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.