Induction Cooktop?

[DAB942]

We have radiant - no gas anywhere near us. Looking in to induction. Anyone with one? Like/dislike? All of our cookware will work.

 

[Katodude]

We have one and love it. The biggest problem is cookware and it seems like you have that covered.

 

[Jimrahbe]

DAB,

I wish I could afford one...

Jim R.

 

[jseyfert3]

Tagging on to see what people think and your thoughts if you upgrade. I think I'd love induction personally. Cast iron is my favorite fry pan, and that works perfectly on induction. I like gas, but our current place has radiant, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE how easy it is to clean. Now couple that with the rapid and repeatable heat control and power of an induction stove and it'd be the perfect combo....just not high on our list of things to shell out for right now. Never actually used one myself though, just read about them.

 

[DAB942]

Tagging on to see what people think and your thoughts if you upgrade. I think I'd love induction personally. Cast iron is my favorite fry pan, and that works perfectly on induction. I like gas, but our current place has radiant, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE how easy it is to clean. Now couple that with the rapid and repeatable heat control and power of an induction stove and it'd be the perfect combo....just not high on our list of things to shell out for right now. Never actually used one myself though, just read about them.

I like gas, too. We don't have NG anywhere near us. We live outside city limits. We've had radiant for some time -- my biggest issue is heat fluctuation between burners. Number 4 is a diff temp on every section.

I also like the easier cleanup, rapid boil, etc.

 

[jseyfert3]

I like gas, too. We don't have NG anywhere near us. We live outside city limits. We've had radiant for some time -- my biggest issue is heat fluctuation between burners. Number 4 is a diff temp on every section.

My midwest mind was like "why not a propane stove then" before I realized you were in Florida. (It's basically unheard of for a rural house to not have propane for heating up here, as electric is just too expensive)

I've not noticed any uneven heating on our radiant stove, except for the front right burner. It has a dual size option, and this means the heating coils aren't quite even, and the left side is a tad cooler. But not enough to really bother me. I would guess various stoves have various patterns. The three other single size burners are all very even heat.

I just remembered my other dislike of radiant. Gas doesn't care about unflat pans, but radiant stoves and warped stainless pans do not work super well. They don't transfer heat as fast (I know it's radiant but I think stainless isn't great in general and relies partially on touching) and tall stock pots with unflat bottoms start rocking when water gets near boiling.

Oh yeah, and that wide fry pans overhang the big burner edge and don't heat on the outside, but I suppose that would be an issue with inductive as well, though perhaps to a lesser extent.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Induction is great, BUT a lot of cookware that claims that it works on induction isn't very good for it. You can tell the difference between a good induction pan and a so-so induction pan. As said above nothing beats a good cast iron pan on an induction cooker. Stainless pans with embeded induction plates work pretty well as long as the induction plate is pretty thick. Most medium and low cost 'induction' pans have a very thin plate and they're the ones that don't work very well.

 

[DAB942]

Induction is great, BUT a lot of cookware that claims that it works on induction isn't very good for it. You can tell the difference between a good induction pan and a so-so induction pan. As said above nothing beats a good cast iron pan on an induction cooker. Stainless pans with embeded induction plates work pretty well as long as the induction plate is pretty thick. Most medium and low cost 'induction' pans have a very thin plate and they're the ones that don't work very well.

That's my understanding. We don't have "induction' pots and pans. Ours are stainless steel, higher end set -- we've owned for maybe 20 yrs. Magnets CLANG hard to them. We also have a few cast iron pans, which I love. I ordered it last night. Will be here on Halloween. Installing will only take 30 mins-ish as long as it goes the way our last cooktop did.

 

[Katodude]

We had an old GE cooktop. I bought the GE induction for sale about 5 years ago on sale for about $1200. If you have pans that are very magnetic they will work great with induction.

 

[DAB942]

We had an old GE cooktop. I bought the GE induction for sale about 5 years ago on sale for about $1200. If you have pans that are very magnetic they will work great with induction.

What I didn't realize is the lids are not, which makes sense to not conduct heat as efficiently, except with a dutch oven.

 

[DAB942]

My midwest mind was like "why not a propane stove then" before I realized you were in Florida. (It's basically unheard of for a rural house to not have propane for heating up here, as electric is just too expensive)

I've not noticed any uneven heating on our radiant stove, except for the front right burner. It has a dual size option, and this means the heating coils aren't quite even, and the left side is a tad cooler. But not enough to really bother me. I would guess various stoves have various patterns. The three other single size burners are all very even heat.

