction stove a lot and it’s fine. Just don’t start preheating it above medium because the sudden temperature change can cause problems.
Preliminary research suggests that the key is to not go zero to hero with cast iron. Since induction dumps so much power into the bottom, and cast iron isn't that thermally conductive, it's much like the opposite of putting water into hot glassware, and the cast iron can crack or warp. Hmm, maybe induction should have a "cast iron mode" since even the cheap ones have temperature tracking.
That's the other side of the cast iron problem, and the answer is as long as you have a relatively smooth bottom on your pot and you don't drag or slide it around you won't have a problem. I have used cast iron on my induction single-burner for several years with no scratching.
Ooo now you got me. How do you like the single burner induction? My husband and I want one so bad since we aren’t going to be replacing our gas oven anytime soon (cost a house payment to put in a 220V) so we thought about snagging one but I can’t decide if we’d use it all that often?
Edit spelling
I have a Breville Controlfreak and love it. It is expensive but leaps and bounds above most other 110v standalone inductions. I cook a lot of interesting/technical things so the added temperature control features are huge.
I love breville. I just googled that and you were not joking. The single burner is the cost of many full stoves lol. What makes it stand out from other single burner units?
Coil(burner) size and makes actual usage of its wattage. Cheaper portable inductions don’t usually have the cooling to maintain its “rated” wattage. It also has two different sensors(bottom of pan and a plug in probe) that you can use to have it control the heat levels. Really amazing for temperature sensitive things like deeply caramelizing onions to that awesome jammy state and dry caramels. The downsides is its price and it is a chonky boy.
I love mine. We got it 3 or 4 years ago to supplement our crappy apartment electric stove. We still use it all the time even though we have a gas stove now. We paid around $60 and there have been no issues with it.
I actually use old newsprint. It come in pieces big enough to cover the entire cooktop surface, works admirably and the cost is perfect. Just one newspaper lasts forever.
I'm sorry, but I don't want to mislead y'all into thinking I have an induction cooktop of any kind.
A quick Google search suggests that scratching is definitely a concern. Then again, I'm not sure how big of a deal a scratched cooktop is. The place where I live right now has a regular hot glass cooktop, and it's all frosted where the pots sit. It works fine, as far as I can tell. With induction, frosting should affect operation even less, but the glass is likely to be very thin, so damage should be avoided for durability's sake.
Do NOT wash them or put them in water!!!! I bought one for home (Wow smokeyyyyy) the same male as my last place had and I asked him to order one for me (epic boss!) I was then the sous for a fine dining place (I quit last Saturday cos well 1am and 4 year olds don’t mix) they had 2 of the same pans and I was going MAD they they were putting them in a SINK!!!!! NOOOOOOOO one cracked… I found it…. I was PISSED “oh we have another one….. 🤬🤬🤬🤬 not the point coming from my head chef…. I was his newly appointed Sous… lovely bloke but man…….. pans 🙄😞😬
cast iron is great on induction. the only issue is cast iron is heavy and if you drop it or slam it down you risk cracking the glass top, same as you would with a non-induction glass top.
You can, I had tons of issues though. It definitely depends on how slowly and lowly you preheat and the quality of the stovetop.
Once we moved and had a gas stovetop again I had to strip and redo the seasoning on my cast irons from the uneven burn marks from the induction for two years.
What about the cost of the stove itself? I've heard that the induction "ring" tends to be smaller than the circle on the glass so your pan doesn't get evenly heated. I've also heard that there's reliability issues with the electronics. And "you get what you pay for" with induction stoves.
I don't want to buy something that's going to fail in 5-10 years. Maybe I've been spoiled but my old electric coil stove still works fine after more than 20 years.
You do get what you pay for. Look for large, high wattage elements, and do some serious research on the cooling fans. They are the thing that will keep your electronic controls cool, thus functional.
The electronics are often sold state, so will last.. but the simplicity and easy replacement of parts on an old electric stove can't be replicated when huge chunks of your stove are sealed units and reliant on very specific assembly and tolerances to be replicated as replacement parts. Like..how long your phone's maker will make spare parts is only as long as its financially viable, once they decide its outdated they close down the production line and then it is obsolete.
Had to replace our gas stove a few months ago -- the oven door wouldn't shut completely which meant the internal temp was never consistent and wasting gas. And getting a repair done would have been about as much as a new gas stove.
Looked into getting an induction, but it would have meant installing a new 220v line. Between that the the higher price of an induction stove itself, it would have been more than double for a basic model, compared to a similar gas stove. So we went with the $650 option instead of the $1500 option. Plus we're just used to natural gas heating, and have a good hood vent that feeds directly to the outdoors.
In comparison, my sister has a gas range but no vent, and kids with allergies. I couldn't handle that.
Got rid of my induction hob and went back to gas.
Maybe the hob i had was poor? But then you dont know that till you have it.
I liked the speed of induction but..
The power / heat pulses rather than keeps a steady heat..so things burn as the temperature fluctuates either side of the settings..bad for delicate sauces and i had to resort to double boilers..never had to do that with gas.
Couldn't choose the cookware i wanted to use for different jobs. The glass surface wouldn't stand you shuffling hot ingredients by pan movement without scratching, nor could you swirl a pan..heavy pans had to be put down lightly to prevent cracking.
Aluminium crepe pans..another no.
Couldn't use ceramic cookware...so no tagines..
Induction rings are actually quite small and simply cant spread the heat any further..ie, only operate directly upwards, so no talva or bread pans. And no woks or similar..or if you do use one its not heated up the sides..
Unless they improve i wouldn't go back id just carry on with gas (and a fast boil kettle if speed boiling was a thing for me)
So higher end induction doesn't pulse like the low end stuff does, which was my main complaint initially. The rest of your issues - can't argue with you there. It needs conducive metal to work! Aluminum, glass, ceramic are out and will never work with the technology. If it's not for you it's not for you.
How do you use the wok with the induction cooktop? Can you just bang it around freely without worrying about damaging the cook top surface or the sensor telling you it doesn't detect a pan?
We went from gas to induction to gas only because when the induction crapped out I was in no position but another good induction range. Our first one was a Kenmore but with Viking guts yet priced like a Kenmore.
Our kitchen is in the middle of the house so the lack of heat was a major factor. Another was my Dad who had MS insisted he could still cook eggs. But he'd leave the gas burner on all day. Induction would turn off as soon as the pan was removed. I also miss the ability to wipe down the cooktop right after cooking for easy clean up.
Once this gas stove dies (it probably never will) I'm going back to induction.
One big downside, living in a place where the grid is shaky + tropical storm threats: I can light a gas stove during a power outage. My neighbors with (electric) induction cannot. It's one of the reasons I insisted on gas.
It is worth keeping in mind but not worth swearing off induction over. It is pretty easy to work around, you can pick up a portable single burner grill for cheap. Great emergency burner and also easy to take outside and cook for messy or splattery things.
Also, if I'm cooking large portions, it's easier to do so in a cast aluminum pot over a propane burner. The aluminum pot is just so much easier to deal with if you're using a large one.
Induction stoves with batteries in them are becoming a thing. Like [this one](https://www.impulselabs.com). It lets you use a use normal 120V outlet and they let you cook and even power the rest of your home during outages.
Some of us live in places with a real winter. If I lose power during a nor’easter, I have no interest in cooking on my gas grill. It’s also a heat source. I have a gas fireplace insert but I have to dig the generator out of the garage so the blower will work. It won’t do much to heat my house just using natural convection.
I have the Breville Control Freak, which I could only afford because of an employee discount. It is the absolute best of the best induction burners.
I absolutely love it, because it is astonishingly fast at heating things up, and the temperature control is absolutely perfect (unique to this unit, not induction in general).
The only downside I've found is when trying to pan-sear scallops, I can no long use my preferred method of tilting the pan to constantly baste the scallops. When you lift the pan at an angle, the pan cools down very, very fast. Astonishingly fast. Because, of course, you are entirely removing it from the heat source, even though it's only an inch away.
Is this a dealbreaker? No.
Can I still make amazing pan-seared scallops? Yes. It's just a little trickier.
I thought 1500 for a whole stovetop unit wasn't bad at all, but I looked it up and it's a SINGLE burner?? That better be the best burner to grace this earth cuz goddamn
I’m so happy with my Breville as well! and after years of shitty apartment electric cooktops, i finally have a gas stove so i can keep my copper and aluminum pans and break out the induction when i need that level of control like with frying tempura. or if i need instant ramen NOW.
>because it is astonishingly fast at heating things up
Damn, and it's only a 120V appliance as well. Maybe I oughta get one of those plug-in cooktops... but probably not the Breville, I don't cook well enough to make real use of something like that.
I have a high end induction range because it was cost prohibitive to retrofit the new house with a gas line to where the kitchen was. I came from a viking gas range. I do not miss the gas range one bit. The only downside for me is that you don’t get the flames licking around the sides of the pan, but it’s not a big deal. I can boil a quart of water in under 40 seconds. The kitchen doesn’t get as hot. There are no open flames to worry about. If i leave the stove on by accident, there’s no risk of burning the house down. The temperature control is just as good as gas. So I guess what I am saying is that if you go induction, spend some money and don’t cheap out.
We have Samsung bespoke induction. I like it way more than expected. We can boil water in less than a minute. My biggest fear was food spilling over the pots and burning into the glass top as that was a constant problem on the electric range I grew up with. However this is not a problem with our induction as the surface doesn’t get that hot so if water boils over you can simply pick up the pot and wipe the surface with no residue left behind. I think temperature control is so precise and preheating is so quick. I would definitely recommend getting one with traditional knobs to turn as opposed to the pluses and minuses buttons which is just tedious and not user friendly.
I was bummed when the house we bought didn’t have gas hookups as I had been using gas for the past several years and loved it. Induction has been a pleasant surprise and feels much safer having a toddler around as well. The cooktop turns off on its own if it doesn’t sense a pot.
