Induction Cooktop?
 

Anyone used/using one? What are your thoughts?
Thanks.

Glenn,
I have a gas range (kenmore Elite, made by Electrolux) that is a reasonably nice range. I have a full set of 2.5mm copper cookware. Around 3 years ago I purchased an induction hob that now sits on top of my stove and is used probably 90% of the time. The control is great but unfortunately I cannot use copper cookware on it, obviously.
When I fry an egg, or use a pressure cooker or boil water, the induction hob is quicker and more convenient. Clean up is an absolute breeze. The other issue is venting of combustible gas. When my house was built for the pervious owner 29 years ago, I am not sure much attention was paid to the need for adequate ventilation and, almost as importantly, make up air. We will probably renovate the kitchen in the next few years and I will probably go with induction. Clean lines, easy clean up, precise, way more efficient, does not heat up the kitchen in the summer. The only downsides I can see is it is an electronic device that will fail and it won’t heat the kitchen in the winter.

We recently purchased a Wolf induction cooktop to replace our 1970 electric eye cooktop.

While doing research all showed that the induction cooktop is the most economical due to the rapid heating and extreme precision of heat control. Only concern, is the possibility of having to upgrade the electrical circuit to accommodate the increased current draw, the Wolf calls for a 40 Amp circuit and 8 GA wire (if memory is right). Luckily, the old electric cooktop had been wired with the right wiring and breaker size. Most reviews people have a standard 30 Amp circuit.

As for usage, we love the induction cooktop, we did have to buy all new cookware, as only one was compatible with eh induction cooking. We purchased All-Clad and have nothing but rave reviews of both the induction cooktop and the even heating of the All-Clad cookware.

Water in a cold pot will boil (without using boost feature) in under 3 minutes, on the old cooktop, it took 8 minutes to get to a boil.
the temperature control is crazy fast and precise.

We've had ours about a month and just love the look and all the functions of it. :thumbsup:

There was a thread on this same topic about 2-3 weeks ago. Try searching for it. A lot of good info there as I recall.

Here is one:
Induction Cooktop

That’s the one I had in mind. Thanks Joe.

We had one in our home in Belgium several years ago .My wife did not like it and when we returned she went back to cooking with gas. I don't know if the technology has changed since.

We had an induction cooktop in our previous home for about 2yrs. While it was great for controlled heating, particularly low heat cooking, we did have some issues with the circuit board and had to have it replaced which was quite costly.

I’d check the warranty conditions and how long the board is covered and cost of replacement just so you are aware in advance of any purchase.

Good luck!

Buy Miele, german quality.

We have a 30 inch gaggenau induction cooktop (as well as a wolf all gas range and a viking all gas range and a wood fired oven here and there). I'm a proficient hobby cook.

Induction works well and will boil a pot of water faster than gas. It's also easier to clean up. The glass surface on a high end unit does not get scorchingly hot as it only heats up the metal in pan. It's also less of a fire hazard (some apartments do not allow gas) and vs using bottled gas you don't run out.

The main negatives for me are 1) Heat level is much less intuitive, simply based on the numbers. I think there are some induction cooktops which include LED lights to simulate intensity. 2) In addition to not working on all pans (must be magnetic), your pan has to sit more or less flat on the cooktop. Some of my favorite and most used pans (thin blue steel french saute pans which are non stick when seasoned) warp or deform when heated. These don't heat up evenly with induction. Flat bottomed carbon steel woks or wide paella pans are likely not to sit flat. Also if you plan to season carbon steel pans, this incredibly difficult with an induction hob. This is not insurmountable, just buy all clad type cookware. 3) Cast iron is not recommended as it can scratch the glass. I have not tried it myself. 4) It's harder to flip food on a saute pan as I fear I will crack the glass if the pan bangs on it by accident.

Overall I prefer gas, but the induction is reasonably capable. If you like carbon steel cookware, it's somewhat of a bother. But a good cook never blames his tools.