I just remembered my other dislike of radiant. Gas doesn't care about unflat pans, but radiant stoves and warped stainless pans do not work super well. They don't transfer heat as fast (I know it's radiant but I think stainless isn't great in general and relies partially on touching) and tall stock pots with unflat bottoms start rocking when water gets near boiling.

Oh yeah, and that wide fry pans overhang the big burner edge and don't heat on the outside, but I suppose that would be an issue with inductive as well, though perhaps to a lesser extent.

We do have a propane tank (120lb) for a few things -- it was not run in to the kitchen. We had our floors done at the beginning of the year. My wife would probably not even wait for me to go to sleep to whack me, if I tore up the floors to run a line. I'm not even sure I'm kidding.

We would also need a larger tank and bury -- which we had quoted a few years ago around 4K, which seems like a lot before even filling it. Also, propane would certainly create project creep. Hey, the cooktop is gas -- we need to order a new double oven, and a water heater, and...

 

[Katodude]

Buy the induction and dont look back. You have the cookware which is the hardest part of the conversion. It will boil water faster than gas, and when you turn it off it stops producing heat immediately (like gas). Is it as good, probably not, but for us it is close enough, and we are some pretty big foodies around here.

We have a 250 gallon buried propane tank which we use for pool heater, BBQ, firepit, big side burner (which is like a gas range), and our two mosquito magnets.

Even if I could run propane to the house for our cooktop, I wouldn’t. We like the induction that much.

 

[homegameroom]

I have had induction for quite a while and completely love it. You can have the heat low enough to melt chocolate but also have the power to boil a pot of water in 2 minutes.

I've had no issue with warped pots or anything like that, though it seems like most pots and pans made that are induction-compatible have thicker bottoms (which I like, as it minimizes hot spots).

I moved from Ohio to Florida in 2015 and the Florida house had a gas stove which might be fine up north, but I felt like the stove and air conditioning were fighting it out! I quickly ran power to the kitchen and got an induction stove again. It is just the perfect cooktop! I can boil anything quickly and the cooktop never gets hotter than the pan. Cleanup is a breeze - just wipe it and you are good to go.

Energy-efficiency-wise, I think it is one of the best out there. Other stoves pump a LOT of heat out in the hopes of heating a pan; induction ONLY heats the pan.

Reliability: I put it in my house in Ohio in 1996 and sold the house in 2015 and it never broke down. The stove here is only 5 years old so I have had no problems, though I would not expect any service issues with a fairly young appliance.

 

[DAB942]

Buy the induction and dont look back. You have the cookware which is the hardest part of the conversion. It will boil water faster than gas, and when you turn it off it stops producing heat immediately (like gas). Is it as good, probably not, but for us it is close enough, and we are some pretty big foodies around here.

We have a 250 gallon buried propane tank which we use for pool heater, BBQ, firepit, big side burner (which is like a gas range), and our two mosquito magnets.

Even if I could run propane to the house for our cooktop, I wouldn’t. We like the induction that much.

I ordered it. Good to hear. We use our propane to heat the spa and fireplace. Our firepit is wood. Our boys are Eagle Scouts and scoff at the thought of gas firepit. We wanted to run propane to our grill and side burner -- the gas company wanted 1000.00 to run the line. It is far from the house -- but, I don't know that we would save any money -- just time and convenience of refills. We may re-visit.

 

[DAB942]

I have had induction for quite a while and completely love it. You can have the heat low enough to melt chocolate but also have the power to boil a pot of water in 2 minutes.

I've had no issue with warped pots or anything like that, though it seems like most pots and pans made that are induction-compatible have thicker bottoms (which I like, as it minimizes hot spots).

I moved from Ohio to Florida in 2015 and the Florida house had a gas stove which might be fine up north, but I felt like the stove and air conditioning were fighting it out! I quickly ran power to the kitchen and got an induction stove again. It is just the perfect cooktop! I can boil anything quickly and the cooktop never gets hotter than the pan. Cleanup is a breeze - just wipe it and you are good to go.

Energy-efficiency-wise, I think it is one of the best out there. Other stoves pump a LOT of heat out in the hopes of heating a pan; induction ONLY heats the pan.

Reliability: I put it in my house in Ohio in 1996 and sold the house in 2015 and it never broke down. The stove here is only 5 years old so I have had no problems, though I would not expect any service issues with a fairly young appliance.