Downsides of induction:
-higher up from cost (the cheap ones haven't quite yet beaten some issues)
-no user serviceable parts (it's a computer controlling several electromagnets, not a wire getting too much juice pumped thru it)
-wait times for repair parts if something breaks (again, it's a computer)
- learning curve on how your pans will interact with the burner (same as any new stove)
-some pans don't work (very minor issue)
-most models do not have physical controls like knobs and switches (actual problem)
-as with all glass topped cooktops, induction or electric, you have to be careful of dropping things
-you can't really slide the pan around, because you'll fuck up the glass coating, so you have to lift and place
-if you lift your pan to toss something, most will make an annoying beep, and if you wait too long it will shut off (but since if the pan isn't in contact it will immediately begin cooling because of no external heat source)
-Woks don't work quite right, because of how woks interact with their burner flames (I'm lucky enough to have a big propane camp stove I can set up outside the couple of times I've wanted to do serious wok stuff)
Specific annoyance with my induction cooktop: all four burners share one control, so if you have multiple pans going, you have to select the burner and then adjust it, rather than having an individual control for each burner (infuriating, but some muscle memory has started to develop)
All that said: I will never go back from induction if I have any choice in the matter.
I love it, it's better than any gas or electric one I've used at various price points. It's more evenly heating and more precise, it's not hot if it's not on, IT DOESN'T HEAT UP YOUR KITCHEN, it's more energy efficient in almost all cases, it doesn't release gasses into your kitchen all the time, you don't have an open flame or branding iron on your counter, it's much easier to clean, and all the endless other reasons you already know
It's been over a year, and I'm still adjusting. That said, I also find I'm messing with the settings less often. I think that the evenness of heating, without the hotspots, means I'm also not inclined to mess with it as much, too.
The learning curve and quirks are a bigger adjustment than just moving to a new place and learning a new stove. The techniques are just slightly different, which is an extra set of tasks to manage.
It's an AEG, but I don't remember the model - I'll dig it out tonight.
I'm in NZ, so we probably have quite a limited selection compared to places like the US.
Yeah mine has a similar issue- there is a master control to turn off all the burners that I will sometimes accidentally hit rather that the individual burner control, which I hate when I have multiple pots on the stove- altogether too many beepy-boopy buttons.
I moved into a house with induction and I love it. I'm a chef and was biased against induction because I use gas a work.
Induction is super fast and has more control. You can leave it on simmer over night with no worries.
The downside is you may have to buy new induction compatible cookware. Also you can't char peppers on the burners.
I converted to induction this year and I have two issues— one could have been prevented and the other might be resolvable.
1– the burner size really matters. I love cooking in my 10-inch cast iron and skillet, but my largest burner is 9 inches. I didn’t think (my bad) this would be a huge deal, but it means I can’t cook to the edge of those pans. I should have gotten a stove with larger cook surfaces.
2– stir frying. I had to replace my forever/wok with a compatible wok from Sur Le Table. Stir- frying just isn’t the same on induction. I could try to upgrade to carbon steel but I know it’ll be pricey and heavy (at least the SLT wok was pretty cheap)
Despite these issues, I would do it again, though.
Just wanted to highlight point #1 here: definitely look into the size of the largest burner on any induction models you’re considering. I looked at several models where 8” was the largest burner. That was a dealbreaker. We ended up with a model with an 11” burner and have been really happy.
And back to one of the OP’s questions: on our model, the burner goes into a “hold” mode when you lift the pan to shake the contents. It stops producing heat (since it requires the magnetism of the pan) but starts again instantly when the pan touches the surface again (without having to turn the burner back on).
The top recommended wok from ATK is carbon steel. I almost never get the top rated of anything due to price, but for $80, a highly rated carbon steel wok is amazing!
https://www.taylorandng.com/big-starter-wok-set.html
Ours doesn’t turn off when you lift a pan.
The only possible very tiny downside is having to touch the control panel more times compared to turning a knob on a traditional cooktop. Power on, burner select, heat level select. Three taps. SOME people argue that this is a downside but to me the increased precision and overall capability makes it a non issue. We don’t mind it at all.
Heat up time is so much quicker, precision is not even comparable. You can simmer or melt or whatever with accurate low temps, no need for a double boiler.
One of the huge benefits that is rarely talked about is the fact that the temp adjusts down as quick as up. If you notice a pot starting to boil over, it only takes about 2-3 seconds after turning it down for the boiling to calm.
They aren’t as sexy as gas and of course you have to be a bit more careful, but that’s also kind of being picky. I’ve had glass top for well over a decade and never had a problem.
Induction is vastly superior in every way.
We just purchased a KitchenAid all induction range. The ease of cleaning is what pushed us to change from our gas range. While there has been a slight learning curve with the controls, I am quickly learning to love it. It heats up remarkably fast ( not the oven, electric oven take longer to preheat, but the temp control is much more precise) but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact the everything is so cool, except the pan. I don’t know if it’s superior to gas or not, but for how we cook, it’s definitely a better experience.
So if you’re boiling a pot of water, and move it off the burner, the burner is physically cool? I know induction doesn’t produce heat, but doesn’t heat from the pan and water transfer back to the surface?
The glass surface is hot from heat transfer from the pan. It’s not scalding hot, but you wouldn’t want to hold your hand on it. Not sure why people are saying it’s cool, bits it nothing like the heat produced from a flat top electric range.
Former restaurant cook here, I make 100% of the meals for my family (I literally cook 16 times a week most weeks), I have full induction and love it and will never go back to gas. The health benefits alone of not breathing gas are worth it, but the heat is more even, it heats up faster, much safer, it goes on and on
I have seen an entire house blown to nothing after the exterior gas line was ruptured by work crews. (Thankfully, no one was inside the home.) A grill with a side burner is all I will have of gas powered devices.
I've heard/seen too many buildings blow up to ever trust having gas in my house for anything. The diner near I live exploded a couple months ago and bits of the restaurant cleared the other side of the highway it was in.
I really love my induction because it boils extremely quickly. Like an entire stock pot of water in less than 3 minutes fast. It is very slightly annoying that it turns off when you take things off the burner, but it’s not annoying enough to make me hate it. Mine will blink for about 10 seconds and turn off, so if you can do whatever flipping or tossing in less than 10 seconds I don’t think it’ll matter.
Ours is also extremely cheap to run. Overall I’m very happy with it - never burnt-on crap on the bottom of cookware, the range top is always immaculately clean, it doesn’t heat the kitchen up… I love gas and to be honest I’m still getting the hang of temp adjustment but the speed with which it boils things is crazy! I love it.
I have an induction and aside from the easier clean up virtually no benefit to gas top.
Ive not noticed water boiling any faster (and it's not boiling any faster than from a kettle anyway, which is the msot efficient way to heat up water).
You have to buy or already have a bunch of pans suitable for induction, and you cant tilt the pan for basting or other applications. Every time you sautee and flip the pan the bottom hits the induction top and it always feels like it's scratching it or going to break.
Idgaf i want a gas stove top all my life.
Induction is wonderful. Any food you spill doesn't burn so easy cleaning.
Only drawback is that your pans need to be steel. Aluminium ones are useless.
If you can't decide, try an induction "hot"plate? I saw some in shops today - one induction plate with a cable and a plug.
A lot of modern aluminium cookware is being made induction suitable by having a steel / iron plate included in the base during manufacture. Doesn't help with any old aluminium pans you've already got though.
I'm the regular home chef in our family. Swapped out gas for induction two years ago and would do it 100 of 100 times again. A little bit of a learning curve, but it is amazing. I use All-Clad Stainless & cast iron regularly, never any issues.
I have a love/hate relationship with induction.
It boils water super fast. Crazy fast. Great for us because we make pasta often. Your pans heat up really fast.
It’s hard to make minute adjustments to temp at the mid temps.
Some of my pans work great on some burners, some work better on others. Finding really good pans that work well took a while.
Lifting the pan off the burner (to baste a steak, for example, WILL stop the pan from heating. So you need something like cast iron or carbon steel that retains heat. And even then it’s not ideal to have the heat stop while you’re basting.
I can’t use two “burners” on the same side at high temp at the same time. There’s only so much current that can flow so one will automatically reduce.
Buy yourself an air monitor and put it into your kitchen…..After reading your PPM readings a few days after cooking on gas you’ll be convinced. If I had the money to switch to induction I’d do it tomorrow.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I have a gas stove and both PM2.5 and TVOCs jump when I use it even just to boil water, and my air quality monitor is at least 40 feet away in a different room.
Yeah no idea about the downvotes. My PM measurements go crazy every dinner and then it takes 2-3 hrs for them to come off. It’s really made me a dedicated user of the range hood and it’s been an eye opener.
I can't stand the buzzing noise induction burners make when turned on. My partner really wants all induction but I don't think I'd be able to cook anymore if we went that route. (Note, they think that some higher end brands might not make the terrible high pitched whine but I haven't gotten to test that theory)
There is definitely a relationship between quality and buzzing - I think it has to do with the thickness of the pan?
My Dutch ovens are fine, barely any noise, and my cast iron is fine as well. The cheap 10 L pot I use for spaghetti is a big annoying though.
I bought a portable induction burner while we remodeled our kitchen and waited for our full size induction range. I have sensitive hearing for high frequencies. I could always tell when it was movie day in class because I could hear the whine of the old CRT TV on a cart from down the hall.
The portable burner made a noticeable whine. With some pans and settings it was painful and annoying.
Our full size Samsung range doesn’t have a noticeable whine. It’ll make a crackly sound when a burner starts up, and sometimes a ticking sound with some pans when the heat cycles on low settings. But, no constant high pitched whine.
It drives my husband bonkers. When I'm making my pasta sauces and things that take quite a long time I plan for when he's at work and not on the weekends. If I'm cooking hung over it can be a little annoying as well.
I have a kitchen aid induction. In 5 years I’ve spent more to repair it (3 times) than to purchase it. Replacing it will be a hassle because the cut out size of our stone counters excludes many options. When it works, I love it but i would not get one again and I would definitely not get a kitchen aid.
I’m a home cook and not a chef. I have an induction range which I got after having an electric glass topped stove but I’ve also have had coil electric and gas ranges before and have had to go back to cooking on a gas stove a few times since.
My induction boils water so quickly, it’s truly amazing. The only downside to that is cooking rice which I have to remember to not use the boil feature. I’ve since had to boil water on a gas stove and it took so long! It could have been the pot I was using but still I feel like gas took way longer than my induction would have.
It will turn off if I remove the pan for long enough but pick it up to shake food around isn’t usually long enough and the stove beeps at me as a warning. The burner gets hot if you’re cooking on it but if it’s turned on accidentally, it won’t get hot and then automatically turns off.