Am guessing that with induction one must 'learn their pans' as each will heat differently.

I've had one for 10 years and really like it. Just take a magnet with you when you buy pots and pans. If the magnet doesn't stick to the bottom it won't work!

Cast iron is our go to for lots of things. That rules out induction cooktop.

I've been using cast iron skillets on my induction without any problems. Cooks great steaks!

Indeed. :thumbsup: Only way to cook a steak is in a good, heavy skillet with butter, schrooms & garlic. Think I'll pick a couple of Porterhouse today.

https://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stai...l+clad+braiser

I really like this pan for frying steaks (and many other uses; i have 3 of these). It's very wide (you can cook a couple of good sized steaks, not 2 porterhouses tho), sides that are high enough to reduce splatter and low enough that steak doesn't steam. You can also blast it really hot, it sits flat on induction, and thick enough to retain a decent amount of heat. Non nonstick but really useful.

I like the anodized non-stick All-Clad pieces. Use their square skillet with the ribs on the bottom for almost all my oven work unless cooking for more than it will hold.

I agree, when we refurbed out kitchen we changed from gas to induction (Bosch Serie | 8 60 cm Cooktop Induction)

Pros: very easy to clean, boils water fast, good for low heat simmering
Cons: less than a year old & control panel had to be replaced (under warranty), hopeless with a wok, heat levels below 4 have very little difference, need flat bottomed pots, control panel throws a fit if a hot pan gets close to it.

I still like induction cooktops, but would still have a gas ring next to it for wok cooking.

Whats best for you depends on what kind cook you are.

If you are a good baker, are very “clean” in your cooking space, follow recipes, and like precision and consistent results, induction is good for you.

If you cook by taste, experiment in ingredients, and generally make a bit of a mess, gas is a better choice.

Induction is clean, your pan bottom has to stay clean and perfect (no bits of burnt anything or it’ll keep pan from sitting flay and will make a mess of your nice glass countertop). Precision control and limited pan options mean you have to plan out your overall meal plan and timing. You put your pan down and cant movs it.

With gas you can use your cast iron pan (can’t use on glass cooktop), you can shake and move your pan around over the heat without loosing heat (like when I make risotto or stirfry or even sautee’ing anything). You can tilt off heat and collect juices to spoon over the top when searing proteins like chicken breast or a piece of fish. You can crank the heat for a quick sear, throw in the oven, then return to quick heat on the stove to deglaze and make a pan sauce. You can flambee. Cleanup is easier as alot of the messy splatter or spills burn up in the flame, but when you do spill a little oil, you dont have to cool the stovetop to wipe down clean before using the next pan (induction tops have to be kept just as clean as your pan bottom).

Basically, induction is a great choice for a home/hobbyist who cooks basic meals. Gas is a better choice for a more advanced chef who likes to get their hands a little bit dirty and use various techniques.

If you do go with gas, you’ve always got the option of a plug-in countertop induction plate you can dedicate to boiling water or long low temp simmers/reductions.

If you go with induction, invest in a multi-stage cleaner and use it everytime you cook. The second a bit of oil or food gets onto that glass top it gets onto your pan and creates a mess to clean up. My parents stove gets a spray clean/wipe, then a white carwax like paste that dries and then is buffed off with a microfiber cloth. Razor blade glass scraper kept on hand for anything burnt/stubborn on the glasstop. Barkeepers friend to the bottom/outside of every pan pretty much everytime anything is done other than boiling water. I hate cooking there...

On my gas range, my cast iron pans amd carbon steel pans are thrown about and abused with love while my copper pans have a lovely patina to them and take zero effort to clean after cooking. My kitchen def gets hotter (and noisier as pans are tossed around with little regard to the burner surface) but hey, if you can’t stand the heat lol...

Induction cooktops a breeze to cleanup. Any all purpose kitchen spray, paper towels and bingo.

