After 30+ years with gas...went Induction

13 years ago

Hi,

I am long time and frequent member over on the Laundry Room Forum, but thought I would say "Hi" on the Appliance Forum! I grew up with gas cooking only, and since my first home owned (1995)...I have always had gas.

Made the BIG jump last week, and sold the big Thermador gas Range and got a 36" Miele Induction Cooktop (Model KM 5773). I CANNOT say enough positive things about Induction. I feel there is NO reason to have gas. The Induction is faster, cooler, safer, easier, more control and SO, SO easy to clean. After a messy stir fry or fying bacon or potatoes....just wipe the cooktop with a microfiber cloth with water or use a little Windex. NO grates, iron burners, knobs, nooks & crannies. Induction is amazing, and I see this being the total way to most of our future cooking!!

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Comments (12)

cj47
13 years ago
LOL, welcome to the dark side. :-) I have the same cooktop you do and I am just as in love with it. My husband would be jealous but he's lovin' the results!! The other day I dumped a bag of chocolate chips in a pan and melted them for a dessert my daughter made. Just right there on the burner, no bain marie or anything. It's fun when something works the way you hoped it would, isn't it?

I can think of some reasons to still have gas--some folks like their copper cookware, some folks just like the flame, and some folks would rather have knobs and really just like the chunky look of gas. To each their own, but I'll never go back.

Have fun!
Cj
marcydc
13 years ago
I have the same. Love love love it.

You forgot to mention the low low. Like cj just said, melting chocolate without a double boiler?! Or leaving spaghetti or home made pizza sauce to simmer for hours on setting 1! how cool is that!
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I'm responding to venmar's question: While all of the above comments are true, I do have to wonder why some of the GE and Kenmore branded version induction cooktops from the early 1980's are still functioning while our modern equivalents are so fragile and short lived. Well, actually, there will be some current induction ranges that will last just as long as some of the first gen models you mentioned. Note that I said "some." Seems to me that in any given electronics product line, some units will chug on for a long time and some will not. One of my aunts still has a functioning early Kenmore induction range. (FWIW, it was my intro to induction cooking appliances three decades and something ago.) So, the last time I needed a new stove, I looked into maybe getting a "pre-owned" Kenmore induction range from the 80's. A bit of research showed that every story of longevity like my aunt's was swamped by many tales of woe, of gnashing of teeth, of unrepairability, etc. etc. My take away is this: it is really hard to say if all of our "modern equivalents" really are significantly more fragile and shorter-lived than the older induction models. Or older stoves generally. As plllog says of fridges, nobody really expected a Kenmore to last for decades, even the older models that didn't have any electronics, but some of them did. That some antique appliances are still around and working doesn't necessarily make them better than the current models. That being said, I certainly see the appeal of Venmar's vintage back-up coil burner range for simple reliability and durability. It is not just induction, either; it is pretty much all major brand appliances which run off circuit boards. But there will be tradeoffs. The extent of those trade-offs may or may not be worthwhile to any given one of us. As appealing as the simplicity and reliablity factors can make a vintage range seem, there are still some major trade-offs in day to day cooking such as waste heat, slow responsiveness, uneven ovens, etc. Seems to me that this is pretty much applicable to all appliances. Fr'instance, even with all my neo-luddite tendencies, there is no way I would trade my current Kitchenaid/Whilrpool FD fridge for the 1954 Westinghouse chill chest I had in graduate school 40 years ago. The problem as I see it is the uncertainty. There is no way to know if your unit is going to last a long time or fail early. That is why I find myself nodding in agreement every time Kas says "I now consider these cooktops to be effectively leased . . ." Regarding Kas' s comments about GE maybe building those old induction ranges better, my recollection is that those early GE and Kenmore induction ranges were actually rebadged units built by Sanyo in Japan.
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plllog
13 years ago
So...if you're doing a messy stir fry, why don't you put newspaper or parchment paper under it? Then you don't have to even get out the microfiber. :)

Seconding Cj, welcome to the magnet side.
kerbosch
13 years ago
paper may be a problem if it was very dry - i would worry about a grease fire. it is easier and safer just to wipe it off after cooking
gsciencechick
13 years ago
Congrats! I grew up with gas, but I haven't used gas in about 20 years since I moved away for grad school. I also love our induction range. We have a Samsung. The convection bake/roast feature is awesome, and I even found an induction-compatible wok at IKEA.

I agree, the cleanup is so easy I even posted once if I was doing anything wrong because all I had to do was wipe the cooktop with a damp paper towel.

We have gas heat & hot water, so we could have run a gas line, but the induction seemed like the obvious choice to replace a coiltop electric range. We got a floor model for a fantastic deal. I think we got that find because few people I know IRL even know what is induction.
weedmeister
13 years ago
I routinely cook bacon with a paper towel under the pan for cleanup. No grease fires.
country_smile
13 years ago
Glad to hear you're loving the induction, and I second everything you said about it being wonderful.

Sometimes I use newspaper or paper towels, other times not; either way it's a quick and easy clean-up. I really like the individual automatic switch off that you can set for all 5 burners for different times.

If more stores had induction set up and available for shoppers to demonstrate, I'm convinced sales would go through the roof.

Can you tell it's Saturday and I have some free time?
lucypwd
13 years ago
Isn't is great!! I thank myself daily for making the last minute switch to induction. Quick , easy cleanup, fast respnse, and low lows - I love it.
larsi_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
:) Thanks for all the great messages! Reading all your happiness and joy for going Induction makes me love mine even more! I was mildly torn between the Thermador and the Miele...but in our kitchen we have the Miele La Perla Dishwasher, Miele Speed Oven, Miele 30" Oven, Miele vent hood and also we have 2 Miele vacuums and the Miele W4842 washer and T9802 dryer....so we just stayed with what we know! I'm sure part of my appliance OCD, but I love that every appliance in the kitchen is now Miele :)

I do not think I could ever go back to gas, and cleaning all those grates and burners! The Induction offers EVERY benefit of gas...Instant heat, control, but with unparalleled efficiency and cleanup.

Thanks again!!!
wizardnm
13 years ago
I'm singing the praises of induction too. Our 36" Electrolux Icon induction cooktop was installed in late Nov. and I just love it, for all the reasons stated above.

We had always planned on putting in a big gas stove when we did the new kitchen. As soon as I started reading about induction I switched, so glad I did.
macybaby
13 years ago
Gas was never an option for us, but we still love our induction. Installed it this March, and DH says that we'll never go back to regular electric, even if we are renting. My only gripe is I can't use my Aluminum canner on it :(
nancylazara
12 years ago
I'm encouraged by the positive comments - and on the verge of buying an Electrolux Induction Range Slide-in. Does anyone have one? I'm a little worried about the controls and how easy/hard they are to use.

After 30+ years with gas...went Induction

Comments (12)

cj47

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After 30+ years with gas...went Induction

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