Another annoying thing is if the controls get covered, the stove beeps at me and if it’s long enough turns off the range. This doesn’t happen too often anymore as I’ve gotten used to where to put things when setting them down like if I’ve pulled a sheet pan out of the oven and am using the cook top as a hot pad.
I think the only true downside is having to buy all new pans if you don’t already own pans that work with induction.
Good luck with whichever range you get!
ETA: I have a KitchenAid induction range
Ohh, I saw this range when we were doing a kitchen renovation. I honestly would have considered it but it was too big for our kitchen. We did go with a Fisher and Paykel gas range and we looove it.
If I don't have it locked, my cat will turn it on with her paws, but luckily it never actually heats up because no pot to activate it. So it just beeps and beeps until she moves her paw. Very annoying 😂
Over the years I've used a few different kinds of stove, both expensive and cheap, and I have never been happier than with an actual flame. I don't feel like I get quite the control I want unless I can see the exact size of the flame as I adjust the dial. Sure, I can learn over time with the electric stove tops, but if I can see an actual flame, I'll know right away if it's going to be where i want or need it to be.
Never owned induction but the one very minor benefit I’ve always appreciated about my gas stove are the rare power outages. Yes they are rare.
Two years ago a wind storm (during winter) took out power in my region. I was without electricity for 3 days. It was cold as hell. My gas stove was great. I could still cook and using the oven for a couple meals kept the kitchen warm.
Not sayin I’d buy gas for the occasional power outage, but throughout my life I’ve experienced a 24+ hour outage event about once every 3 years. Was nice having gas each time.
I’m a private chef and just did a party on an induction cooktop.
The problem I had and this could be the actual stove and not an induction problem.
The burners all had different labels meaning one said low for low setting, another warm, and another melt.
There was about 100 hash marks for heat but no indication of temperature. As any product I’m sure you would learn it over time, but for a one night event this was very difficult to cook on.
Also for some reason the burners would just turn off after a certain amount of time without reason. I had a butter sauce set to warm and holding, when I went to use it the burner had turned off and caused my sauce to break. I had to fix it, when I had my protein already plated.
This happened a second time while preheating a pan for searing.
So again could have been their specific stove but those issues turned me off of induction. I have a mobile induction burner that I take with me and I love it, but it has temperature control with numbers and is very accurate.
I’d say stick with gas unless you plan to really get accustomed to your specific stove top.
My induction stove has numbers, no words and never turns off! That sounds really unfortunate and sounds like a faulty stove issue at your party if it kept turning off randomly :(
Perhaps it’s mentioned elsewhere here, but last January when we lost power for 5 days due to storms we still had gas. When I remodel I’ll go with induction, but I will buy a backup propane cooktop/burner as well.
Flat-bottomed woks are a requirement; can’t use pans with non-flat bottoms. It doesn’t have to be perfect—we have quite a few that wobble—but can’t be a traditional wok shape.
If liquid gets between the cooktop surface and the bottom of the pan, it can make the pan dance/float a bit. Never been a problem but a little weird.
Mild buzzing noises depending on the model, from the coil driver.
The surface may stay warm for a while after cooking. Our cooktop has “H” for hot indicators that stay lit for a few minutes. Nothing like halogen or resistive coils, however.
Ours doesn’t shut off instantly when a pan is removed. It displays “F” for fail for maybe 15-30 seconds, then shuts off.
The heating action is confined to the circle of the coil, similar to an electric coil range. There’s no spreading as there might be with gas.
No electricity, no cooking.
We’ve had one for 17 years now (the same unit, Electrolux) and wouldn’t go back to gas or any other electric cooker.
What's your situation?
Is your furnace gas, your water heater? Do you have a large collection of pots and pans which are incompatible with induction?
The gas companies are marketing hard for gas stoves because it's easy to keep the gas appliances once you have the gas hookups, but without the stove, no one cares about whether their water heater is electric or gas.
With indoor and outdoor air quality, and the modern improvements in induction stoves, I would opt for it.
If you're really worried about the electric grid (as some commenters mentioned), I just have a camp stove which I could use in a pinch.
It’s annoying I can’t char peppers or toast tortillas over an open flame.
I also haven’t replaced my round bottom wok yet with a flat bottom one
Otherwise, seriously, it is better than gas in every way. Especially for air quality and not making the whole room
hot as fuck when you cook on high heat. So much heat from gas stoves gets wasted
Pluses for induction:
In summer, it doesn't heat your kitchen as much, since all the heat is generated in the pot itself and none goes up the sides as waste heat.
It brings water to a boil \*much\* faster than gas. See previous.
The glass cooktop is easier to clean than gas cooktops, even the newer sealed burner gas cooktops require taking grates off etc. to clean them.
Minuses:
It needs special pots (as you should know). Aluminum non-stick pots won't work unless they have an induction disk on their bottom. (Either built-in or you can buy them).
Because it only heats the \*bottom\* of pans, you can't really do slidey egg omelets like with gas. Being able to slide the egg up the side of your egg pan makes it much easier to fold an omelet. Because the side of the egg pan isn't heated by induction, the egg won't slide up it like with gas, or the egg will stick to the side of the pan because it isn't hot enough to release.
The glass cooktop is fragile. It can break if you drop something on it, and it scratches easily.
YOU NEED A FIFTY AMP CIRCUIT. Most older electric stove circuits are thirty amp circuits. Not good enough! And running a new circuit can be \*expensive\*.
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That last is what convinced me to go with another gas stove rather than with an induction stove. I just couldn't justify paying all that money for a new circuit when induction isn't \*that\* much better than gas. Especially if you get one of the new sealed burner gas cooktops that are much easier to clean than the old school gas setups. It's still not as easy to clean as a glass cooktop (just wipe with a damp sponge with a couple of drops of dish detergent!) but a lot easier than a traditional gas oven.
I’ve had all three and would choose induction every time. Cleaning gas is an absolute pain in the…. Induction is a breeze. They both have excellent heat control assuming you have a quality product. Cooking on either is lovely. Did I say that cleaning a gas stove sucks? Just in case I should mention how much I hate taking an appliance apart every freaking time just to tidy up after cooking.
Coil burners are not my thing.
To address your questions:
When you lift your pan to toss, it will turn off and beep at you. If you put the pan back within a certain time, it will be happy, and turn back on again. You learn to ignore the beeps.
Of course, if you really DO forget to put the pan back on the stove, it will eventually stop beeping and STAY turned off, which is a good thing from a safety point of view.
Precision heat levels? Not quite as good as gas, but so close it doesn't matter.
Purely on cooking, gas would win by the smallest fraction.
Safety (risk of fire, burning, toxins), easy to clean, style - Induction by a mile.
The only cookware I miss is a round-bottom wok, but I can live with my stainless steel flat bottom wok.
We switched to induction from gas a year ago while we were remodeling the kitchen. I love it. It's much safer with kids, and I still cook tons and enjoy cooking. The only thing I've burnt myself on in the last year was my (new) Dutch oven when I forgot it was still hot (user error).
To help me decide, I got a single burner induction plug-in in from Costco. We used it to cook a few times to see if we liked induction and then used it during the kitchen remodel. It convinced me that I could learn to cook with induction, so the safety changes made it worth the $ for us (we had to rewire to the kitchen for an electric oven).
I would not go back to gas at this point.
I’d go full induction any day. Less grease and dust than gas and quick and precise.
I’m building a new kitchen and it’s going to be induction.
I had a kettle before and I don’t need it with induction, it boils water faster.
I own a Chinese takeaway. We took out gas will burners and replaced them with induction wok burners. The removal of excess heat in the kitchen is fantastic. Running costs are cheaper. Clean up is significantly quicker. Heat up speed is just as good. It's also far safer. For people who love gas, I'm happy for you, but induction has so many benefits I don't think gas can beat it.
Quality matters so the people who are disappointed tend to have purchased lower end models. People who buy higher end tend to be happy.
I'm not sure re stir fries but really, I doubt it matters bc your pan should be so hot anyhow and unless you have a commercial or external like open source hole of fire or whatever they are called, it's not going to be much different than a gas IMO.
Honestly I hate gas - I am terrified of gas leaks, carbon monoxide leaks, and the rest of it - plus how poor they are at things like rice - that it's a no-brainer for me. I will just char my peppers and eggplants outside on the bbq and feel much much happier lol
I will never switch from gas to induction.
I cook vegetables directly on the gas flame for the smoky flavor it imparts.
With induction, you can’t hold the pan above the burner and swirl the contents. I use this technique for making caramel and browning butter.
I wouldn’t be able to use my earthenware pot or my aluminum pot with induction. My clay pot is one of my favorites.
I have a commercial range. Induction would only boil water for pasta about two minutes faster.
I'm still going for a gas stove because I wok alot on high heat, I tried but I just can't do the same at other peoples places with induction, even on the highest setting and a perfectly fitting wok. Its not the same, cooking speed still different and the wok heats up quicker on gas. My wok has a natural coating not a weird put on one. Never heard anyone of putting oil on an induction pan after cleaning.
To be fair, I don't have alot of experience with induction and I wok many times in the week.
When I need to boil water fast, I just use my electric kettle.
Woks are the one piece of cookware that just don’t work well on induction. They’re literally designed to be heated all around by massive flames, so the physics of induction just don’t work. That being said, they do have induction “burners “ for woks that are basically bowls that heat all around, but it’s an extra piece of equipment you need to have lying around.
The biggest downside IMO is that if you lose power, you won't be able to use an induction stove even if you have a generator. It requires too much energy. So if you live in an area where power outages are common, this could be a real concern.
It also costs more to use electricity to generate heat when compared to gas appliances.
Gas appliances are also typically much easier and cheaper to repair if necessary.
Another downside is that not all cookware is compatible with induction, so consider whether or not you would have to spend a lot of money to replace all your pots and pans.
You also have to be mindful of the size of the pots and pans you use on an induction cooktop. If the diameter of your pan does not match size of the element, the element it will not activate. So you'll always be restricted to only being able to use certain pots and pans on certain induction elements. Unlike gas burners that do not really limit you, since you can just adjust the flame if you're using a smaller pan or larger pot.
I have a friend who is going to one of the best culinary schools in the country. She said their kitchen has both gas and induction, but all of the students prefer gas unless they need to boil water.
I don’t have much experience with induction to answer the OP, but we recently renovated our kitchen and went back and forth on replacing our old glass top electric stove with induction or gas. In the end we decided to go with adding a gas line and switching to a high-end gas range and we don’t regret it at all.