We ordered -- supposed to be in next Saturday. My wife doesn't get impressed with kitchen gadgets like I do.
We just bought a Vitamix. I said "This thing can turn granite in to dust!" Her: "And, why would you need to do that?" My response : "You get to use my parents' Oster from 1974 from now on."

 

[Katodude]

$1000 to run the line, TAKE IT.

That is very inexpensive. You will save money as delivered propane is much cheaper than the 20lb tanks (which now only are filled to 15lbs). 15lbs of propane is 3.6 gallons which is about $8 delivered, so at least half the cost.

But that is not the reason to do it. Exchanging propane tanks is one of the biggest PIA I know. I hate hauling the tank, I hate waiting for the clerk to unlock the cage, paying for it, etc. Yuck. Now I never run out, I dont have to go to the store, and I save money.

When installing the line, have an extra riser put up for a Mosquito Magnet. Here in SF where it is mosquito heaven they work great. We have 2. Normally they use about a tank every 3 weeks (see above on how I hate tanks), but hooked on the main tank its awesome.

Mosquito Magnet® | Mosquito Traps To Protect Your Home Or Business

Mosquito Magnet® mosquito traps are scientifically-backed to protect your home and business from mosquitoes, midges, and more. Enjoy fast, free shipping on all traps!

www.mosquitomagnet.com

 

[wilkj1]

bought a thermador induction in 2015 payed a lot could have run gas to my kitchen for what i payed lol glad i did not though it is a amazing cook top just dont drop a cast iron skillet on it like i did not sure if the cracked glass top had anything to do with the computer board going out it lasted 2 years after but 2750 to fix wow i did not do that but i did find a open box on ebay for 60 % of what i payed for the old one so now i have lots of spare parts and a new cook top we love just like my salt pool i could never go back to lugging jugs if i want to cook with gas i go to my outdoor kitchen i love it as much

good luck and happy cookin.............. jimmie

$1000 to run the line, TAKE IT like Katodude..... said my line for pool we were all electric cost 4 k it was less than 125 ft they see your in a spot and kick you hard

 

[DAB942]

$1000 to run the line, TAKE IT.

That is very inexpensive. You will save money as delivered propane is much cheaper than the 20lb tanks (which now only are filled to 15lbs). 15lbs of propane is 3.6 gallons which is about $8 delivered, so at least half the cost.

But that is not the reason to do it. Exchanging propane tanks is one of the biggest PIA I know. I hate hauling the tank, I hate waiting for the clerk to unlock the cage, paying for it, etc. Yuck. Now I never run out, I dont have to go to the store, and I save money.

When installing the line, have an extra riser put up for a Mosquito Magnet. Here in SF where it is mosquito heaven they work great. We have 2. Normally they use about a tank every 3 weeks (see above on how I hate tanks), but hooked on the main tank its awesome.

Mosquito Magnet® | Mosquito Traps To Protect Your Home Or Business

Mosquito Magnet® mosquito traps are scientifically-backed to protect your home and business from mosquitoes, midges, and more. Enjoy fast, free shipping on all traps!

www.mosquitomagnet.com

hmm... I might have to reconsider. THanks for your input. I'm replacing our water softener, next. Gas might be after that. I know my wife would appreciate it. For some reason, the tanks only run out when she's on the grill.

 

[DAB942]

$1000 to run the line, TAKE IT.

That is very inexpensive. You will save money as delivered propane is much cheaper than the 20lb tanks (which now only are filled to 15lbs). 15lbs of propane is 3.6 gallons which is about $8 delivered, so at least half the cost.

But that is not the reason to do it. Exchanging propane tanks is one of the biggest PIA I know. I hate hauling the tank, I hate waiting for the clerk to unlock the cage, paying for it, etc. Yuck. Now I never run out, I dont have to go to the store, and I save money.

When installing the line, have an extra riser put up for a Mosquito Magnet. Here in SF where it is mosquito heaven they work great. We have 2. Normally they use about a tank every 3 weeks (see above on how I hate tanks), but hooked on the main tank its awesome.

Mosquito Magnet® | Mosquito Traps To Protect Your Home Or Business

Mosquito Magnet® mosquito traps are scientifically-backed to protect your home and business from mosquitoes, midges, and more. Enjoy fast, free shipping on all traps!

www.mosquitomagnet.com

Which magnet do you use -- AC powered or Battery?

 

[erikpiazza]

My biggest regret on the kitchen remodel I did 10 years ago was opting for a gas range instead of induction. At the time I thought "gas is more like a restaurant kitchen" while my wife said "we're not a restaurant and induction will be so easy to clean."