We use a cast iron skilled every day on our induction cooktop. Breakfast. Cooking steaks, pork chops etc etc

I don't think you know as much about induction cooktops as you think you do. I've had one for 10+ years. Thermador.

Cooking a steak on cast iron skillet.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvC0b_HtQMg

http://www.cookwarediary.com/using-c...ass-top-stove/

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-okay-to-...atch-the-glass

https://www.facebook.com/LodgeCastIr...type=1&theater

https://www.hunker.com/12498609/why-...ass-top-stoves

It seems u can, especially w enameled exterior castiron. With regular u have to polish or to be careful not to slide it on the glass - even lodge on fb says don't slide it on the surface.

The gaggenau cooktop is kinda cool. U put a round control magnet and spin it to control the heating pads.

I kinda like it so want to keep scratch free as long as I can.

I don't do anything with cast iron. Cooking bacon I put it on the large burner put in the bacon and let it go. No need to move it. It cooks evenly like an induction is supposed to do. Same with steaks. Put in some butter coat the inside of the skillet and bingo. Great steaks. 10 years of experience with the best kitchen cooktop I've ever owned.

That is what I use when U don’t use my firewood bbq, the only big problem in my opinion is the thickness of that steak, none whatsoever, too thin for my taste.

Way too thin. Just a demo video. Cooking 2 18 ounce NY strips on my induction using a cast iron skillet turns out a high end steakhouse product. Cooked evenly. That's the beauty of induction.

I get it’s a demo, but showing a thicker steak would look even more appetizing and juicy.

Don’t get me wrong, I use the same cast iron skillet and same brand with induction as well.

Dirty steak is a thing also...

Interesting. Neighbor has a subzero/wolf/etc repair business and most of what I know came from his warnings about it’s care and use when he installed my parents. The warning of using the cast iron was scratching/cracking the glass to not that it wouldnt/couldnt work. Not sure what your cast iron skillet weighs but my 12” lodge skillet is just over 8lbs, staub 12” grill pan is just over 11 lbs and my staub cocotte is 17lbs. IF you’re really careful and don’t move it around, I don’t see why you couldn’t use it, but for the average person it’s def not recommended for daily use. I pick them up, slide around, tilt up and drop down carelessly, throw in the oven, throw back on stovetop, etc...I don’t want to have to be gentle when lifting a hot/full 9qt container filled with simmering liquid (full is just about 20lbs).

The all purpose sprays work fine till something hits the side of your pan, drips down, burns in between...like I said above, if you’re a neat cook, a glasstop (induction or electric) is fine. But remember it’s not just the stovetop surface but also the pan surface you have to keep perfectly clean. If you’re the type that moves around pans, shuffles, spills and abuses their range like a commercial environment then gas is a better choice...then again I’m not a home cook and my professional culinary background, catering company, and short stint at owning a food truck def gives me a biased opinion on pushing equipment to it’s limits. I agree that it CAN be done by stand by my analysis on recommendation on ideal usage of each type.

I have an 1800w countertop induction plate and use it for long/low simmering, holding a specific temp or just boiling water when stovetop space is tight. I can flambe too onsite when there’s adequate ventilation (use a lighter to start the flame). Induction is a nice tool to have, but it’s not an essential tool for me, and one I use to compliment my primary gas range.

The problem with induction is you cannot get high heat temperatures. With either gas or electric you can get cast iron pants to 750 degrees F easily for searing measured with an IR thermometer but tops out at 450-475 for induction, at least on one of my friend's induction stoves.

We've been using 3 different cast ion skillets on our induction for 10 years without any problems. No scratches. You just leave it alone while it's doing its thing. I'm sure if you started picking it up and sliding it back and forth and up and down you might scratch it. Same thing would happen with an electric glass top smooth top. Induction has even heat which means you don't have to move pots and pans back and forth while cooking.

Thermador induction puts a great sear on steaks. I don't know what temp it gets to, but the sear is second to none.