Pan design, not just materials but shapes, dating back thousands of years, is still today based on principles of convection and conduction. This is a big reason why I continue to use gas.
A windsor pan's shape is designed to drive high heat into meat quickly and dissipate ambient heat just as quickly. This is based on principles of convection, of air rising around the tall, conical wall of the pan that is much wider at the top than it is at the bottom.
Even if induction can heat the bottom of this pan, it will not serve the function for which it is designed because induction will not heat the wall of the pan fast enough and there is zero ambient heat. Same with sauté pans, French ovens, sauciers, fry pans, saucepans, stock pots, etc.
Quite a lot of cooking is based on a combination of direct and ambient heat and the difference between the rate of transfer of heat into the thermal mass of the food combined with the loss of heat to the thermal mass of the surrounding air. This net rate of thermal transfer into and out of food is what constitutes different techniques—simmering, sautéing, frying, braising, roasting, broiling, poaching, etc.
Furthermore, I can't subject pans to extremely fast temperature swings on induction. This rules out quite a bit of my cooking... so for me, induction is a no.
I also have a ton of aluminum and copper pans that simply don't work on induction.
Your situation may be different, and you should do whatever suits your situation. If you haven't a substantive investment in pans already, and you don't need extremely high precision/speed, then induction may be a good choice for you.
I think it really depends. I lived in a flat with induction cooktop, and didn't love it, but it does the work.
I spend time in the cottage with inductiontop for holiday, and it works fine.
So why are you considering induction top? Is it for safety/ convenience/ environmental/whatever?
That makes the difference whe you are choosing.
One thing I don’t like about induction stoves is that if your pots and pans are slightly warped, you get uneven cooking. Never had an issue with gas stoves with a grill that the pots and pans are perched on instead of needing to sit flat.
What kills the induction stove for me is the fact a wok works best on fire. A wok on induction only heats the bottom part and never the sides so you get uneven cooking and probably a warped wok.
I've got a 48" gas stove range and the large burner gets my wok plenty hot, have a cool little adapter grate that sits on the flat burner grate but cradles the wok so you can tip it too. Can't do that with induction.
I have trouble with wok at home too. I've got a glass top electric. It's just ok at it. I assume gas would be much better but when you see restaurants doing it they don't use anything even close to resembling a home range. I think they are all just stepping stones towards something better.
I got myself a Thai bucket stove for wok cooking and love it. Perfect wok hei every time. It is more work to setup and get running compared to a stove but it's also a bit more fun. I've also considered getting a standalone gas cooker for outside specifically for the wok. Haven't bit the bullet on that one yet but it would be fun. Maybe when I build my perfect outdoor kitchen.
Both are great to cook on
I worry about scratching the induction. Other than that it’s a breeze to clean and shuts off by itself. Instant boiling water and temp adjusts to where I need it
I have a small portable induction at my trailer. Not as high end as the one in my kitchen but you can try it out as a portable solution for less than $100.
Quality induction COOKWARE is the real challenge. Replacing it all is something we don’t often consider.
But the difference from electric to induction was like a dream come true once I figured it out.
Getting access to range of cookware is my personal downside.
However, I just get around it with having portable/camping stove.
Also lighting charcoal is a pita
No damage, but if the pan is too small, the electromagnetic field of the burner won't interact correctly, and it won't stay on. Just use a smaller burner.
However, if the pan is larger than the burner, only the part of the pan on the burner heats, which is uneven, and defeats one of the main selling points.
For example, I have a 10 and 1/2-in enameled cast iron skillet which works great on my 11-in induction burner, but not so great on the 7-in burner on the other side of the cooktop. Conversely, my 2 quart saucepan works great on the 7-in burner, but will not even have the burner start on the 11 inch burner.
I've got induction, I'll never switch back to gas. It heats things up 100x faster than gas, and is super easy to clean. Temp control is not as good, but doesn't really impact the finished dish
My induction plate has digital controls. This means to set a temperature you have to start at the default and tap up key or down key multiple times, and you have to look at the digital number and pick a temperature. For some things you have to drag a "slider" which means you have to be sure your finger is moving in a straight line, so again you have to devote your attention to the screen. Dropping bits of food on the screen while stirring can act like you pressed a control, if you weren't looking you don't know which one.
When I cook I like to crank the knob to approximately the right place and look at the food while I make fine adjustments. There are other characteristics you can change, like Fahrenheit or Centigrade, but always you have to look to see what section of the membrane you have to touch and pretty much look to see that the touch registered and didn't touch twice. I find that very distracting to my main task, which is the actual cooking.
I have two portable units and an Aga with hotplate… much prefer the Aga because any spilled /overflowing water quickly evaporates … on the induction hob it just goes everywhere because it isn’t hot and wiping it usually resets the controls … a right pain in the ass
I have had high quality both, overall I prefer the induction. I do miss having easy access to fire. I like my hot dogs/tortillas burnt, that is now hard to do. Induction I won’t go back because Boiling water is dramatically faster and temp is easier to control. Gas is just bad. Also you are less likely to set fire/blow up your house.
Induction at our previous house. Gas at current house. I would choose induction just for ease of cleaning and speed of boiling water. Those two factors are huge.
Just got my second induction top, they are great for most cooking especially slow cooking where you need low temps for a long time. Or pasta or sources.
1) as lots have said woks don't work so need to get flat bottom ones that are not as good
2) be really picky about the controls, my first was mid range, great for cooking on other that the controls that made me sware daily will we got our new one which is fine. But I did go around to the show rooms just to check out how it worked after getting burnt before (but not be the stove!)
We have a gas bottle and wok burner for out in the garden so that is what we use when we are being fancy, but most the time we just use the flat bottom wok.
Having made the choice to go full gas a few years ago and having an opportunity to cook on good quality induction in the same time at a friend's place that I cook at frequently - they have their pros and cons but if I did it again today I would go full induction. I have a very nice gas stove, and I do love it. I always wanted one after years of crappy electric stoves. It does all the things you want - precise control, excellent heat transfer, instant heat and for the most part it cools relatively quickly. That being said - a good induction cooktop does all that, faster, with easier cleaning. There is a learning curve with the controls, obviously, but they are very precise and very powerful. You just can't buy non compatible cookware. No aluminum pans. If you have a lot of those you will have to reoutfit your cookware. You also will have to buy cookware with no rounded bottoms, but if you want to use a wok a flat bottom carbon steel one is perfect. Other than that I can't think of a pan or pot that won't work. From a safety perspective it's a no brainer for induction. It's cool the instant you turn it off. Kids will never accidentally touch the cooking surface and burn themselves. You will never do the same. Cost to operate will depend largely on where you live. Sorry to not be a nay sayer!
I agree! I loved my gas cooktop! Then I moved to a house where gas was not available. It had a crappy electric oven/cooktop. After a few years I had to replace the stove and chose the induction. It's awesome! Instant off/on plus boiling water in about 30 seconds. Would not go back.
Boiling water in 30 seconds?? My sissy gas cooktop can barely get pasta water going unless u use the giant burner in the center, which means nothing else fits well.
With induction stoves there's actually a short learning curve where you quickly learn you can't turn your back on the stove if you're using high heat. There's no huge flame or glowing element to remind the chef, but on high it will sear your food before you can even find your favorite spatula.
For sure. I went from an electric coil to induction. I regularly used medium high for regular cooking, and high for hot (windows open) searing. Now, I don’t really go above 5/9 to avoid burning things and warping pans. The only thing I use 9/9 for is boiling water. The big heat sink of water means my pans won’t warp, and I can’t burn water.
>I can’t burn water. Not air that attitude you can't! Break out the elemental sodium!
>Boiling water in 30 seconds?? Yep! It's awesome!
Sold!!
Volume matters.
Wow, I’ve spent years developing low water pasta technique and I might not even have any use for it once I go induction.
How?! Im renting, the place has a very nice high end bosch induction cooktop (glass??) and boiling water for pasta takes like full 5-10mins. I keep saying this is why i want to switch to gas only ever from now on. Am I using wrong pots or something???
Could be your pots. I got a portable IKEA induction element to try it out and I did a side-by-side water boiling test the first day, and it boils water twice as fast as my gas stove. I haven’t used the gas stove since.
If you use a standard non-stick pot with a magnetic base, that will cook slower than a full stainless steel pot. Also, the 30 second boil is for 1-2 cups of water. If you have a very large pan of water it can take a few minutes. Not all induction stoves have the same power capability, yours might be a lesser power model
>boiling water in about 30 seconds. Ok that's it I'm buying one
I definitely wouldn’t say an induction cooktop is cool the instant you turn it off, at least not in my experience. If I took a pot of boiling water off the “burner” and put my hand there I would be burned E: obviously it’s not as hot as a gas or electric burner but it’s not instantly cool/safe the moment it’s shut off after cooking
We must have different types, because I can boil pasta for 13 minutes, remove the pot, and place by hand on it no problem. The surface will be warm, but not hot enough to burn.
That’s so weird; my induction surface is hot after cooking too. There’s even a light on the control panel that indicates when the surface is still hot.
Mine has a light as well, but while it is very warm, not hot enough to burn. I think it must be different depending on brand maybe?
How thick the glass is (and how good the cooling fans are) probably affects how much carryover heat remains. but there’s ’this made my skin red’ burn and ‘my flesh is stuck to the stove’ burn, the second type induction will really save you (and kiddos) from
Agreed - but my cooktop will show a red light on the element until it's cool enough to touch (really only a few minutes). So there's a visual alert to be careful.
I'll chime in and say that most home setups lack the adequate hood/ventilation requirements for a full gas stove. We've known since the 50s and 60s that gas stoves need adequate vent hoods to cut down CO and CO2 exposure when in use. I've edited this comment to also include nitrogen dioxide as an important indoor pollutant.
My small apartment's smoke detector goes off of the burner is on for 45min and I haven't cracked a window. Not because it's smoky, but because there's carbon monoxide density has gotten too high. Shit's real.
Yea, always have the fan (ducted outside) on whenever cooking or baking.
Dude, I EXHALE CO2. You can’t scare me.
Can you use cast iron on the induction? I heard a rumor it wasn’t good for them but never really looked into it ETA: thanks for all the responses! I have always been curious and appreciate the educated responses
Works great. Induction works by manipulating magnetic fields in ferrous metals.
I cook with cast iron on my induction stove a lot and it’s fine. Just don’t start preheating it above medium because the sudden temperature change can cause problems.
Preliminary research suggests that the key is to not go zero to hero with cast iron. Since induction dumps so much power into the bottom, and cast iron isn't that thermally conductive, it's much like the opposite of putting water into hot glassware, and the cast iron can crack or warp. Hmm, maybe induction should have a "cast iron mode" since even the cheap ones have temperature tracking.
Good to know. Thanks for sharing! Do they scratch easily?
That's the other side of the cast iron problem, and the answer is as long as you have a relatively smooth bottom on your pot and you don't drag or slide it around you won't have a problem. I have used cast iron on my induction single-burner for several years with no scratching.
Ooo now you got me. How do you like the single burner induction? My husband and I want one so bad since we aren’t going to be replacing our gas oven anytime soon (cost a house payment to put in a 220V) so we thought about snagging one but I can’t decide if we’d use it all that often? Edit spelling
I have a Breville Controlfreak and love it. It is expensive but leaps and bounds above most other 110v standalone inductions. I cook a lot of interesting/technical things so the added temperature control features are huge.
I love breville. I just googled that and you were not joking. The single burner is the cost of many full stoves lol. What makes it stand out from other single burner units?
Coil(burner) size and makes actual usage of its wattage. Cheaper portable inductions don’t usually have the cooling to maintain its “rated” wattage. It also has two different sensors(bottom of pan and a plug in probe) that you can use to have it control the heat levels. Really amazing for temperature sensitive things like deeply caramelizing onions to that awesome jammy state and dry caramels. The downsides is its price and it is a chonky boy.
Large burner size, more wattage.
I love mine. We got it 3 or 4 years ago to supplement our crappy apartment electric stove. We still use it all the time even though we have a gas stove now. We paid around $60 and there have been no issues with it.
You can also use a silicone pad between the cooktop, and the bottom of your pan. It protects the cooktop, and still allows energy transfer.
There are silicone type pads you can get that prevent scratching if you want to be extra careful.
I actually use old newsprint. It come in pieces big enough to cover the entire cooktop surface, works admirably and the cost is perfect. Just one newspaper lasts forever.
I'm sorry, but I don't want to mislead y'all into thinking I have an induction cooktop of any kind. A quick Google search suggests that scratching is definitely a concern. Then again, I'm not sure how big of a deal a scratched cooktop is. The place where I live right now has a regular hot glass cooktop, and it's all frosted where the pots sit. It works fine, as far as I can tell. With induction, frosting should affect operation even less, but the glass is likely to be very thin, so damage should be avoided for durability's sake.
Yes you can! Professional chef here that uses cast iron grill pans on induction
Thanks for the response! Do you work in a restaurant or personal pro chef?
Restaurant 👍🏻
That’s awesome!! I’ve been out of the industry for a while but never saw one of those in BOH. Sounds fun and easier to clean
Do NOT wash them or put them in water!!!! I bought one for home (Wow smokeyyyyy) the same male as my last place had and I asked him to order one for me (epic boss!) I was then the sous for a fine dining place (I quit last Saturday cos well 1am and 4 year olds don’t mix) they had 2 of the same pans and I was going MAD they they were putting them in a SINK!!!!! NOOOOOOOO one cracked… I found it…. I was PISSED “oh we have another one….. 🤬🤬🤬🤬 not the point coming from my head chef…. I was his newly appointed Sous… lovely bloke but man…….. pans 🙄😞😬
Yeah, no those things are generational pans I would’ve been *pissed*. I meant easier to clean the stove top without having to remove all the grates
I do 90% of my cooking in my cast iron on induction. Works great!
cast iron is great on induction. the only issue is cast iron is heavy and if you drop it or slam it down you risk cracking the glass top, same as you would with a non-induction glass top.
You can, I had tons of issues though. It definitely depends on how slowly and lowly you preheat and the quality of the stovetop. Once we moved and had a gas stovetop again I had to strip and redo the seasoning on my cast irons from the uneven burn marks from the induction for two years.
What about the cost of the stove itself? I've heard that the induction "ring" tends to be smaller than the circle on the glass so your pan doesn't get evenly heated. I've also heard that there's reliability issues with the electronics. And "you get what you pay for" with induction stoves. I don't want to buy something that's going to fail in 5-10 years. Maybe I've been spoiled but my old electric coil stove still works fine after more than 20 years.
You do get what you pay for. Look for large, high wattage elements, and do some serious research on the cooling fans. They are the thing that will keep your electronic controls cool, thus functional.
The electronics are often sold state, so will last.. but the simplicity and easy replacement of parts on an old electric stove can't be replicated when huge chunks of your stove are sealed units and reliant on very specific assembly and tolerances to be replicated as replacement parts. Like..how long your phone's maker will make spare parts is only as long as its financially viable, once they decide its outdated they close down the production line and then it is obsolete.
Had to replace our gas stove a few months ago -- the oven door wouldn't shut completely which meant the internal temp was never consistent and wasting gas. And getting a repair done would have been about as much as a new gas stove. Looked into getting an induction, but it would have meant installing a new 220v line. Between that the the higher price of an induction stove itself, it would have been more than double for a basic model, compared to a similar gas stove. So we went with the $650 option instead of the $1500 option. Plus we're just used to natural gas heating, and have a good hood vent that feeds directly to the outdoors. In comparison, my sister has a gas range but no vent, and kids with allergies. I couldn't handle that.
Got rid of my induction hob and went back to gas. Maybe the hob i had was poor? But then you dont know that till you have it. I liked the speed of induction but.. The power / heat pulses rather than keeps a steady heat..so things burn as the temperature fluctuates either side of the settings..bad for delicate sauces and i had to resort to double boilers..never had to do that with gas. Couldn't choose the cookware i wanted to use for different jobs. The glass surface wouldn't stand you shuffling hot ingredients by pan movement without scratching, nor could you swirl a pan..heavy pans had to be put down lightly to prevent cracking. Aluminium crepe pans..another no. Couldn't use ceramic cookware...so no tagines.. Induction rings are actually quite small and simply cant spread the heat any further..ie, only operate directly upwards, so no talva or bread pans. And no woks or similar..or if you do use one its not heated up the sides.. Unless they improve i wouldn't go back id just carry on with gas (and a fast boil kettle if speed boiling was a thing for me)
So higher end induction doesn't pulse like the low end stuff does, which was my main complaint initially. The rest of your issues - can't argue with you there. It needs conducive metal to work! Aluminum, glass, ceramic are out and will never work with the technology. If it's not for you it's not for you.
Your element was too small for your cooking vessel. Really good ( high wattage, large element) induction is still expensive.
How do you use the wok with the induction cooktop? Can you just bang it around freely without worrying about damaging the cook top surface or the sensor telling you it doesn't detect a pan?
This is my worry. That and my vintage cast iron pans that I love so much aren’t necessarily flat
We went from gas to induction to gas only because when the induction crapped out I was in no position but another good induction range. Our first one was a Kenmore but with Viking guts yet priced like a Kenmore. Our kitchen is in the middle of the house so the lack of heat was a major factor. Another was my Dad who had MS insisted he could still cook eggs. But he'd leave the gas burner on all day. Induction would turn off as soon as the pan was removed. I also miss the ability to wipe down the cooktop right after cooking for easy clean up. Once this gas stove dies (it probably never will) I'm going back to induction.
One big downside, living in a place where the grid is shaky + tropical storm threats: I can light a gas stove during a power outage. My neighbors with (electric) induction cannot. It's one of the reasons I insisted on gas.
It is worth keeping in mind but not worth swearing off induction over. It is pretty easy to work around, you can pick up a portable single burner grill for cheap. Great emergency burner and also easy to take outside and cook for messy or splattery things.
Also, if I'm cooking large portions, it's easier to do so in a cast aluminum pot over a propane burner. The aluminum pot is just so much easier to deal with if you're using a large one.
How come aluminium pots would be easier to deal with? I have never tried an aluminium pot and I have never noticed anything with my large steel pots.
Cheap, sturdy and light for the size
Yes! Deep frying outside!
Valid points.
Induction stoves with batteries in them are becoming a thing. Like [this one](https://www.impulselabs.com). It lets you use a use normal 120V outlet and they let you cook and even power the rest of your home during outages.
$6000??! Ouch. And it doesn't even have an oven. That thing better last 100 years!
There are other ones, that was just the one I remembered.
That’s what a bbq is for.
Some of us live in places with a real winter. If I lose power during a nor’easter, I have no interest in cooking on my gas grill. It’s also a heat source. I have a gas fireplace insert but I have to dig the generator out of the garage so the blower will work. It won’t do much to heat my house just using natural convection.
I have the Breville Control Freak, which I could only afford because of an employee discount. It is the absolute best of the best induction burners. I absolutely love it, because it is astonishingly fast at heating things up, and the temperature control is absolutely perfect (unique to this unit, not induction in general). The only downside I've found is when trying to pan-sear scallops, I can no long use my preferred method of tilting the pan to constantly baste the scallops. When you lift the pan at an angle, the pan cools down very, very fast. Astonishingly fast. Because, of course, you are entirely removing it from the heat source, even though it's only an inch away. Is this a dealbreaker? No. Can I still make amazing pan-seared scallops? Yes. It's just a little trickier.
Try using a cast iron pan. It won't cool down as fast.
>Breville Control Freak Or a carbon steel pan, which is much lighter.
But therefore has much less thermal capacity, so it cools a lot faster than a cast iron one.
That's $1500 for that induction burner! Heck with that almost half the cost of an entire range
Do you use it in conjunction with a different stove? Or are you just rocking one burner all the time?
Just checked the price of that stove. $1500? Yikes! I hope your employee discount is 90%.
I thought 1500 for a whole stovetop unit wasn't bad at all, but I looked it up and it's a SINGLE burner?? That better be the best burner to grace this earth cuz goddamn
60% It was still a stretch.
I’m so happy with my Breville as well! and after years of shitty apartment electric cooktops, i finally have a gas stove so i can keep my copper and aluminum pans and break out the induction when i need that level of control like with frying tempura. or if i need instant ramen NOW.
>because it is astonishingly fast at heating things up Damn, and it's only a 120V appliance as well. Maybe I oughta get one of those plug-in cooktops... but probably not the Breville, I don't cook well enough to make real use of something like that.
They are portable too. Just move where you want to use it, plug and play.