Agreed, but you don’t move the pan back and forth for heat so much as you are moving the food in it. High heat and sauteing veggies, tossing a risotto, tipping to collect juices and spooning/basting, rolling an omelette...there are countless scenarios where you want to move the pan around and that’s my point on evaluating what type of cook you are and then picking the equipment which matches up best to your style/skill level. If you do one pan cooking, basic searing, sauteing by moving a spatula around and boiling water for pasta, an induction is fine. If you have 4 pans on the stove at one time and a pot in the oven, a quick shake/rock/toss of the pan is essential to multi-tasking and finishing/plating at the same time. Cooking for multiple people or just multiple/complex dishes requires a cooktop surface that doesn’t need to be babied.

Again, I’m not saying induction is bad or gas is better, just that each type is better for different types of cooks, and the OP should instead be evaluating his specific cooking style and usage for making his decision. I can cook a great complex menu on an induction stove, just like I can prep a 6 course meal with a paring knife or make fresh ravioli using a wine bottle for a rolling pin if I had no other option, but I wouldn’t prefer to do that from the beginning, I’d plan to have the best and most efficient tool for the job I knew was coming up.

Yup yup.

Tossing is a very fast way to flip food in a pan and get even cooking - for ex: sauteing anything (vegetables, shrimp), fried rice - much faster than using a spatula. Swirling and tossing is also a fast way to make pasta + pasta water thicken a sauce and if you want exactly al dente you don't want it sitting in the pan longer than needed.

This is much harder to do on induction. You can lift the pan much higher to avoid banging the pan but the heat stops right away and then you have to very gently put it back down. The other thing is on a semipro gas range, the grates are designed so you can slide pots and pans around the whole cook top. You don't have to lift the pots and you can use the space in between the burners.

But, Mille is right. Just depends on how important this is to you. Induction cooktop is perfectly usable. Our induction cooktop gets hotter than the typical 15k-17k btu burners on a semi pro gas cooktop so yes searing works well.

Why Induction Cooking is the Hottest Trend to Hit Restaurant Kitchens


https://www.foodserviceandhospitalit...rant-kitchens/

To saute literally means “to jump” and it’s called that because the food jumps around on its own in the pan over med- high heat as it’s moisture escapes and reacts with the small amount of fat in the pan.

you’re food isn’t jumping around on its own?
A: You’re searing it (med-high heat, food doesnt move)
B: you’re steaming it (not enough heat in pan for the fat/moisture to react or too much moisture in the pan, usually cause you out in too much food at once).

Try and correct the steaming issue and turn the heat up and now you’re stir-frying (high-heat and food is moved manually by the chef as moisture escapes too fast)

Want to just add more oil to the pan to keep temp of pan up and offset the extra moisture; now you’re pan-frying (enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan but not enough to submerge the food).

Sauteing is an issue with induction because as the food jumps around, little bits of the fat and what not splatter out and run down the side of the pan...this would be a sizzle and amazing aroma on a gas range as that’s burned off, but on any flattop surface it runs down the pan edge till it reaches the bottom
of the pan, where it burns. After a few minutes you start to build up a nasty residue on the bottom edges of your pan. Now cleaning up is a PITA because all that gunk has to be scrubbed off so your pan will lay perfectly flat.

If you’re not getting some of that oil splattering out, you’re not sauteing. Most likely your heat is too low and the moisture is laying in the pan and steaming your food (and you’re not able to brown it), or you don’t have enough fat on the fan to react with the escaping moisture of your food to make it jump around, which means you’re searing it and not cooking it all the way through.

As that article stated, there are many advantages in a commercial kitchen...but keep in mind too that in a commercial kitchen the chef has a stack of pans to keep grabbing a clean one as his gets dirty...and why does he have so many clean pans? Cause theres a guy there sweating in the dishroom whoise only job is to scrub every pan clean and return it back to the line.

Induction: great for clean cooks
Gas: better for messy cooks