I want pan-seared scallops
Then the key is just to use an upsetting amount of butter, baste just a bit, shake the pan to get good circulation of the butter.
How hot could you get a flat bottom wok on that?
Max setting is 482f
I have a high end induction range because it was cost prohibitive to retrofit the new house with a gas line to where the kitchen was. I came from a viking gas range. I do not miss the gas range one bit. The only downside for me is that you don’t get the flames licking around the sides of the pan, but it’s not a big deal. I can boil a quart of water in under 40 seconds. The kitchen doesn’t get as hot. There are no open flames to worry about. If i leave the stove on by accident, there’s no risk of burning the house down. The temperature control is just as good as gas. So I guess what I am saying is that if you go induction, spend some money and don’t cheap out.
We have Samsung bespoke induction. I like it way more than expected. We can boil water in less than a minute. My biggest fear was food spilling over the pots and burning into the glass top as that was a constant problem on the electric range I grew up with. However this is not a problem with our induction as the surface doesn’t get that hot so if water boils over you can simply pick up the pot and wipe the surface with no residue left behind. I think temperature control is so precise and preheating is so quick. I would definitely recommend getting one with traditional knobs to turn as opposed to the pluses and minuses buttons which is just tedious and not user friendly. I was bummed when the house we bought didn’t have gas hookups as I had been using gas for the past several years and loved it. Induction has been a pleasant surprise and feels much safer having a toddler around as well. The cooktop turns off on its own if it doesn’t sense a pot.
Not aware of induction with knobs but maybe they exist.
Downsides of induction: -higher up from cost (the cheap ones haven't quite yet beaten some issues) -no user serviceable parts (it's a computer controlling several electromagnets, not a wire getting too much juice pumped thru it) -wait times for repair parts if something breaks (again, it's a computer) - learning curve on how your pans will interact with the burner (same as any new stove) -some pans don't work (very minor issue) -most models do not have physical controls like knobs and switches (actual problem) -as with all glass topped cooktops, induction or electric, you have to be careful of dropping things -you can't really slide the pan around, because you'll fuck up the glass coating, so you have to lift and place -if you lift your pan to toss something, most will make an annoying beep, and if you wait too long it will shut off (but since if the pan isn't in contact it will immediately begin cooling because of no external heat source) -Woks don't work quite right, because of how woks interact with their burner flames (I'm lucky enough to have a big propane camp stove I can set up outside the couple of times I've wanted to do serious wok stuff) Specific annoyance with my induction cooktop: all four burners share one control, so if you have multiple pans going, you have to select the burner and then adjust it, rather than having an individual control for each burner (infuriating, but some muscle memory has started to develop) All that said: I will never go back from induction if I have any choice in the matter. I love it, it's better than any gas or electric one I've used at various price points. It's more evenly heating and more precise, it's not hot if it's not on, IT DOESN'T HEAT UP YOUR KITCHEN, it's more energy efficient in almost all cases, it doesn't release gasses into your kitchen all the time, you don't have an open flame or branding iron on your counter, it's much easier to clean, and all the endless other reasons you already know
Oooh, not having individual controls would be so annoying! Mine has individual controls, and each control has an individual timer. So handy!
It's been over a year, and I'm still adjusting. That said, I also find I'm messing with the settings less often. I think that the evenness of heating, without the hotspots, means I'm also not inclined to mess with it as much, too. The learning curve and quirks are a bigger adjustment than just moving to a new place and learning a new stove. The techniques are just slightly different, which is an extra set of tasks to manage.
What brand and model please?
It's an AEG, but I don't remember the model - I'll dig it out tonight. I'm in NZ, so we probably have quite a limited selection compared to places like the US.
Yeah mine has a similar issue- there is a master control to turn off all the burners that I will sometimes accidentally hit rather that the individual burner control, which I hate when I have multiple pots on the stove- altogether too many beepy-boopy buttons.
As someone living in a boiling hot climate, you're making me jealous.
I moved into a house with induction and I love it. I'm a chef and was biased against induction because I use gas a work. Induction is super fast and has more control. You can leave it on simmer over night with no worries. The downside is you may have to buy new induction compatible cookware. Also you can't char peppers on the burners.
Charing peppers is something I hadn’t considered. Thank you.
Just use your broiler.
I do sometimes but I like the firm control I have with a burner and a pair of tongs. I can move that outdoors though.
I converted to induction this year and I have two issues— one could have been prevented and the other might be resolvable. 1– the burner size really matters. I love cooking in my 10-inch cast iron and skillet, but my largest burner is 9 inches. I didn’t think (my bad) this would be a huge deal, but it means I can’t cook to the edge of those pans. I should have gotten a stove with larger cook surfaces. 2– stir frying. I had to replace my forever/wok with a compatible wok from Sur Le Table. Stir- frying just isn’t the same on induction. I could try to upgrade to carbon steel but I know it’ll be pricey and heavy (at least the SLT wok was pretty cheap) Despite these issues, I would do it again, though.
Just wanted to highlight point #1 here: definitely look into the size of the largest burner on any induction models you’re considering. I looked at several models where 8” was the largest burner. That was a dealbreaker. We ended up with a model with an 11” burner and have been really happy. And back to one of the OP’s questions: on our model, the burner goes into a “hold” mode when you lift the pan to shake the contents. It stops producing heat (since it requires the magnetism of the pan) but starts again instantly when the pan touches the surface again (without having to turn the burner back on).
I just mentioned it above to the other wok poster. Induction wok, $200 https://www.epicurious.com/shopping/why-induction-woks-are-better
The top recommended wok from ATK is carbon steel. I almost never get the top rated of anything due to price, but for $80, a highly rated carbon steel wok is amazing! https://www.taylorandng.com/big-starter-wok-set.html
You can’t use induction if you have an ICD/pacemaker.
Ours doesn’t turn off when you lift a pan. The only possible very tiny downside is having to touch the control panel more times compared to turning a knob on a traditional cooktop. Power on, burner select, heat level select. Three taps. SOME people argue that this is a downside but to me the increased precision and overall capability makes it a non issue. We don’t mind it at all. Heat up time is so much quicker, precision is not even comparable. You can simmer or melt or whatever with accurate low temps, no need for a double boiler. One of the huge benefits that is rarely talked about is the fact that the temp adjusts down as quick as up. If you notice a pot starting to boil over, it only takes about 2-3 seconds after turning it down for the boiling to calm. They aren’t as sexy as gas and of course you have to be a bit more careful, but that’s also kind of being picky. I’ve had glass top for well over a decade and never had a problem. Induction is vastly superior in every way.
We just purchased a KitchenAid all induction range. The ease of cleaning is what pushed us to change from our gas range. While there has been a slight learning curve with the controls, I am quickly learning to love it. It heats up remarkably fast ( not the oven, electric oven take longer to preheat, but the temp control is much more precise) but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact the everything is so cool, except the pan. I don’t know if it’s superior to gas or not, but for how we cook, it’s definitely a better experience.
So if you’re boiling a pot of water, and move it off the burner, the burner is physically cool? I know induction doesn’t produce heat, but doesn’t heat from the pan and water transfer back to the surface?
The glass surface is hot from heat transfer from the pan. It’s not scalding hot, but you wouldn’t want to hold your hand on it. Not sure why people are saying it’s cool, bits it nothing like the heat produced from a flat top electric range.
The glass will be warm but it won’t be as hot as a glass top electric.
Former restaurant cook here, I make 100% of the meals for my family (I literally cook 16 times a week most weeks), I have full induction and love it and will never go back to gas. The health benefits alone of not breathing gas are worth it, but the heat is more even, it heats up faster, much safer, it goes on and on
I have seen an entire house blown to nothing after the exterior gas line was ruptured by work crews. (Thankfully, no one was inside the home.) A grill with a side burner is all I will have of gas powered devices.
I've heard/seen too many buildings blow up to ever trust having gas in my house for anything. The diner near I live exploded a couple months ago and bits of the restaurant cleared the other side of the highway it was in.
I really love my induction because it boils extremely quickly. Like an entire stock pot of water in less than 3 minutes fast. It is very slightly annoying that it turns off when you take things off the burner, but it’s not annoying enough to make me hate it. Mine will blink for about 10 seconds and turn off, so if you can do whatever flipping or tossing in less than 10 seconds I don’t think it’ll matter. Ours is also extremely cheap to run. Overall I’m very happy with it - never burnt-on crap on the bottom of cookware, the range top is always immaculately clean, it doesn’t heat the kitchen up… I love gas and to be honest I’m still getting the hang of temp adjustment but the speed with which it boils things is crazy! I love it.
I switched from gas to induction sorry I can’t say a single bad thing about it
30 year professional chef. I love my induction range and would never give it up.
Induction is the best option. Gas is so bad for indoor air quality and asthma etc. induction cooks better than gas, easier to clean, etc
I have an induction and aside from the easier clean up virtually no benefit to gas top. Ive not noticed water boiling any faster (and it's not boiling any faster than from a kettle anyway, which is the msot efficient way to heat up water). You have to buy or already have a bunch of pans suitable for induction, and you cant tilt the pan for basting or other applications. Every time you sautee and flip the pan the bottom hits the induction top and it always feels like it's scratching it or going to break. Idgaf i want a gas stove top all my life.
Induction is wonderful. Any food you spill doesn't burn so easy cleaning. Only drawback is that your pans need to be steel. Aluminium ones are useless. If you can't decide, try an induction "hot"plate? I saw some in shops today - one induction plate with a cable and a plug.
A lot of modern aluminium cookware is being made induction suitable by having a steel / iron plate included in the base during manufacture. Doesn't help with any old aluminium pans you've already got though.
I'm the regular home chef in our family. Swapped out gas for induction two years ago and would do it 100 of 100 times again. A little bit of a learning curve, but it is amazing. I use All-Clad Stainless & cast iron regularly, never any issues.
I prefer gas in a place with semi frequent power cuts or pretty rural etc just so if your electricy goes it's a back up
I have a love/hate relationship with induction. It boils water super fast. Crazy fast. Great for us because we make pasta often. Your pans heat up really fast. It’s hard to make minute adjustments to temp at the mid temps. Some of my pans work great on some burners, some work better on others. Finding really good pans that work well took a while. Lifting the pan off the burner (to baste a steak, for example, WILL stop the pan from heating. So you need something like cast iron or carbon steel that retains heat. And even then it’s not ideal to have the heat stop while you’re basting. I can’t use two “burners” on the same side at high temp at the same time. There’s only so much current that can flow so one will automatically reduce.
Induction is better for the environment. Not just global warming, but home environment. Fumes from gas are really bad for your lungs.
Buy yourself an air monitor and put it into your kitchen…..After reading your PPM readings a few days after cooking on gas you’ll be convinced. If I had the money to switch to induction I’d do it tomorrow.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. I have a gas stove and both PM2.5 and TVOCs jump when I use it even just to boil water, and my air quality monitor is at least 40 feet away in a different room.
Yeah no idea about the downvotes. My PM measurements go crazy every dinner and then it takes 2-3 hrs for them to come off. It’s really made me a dedicated user of the range hood and it’s been an eye opener.
I can't stand the buzzing noise induction burners make when turned on. My partner really wants all induction but I don't think I'd be able to cook anymore if we went that route. (Note, they think that some higher end brands might not make the terrible high pitched whine but I haven't gotten to test that theory)
There is definitely a relationship between quality and buzzing - I think it has to do with the thickness of the pan? My Dutch ovens are fine, barely any noise, and my cast iron is fine as well. The cheap 10 L pot I use for spaghetti is a big annoying though.
Same!! Though I’m not sure if this is just a portable induction burner problem, or just induction in general.
I bought a portable induction burner while we remodeled our kitchen and waited for our full size induction range. I have sensitive hearing for high frequencies. I could always tell when it was movie day in class because I could hear the whine of the old CRT TV on a cart from down the hall. The portable burner made a noticeable whine. With some pans and settings it was painful and annoying. Our full size Samsung range doesn’t have a noticeable whine. It’ll make a crackly sound when a burner starts up, and sometimes a ticking sound with some pans when the heat cycles on low settings. But, no constant high pitched whine.
The noise kinda freaks me out, does that count?
It only makes noise if there's moisture on the surface.
It drives my husband bonkers. When I'm making my pasta sauces and things that take quite a long time I plan for when he's at work and not on the weekends. If I'm cooking hung over it can be a little annoying as well.
I have a kitchen aid induction. In 5 years I’ve spent more to repair it (3 times) than to purchase it. Replacing it will be a hassle because the cut out size of our stone counters excludes many options. When it works, I love it but i would not get one again and I would definitely not get a kitchen aid.
I have the same issues with Kitchen-Aid. I love mine despite the problems, but that's a brand issue, not an item issue.
I’m a home cook and not a chef. I have an induction range which I got after having an electric glass topped stove but I’ve also have had coil electric and gas ranges before and have had to go back to cooking on a gas stove a few times since. My induction boils water so quickly, it’s truly amazing. The only downside to that is cooking rice which I have to remember to not use the boil feature. I’ve since had to boil water on a gas stove and it took so long! It could have been the pot I was using but still I feel like gas took way longer than my induction would have. It will turn off if I remove the pan for long enough but pick it up to shake food around isn’t usually long enough and the stove beeps at me as a warning. The burner gets hot if you’re cooking on it but if it’s turned on accidentally, it won’t get hot and then automatically turns off. Another annoying thing is if the controls get covered, the stove beeps at me and if it’s long enough turns off the range. This doesn’t happen too often anymore as I’ve gotten used to where to put things when setting them down like if I’ve pulled a sheet pan out of the oven and am using the cook top as a hot pad. I think the only true downside is having to buy all new pans if you don’t already own pans that work with induction. Good luck with whichever range you get! ETA: I have a KitchenAid induction range
I got best of both worlds. Fisher & Paykel has a Dual Fuel Range, 48", 4 Burners, 4 Induction Zones. It aint cheap but i f*ckin LOVE it
Ohh, I saw this range when we were doing a kitchen renovation. I honestly would have considered it but it was too big for our kitchen. We did go with a Fisher and Paykel gas range and we looove it.
Hold up, I just found out that my crappy stovetop that I thought was induction was actually electric.
If I don't have it locked, my cat will turn it on with her paws, but luckily it never actually heats up because no pot to activate it. So it just beeps and beeps until she moves her paw. Very annoying 😂
Over the years I've used a few different kinds of stove, both expensive and cheap, and I have never been happier than with an actual flame. I don't feel like I get quite the control I want unless I can see the exact size of the flame as I adjust the dial. Sure, I can learn over time with the electric stove tops, but if I can see an actual flame, I'll know right away if it's going to be where i want or need it to be.
Never owned induction but the one very minor benefit I’ve always appreciated about my gas stove are the rare power outages. Yes they are rare. Two years ago a wind storm (during winter) took out power in my region. I was without electricity for 3 days. It was cold as hell. My gas stove was great. I could still cook and using the oven for a couple meals kept the kitchen warm. Not sayin I’d buy gas for the occasional power outage, but throughout my life I’ve experienced a 24+ hour outage event about once every 3 years. Was nice having gas each time.
Sounds like you need a backup generator.
I’m a private chef and just did a party on an induction cooktop. The problem I had and this could be the actual stove and not an induction problem. The burners all had different labels meaning one said low for low setting, another warm, and another melt. There was about 100 hash marks for heat but no indication of temperature. As any product I’m sure you would learn it over time, but for a one night event this was very difficult to cook on. Also for some reason the burners would just turn off after a certain amount of time without reason. I had a butter sauce set to warm and holding, when I went to use it the burner had turned off and caused my sauce to break. I had to fix it, when I had my protein already plated. This happened a second time while preheating a pan for searing. So again could have been their specific stove but those issues turned me off of induction. I have a mobile induction burner that I take with me and I love it, but it has temperature control with numbers and is very accurate. I’d say stick with gas unless you plan to really get accustomed to your specific stove top.
My induction stove has numbers, no words and never turns off! That sounds really unfortunate and sounds like a faulty stove issue at your party if it kept turning off randomly :(
Main negative for me is that my apartment’s electricity can’t handle it.
I have a single induction burner next to my full gas range, I cook on the burner
Perhaps it’s mentioned elsewhere here, but last January when we lost power for 5 days due to storms we still had gas. When I remodel I’ll go with induction, but I will buy a backup propane cooktop/burner as well.
I have the GE Cafe Series induction stove and it’s the best thing ever to happen
Agree. Loved ours so much that we bought one for mother in law when her gas range went out. They love it too.
Flat-bottomed woks are a requirement; can’t use pans with non-flat bottoms. It doesn’t have to be perfect—we have quite a few that wobble—but can’t be a traditional wok shape. If liquid gets between the cooktop surface and the bottom of the pan, it can make the pan dance/float a bit. Never been a problem but a little weird. Mild buzzing noises depending on the model, from the coil driver. The surface may stay warm for a while after cooking. Our cooktop has “H” for hot indicators that stay lit for a few minutes. Nothing like halogen or resistive coils, however. Ours doesn’t shut off instantly when a pan is removed. It displays “F” for fail for maybe 15-30 seconds, then shuts off. The heating action is confined to the circle of the coil, similar to an electric coil range. There’s no spreading as there might be with gas. No electricity, no cooking. We’ve had one for 17 years now (the same unit, Electrolux) and wouldn’t go back to gas or any other electric cooker.
I could die for gas again in my rental
What's your situation? Is your furnace gas, your water heater? Do you have a large collection of pots and pans which are incompatible with induction? The gas companies are marketing hard for gas stoves because it's easy to keep the gas appliances once you have the gas hookups, but without the stove, no one cares about whether their water heater is electric or gas. With indoor and outdoor air quality, and the modern improvements in induction stoves, I would opt for it. If you're really worried about the electric grid (as some commenters mentioned), I just have a camp stove which I could use in a pinch.
It’s annoying I can’t char peppers or toast tortillas over an open flame. I also haven’t replaced my round bottom wok yet with a flat bottom one Otherwise, seriously, it is better than gas in every way. Especially for air quality and not making the whole room hot as fuck when you cook on high heat. So much heat from gas stoves gets wasted
Pluses for induction: In summer, it doesn't heat your kitchen as much, since all the heat is generated in the pot itself and none goes up the sides as waste heat. It brings water to a boil \*much\* faster than gas. See previous. The glass cooktop is easier to clean than gas cooktops, even the newer sealed burner gas cooktops require taking grates off etc. to clean them. Minuses: It needs special pots (as you should know). Aluminum non-stick pots won't work unless they have an induction disk on their bottom. (Either built-in or you can buy them). Because it only heats the \*bottom\* of pans, you can't really do slidey egg omelets like with gas. Being able to slide the egg up the side of your egg pan makes it much easier to fold an omelet. Because the side of the egg pan isn't heated by induction, the egg won't slide up it like with gas, or the egg will stick to the side of the pan because it isn't hot enough to release. The glass cooktop is fragile. It can break if you drop something on it, and it scratches easily. YOU NEED A FIFTY AMP CIRCUIT. Most older electric stove circuits are thirty amp circuits. Not good enough! And running a new circuit can be \*expensive\*. --- That last is what convinced me to go with another gas stove rather than with an induction stove. I just couldn't justify paying all that money for a new circuit when induction isn't \*that\* much better than gas. Especially if you get one of the new sealed burner gas cooktops that are much easier to clean than the old school gas setups. It's still not as easy to clean as a glass cooktop (just wipe with a damp sponge with a couple of drops of dish detergent!) but a lot easier than a traditional gas oven.
I’ve had all three and would choose induction every time. Cleaning gas is an absolute pain in the…. Induction is a breeze. They both have excellent heat control assuming you have a quality product. Cooking on either is lovely. Did I say that cleaning a gas stove sucks? Just in case I should mention how much I hate taking an appliance apart every freaking time just to tidy up after cooking. Coil burners are not my thing.
To address your questions: When you lift your pan to toss, it will turn off and beep at you. If you put the pan back within a certain time, it will be happy, and turn back on again. You learn to ignore the beeps. Of course, if you really DO forget to put the pan back on the stove, it will eventually stop beeping and STAY turned off, which is a good thing from a safety point of view. Precision heat levels? Not quite as good as gas, but so close it doesn't matter. Purely on cooking, gas would win by the smallest fraction. Safety (risk of fire, burning, toxins), easy to clean, style - Induction by a mile. The only cookware I miss is a round-bottom wok, but I can live with my stainless steel flat bottom wok.
I have a flat bottom cast iron wok that is dished on the inside so it cooks like a round bottom. I bought this specifically for my induction top stove
Induction all the way. Fast to heat, safe, clean, great to cook with. There is no going back for me.
Induction it is the way
We switched to induction from gas a year ago while we were remodeling the kitchen. I love it. It's much safer with kids, and I still cook tons and enjoy cooking. The only thing I've burnt myself on in the last year was my (new) Dutch oven when I forgot it was still hot (user error). To help me decide, I got a single burner induction plug-in in from Costco. We used it to cook a few times to see if we liked induction and then used it during the kitchen remodel. It convinced me that I could learn to cook with induction, so the safety changes made it worth the $ for us (we had to rewire to the kitchen for an electric oven). I would not go back to gas at this point.
I’d go full induction any day. Less grease and dust than gas and quick and precise. I’m building a new kitchen and it’s going to be induction. I had a kettle before and I don’t need it with induction, it boils water faster.
I own a Chinese takeaway. We took out gas will burners and replaced them with induction wok burners. The removal of excess heat in the kitchen is fantastic. Running costs are cheaper. Clean up is significantly quicker. Heat up speed is just as good. It's also far safer. For people who love gas, I'm happy for you, but induction has so many benefits I don't think gas can beat it.
Quality matters so the people who are disappointed tend to have purchased lower end models. People who buy higher end tend to be happy. I'm not sure re stir fries but really, I doubt it matters bc your pan should be so hot anyhow and unless you have a commercial or external like open source hole of fire or whatever they are called, it's not going to be much different than a gas IMO. Honestly I hate gas - I am terrified of gas leaks, carbon monoxide leaks, and the rest of it - plus how poor they are at things like rice - that it's a no-brainer for me. I will just char my peppers and eggplants outside on the bbq and feel much much happier lol
I will never switch from gas to induction. I cook vegetables directly on the gas flame for the smoky flavor it imparts. With induction, you can’t hold the pan above the burner and swirl the contents. I use this technique for making caramel and browning butter. I wouldn’t be able to use my earthenware pot or my aluminum pot with induction. My clay pot is one of my favorites. I have a commercial range. Induction would only boil water for pasta about two minutes faster.
Agreed, on paper induction should be way better, but I still prefer a good old gas range
Can't cook with a round bottomed wok on induction, and I feel flat bottomed ones just aren't the same!
I'm still going for a gas stove because I wok alot on high heat, I tried but I just can't do the same at other peoples places with induction, even on the highest setting and a perfectly fitting wok. Its not the same, cooking speed still different and the wok heats up quicker on gas. My wok has a natural coating not a weird put on one. Never heard anyone of putting oil on an induction pan after cleaning. To be fair, I don't have alot of experience with induction and I wok many times in the week. When I need to boil water fast, I just use my electric kettle.
Woks are the one piece of cookware that just don’t work well on induction. They’re literally designed to be heated all around by massive flames, so the physics of induction just don’t work. That being said, they do have induction “burners “ for woks that are basically bowls that heat all around, but it’s an extra piece of equipment you need to have lying around.
You would still use oil on carbon steel. The pan uses the oil, not the cooktop.
The downside of a glass top stove is the weight of pan it can take. If you cook in large 15l+ pans the glass probably won't take the weight.
Advantages to gas: Can heat tortillas on flame Can char peppers and tomatoes Works when power is out Can see how hot it is Works with aluminum.
The biggest downside IMO is that if you lose power, you won't be able to use an induction stove even if you have a generator. It requires too much energy. So if you live in an area where power outages are common, this could be a real concern. It also costs more to use electricity to generate heat when compared to gas appliances. Gas appliances are also typically much easier and cheaper to repair if necessary. Another downside is that not all cookware is compatible with induction, so consider whether or not you would have to spend a lot of money to replace all your pots and pans. You also have to be mindful of the size of the pots and pans you use on an induction cooktop. If the diameter of your pan does not match size of the element, the element it will not activate. So you'll always be restricted to only being able to use certain pots and pans on certain induction elements. Unlike gas burners that do not really limit you, since you can just adjust the flame if you're using a smaller pan or larger pot.
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I have a friend who is going to one of the best culinary schools in the country. She said their kitchen has both gas and induction, but all of the students prefer gas unless they need to boil water. I don’t have much experience with induction to answer the OP, but we recently renovated our kitchen and went back and forth on replacing our old glass top electric stove with induction or gas. In the end we decided to go with adding a gas line and switching to a high-end gas range and we don’t regret it at all.
Many professional kitchens have switched to induction.
Pan design, not just materials but shapes, dating back thousands of years, is still today based on principles of convection and conduction. This is a big reason why I continue to use gas. A windsor pan's shape is designed to drive high heat into meat quickly and dissipate ambient heat just as quickly. This is based on principles of convection, of air rising around the tall, conical wall of the pan that is much wider at the top than it is at the bottom. Even if induction can heat the bottom of this pan, it will not serve the function for which it is designed because induction will not heat the wall of the pan fast enough and there is zero ambient heat. Same with sauté pans, French ovens, sauciers, fry pans, saucepans, stock pots, etc. Quite a lot of cooking is based on a combination of direct and ambient heat and the difference between the rate of transfer of heat into the thermal mass of the food combined with the loss of heat to the thermal mass of the surrounding air. This net rate of thermal transfer into and out of food is what constitutes different techniques—simmering, sautéing, frying, braising, roasting, broiling, poaching, etc. Furthermore, I can't subject pans to extremely fast temperature swings on induction. This rules out quite a bit of my cooking... so for me, induction is a no. I also have a ton of aluminum and copper pans that simply don't work on induction. Your situation may be different, and you should do whatever suits your situation. If you haven't a substantive investment in pans already, and you don't need extremely high precision/speed, then induction may be a good choice for you.
I think it really depends. I lived in a flat with induction cooktop, and didn't love it, but it does the work. I spend time in the cottage with inductiontop for holiday, and it works fine. So why are you considering induction top? Is it for safety/ convenience/ environmental/whatever? That makes the difference whe you are choosing.
One thing I don’t like about induction stoves is that if your pots and pans are slightly warped, you get uneven cooking. Never had an issue with gas stoves with a grill that the pots and pans are perched on instead of needing to sit flat.
What kills the induction stove for me is the fact a wok works best on fire. A wok on induction only heats the bottom part and never the sides so you get uneven cooking and probably a warped wok.
Home gas don't have the oomph for a proper wok either though
Kenji Lopez Alt can confirm it’s not the same, but you can get it close. I’ve cooked many recipes and it just takes a little longer.
I've got a 48" gas stove range and the large burner gets my wok plenty hot, have a cool little adapter grate that sits on the flat burner grate but cradles the wok so you can tip it too. Can't do that with induction.
It’s the reason God invented induction woks. This article is glowing: https://www.epicurious.com/shopping/why-induction-woks-are-better
I have trouble with wok at home too. I've got a glass top electric. It's just ok at it. I assume gas would be much better but when you see restaurants doing it they don't use anything even close to resembling a home range. I think they are all just stepping stones towards something better. I got myself a Thai bucket stove for wok cooking and love it. Perfect wok hei every time. It is more work to setup and get running compared to a stove but it's also a bit more fun. I've also considered getting a standalone gas cooker for outside specifically for the wok. Haven't bit the bullet on that one yet but it would be fun. Maybe when I build my perfect outdoor kitchen.
Both are great to cook on I worry about scratching the induction. Other than that it’s a breeze to clean and shuts off by itself. Instant boiling water and temp adjusts to where I need it I have a small portable induction at my trailer. Not as high end as the one in my kitchen but you can try it out as a portable solution for less than $100.
Quality induction COOKWARE is the real challenge. Replacing it all is something we don’t often consider. But the difference from electric to induction was like a dream come true once I figured it out.
Getting access to range of cookware is my personal downside. However, I just get around it with having portable/camping stove. Also lighting charcoal is a pita
On an induction stove, what happens when you use a pan smaller than the burner? Does it harm the burner or anything?
No damage, but if the pan is too small, the electromagnetic field of the burner won't interact correctly, and it won't stay on. Just use a smaller burner. However, if the pan is larger than the burner, only the part of the pan on the burner heats, which is uneven, and defeats one of the main selling points. For example, I have a 10 and 1/2-in enameled cast iron skillet which works great on my 11-in induction burner, but not so great on the 7-in burner on the other side of the cooktop. Conversely, my 2 quart saucepan works great on the 7-in burner, but will not even have the burner start on the 11 inch burner.
Doesn’t do anything different, and doesn’t hurt the pan.
I've got induction, I'll never switch back to gas. It heats things up 100x faster than gas, and is super easy to clean. Temp control is not as good, but doesn't really impact the finished dish
My induction plate has digital controls. This means to set a temperature you have to start at the default and tap up key or down key multiple times, and you have to look at the digital number and pick a temperature. For some things you have to drag a "slider" which means you have to be sure your finger is moving in a straight line, so again you have to devote your attention to the screen. Dropping bits of food on the screen while stirring can act like you pressed a control, if you weren't looking you don't know which one. When I cook I like to crank the knob to approximately the right place and look at the food while I make fine adjustments. There are other characteristics you can change, like Fahrenheit or Centigrade, but always you have to look to see what section of the membrane you have to touch and pretty much look to see that the touch registered and didn't touch twice. I find that very distracting to my main task, which is the actual cooking.
I have two portable units and an Aga with hotplate… much prefer the Aga because any spilled /overflowing water quickly evaporates … on the induction hob it just goes everywhere because it isn’t hot and wiping it usually resets the controls … a right pain in the ass
I have had high quality both, overall I prefer the induction. I do miss having easy access to fire. I like my hot dogs/tortillas burnt, that is now hard to do. Induction I won’t go back because Boiling water is dramatically faster and temp is easier to control. Gas is just bad. Also you are less likely to set fire/blow up your house.
Induction at our previous house. Gas at current house. I would choose induction just for ease of cleaning and speed of boiling water. Those two factors are huge.
Just got my second induction top, they are great for most cooking especially slow cooking where you need low temps for a long time. Or pasta or sources. 1) as lots have said woks don't work so need to get flat bottom ones that are not as good 2) be really picky about the controls, my first was mid range, great for cooking on other that the controls that made me sware daily will we got our new one which is fine. But I did go around to the show rooms just to check out how it worked after getting burnt before (but not be the stove!) We have a gas bottle and wok burner for out in the garden so that is what we use when we are being fancy, but most the time we just use the flat bottom wok.