Induction is great for those people who do not have natural gas as an option. Notice I used the term natural gas, LP/Propane gas has it's draw backs with high powered gas burners and ovens. But overall gas is better simply because I can use any pot/pan, dented or not. I have become proficient in measuring the flame for the right power, gas is far less expensive to operate. I would need 240 volt drawing 50 amps of electricity to power a good induction top and if there is a power failure I am out of luck. Power failures are more and more common, but gas burners can be match lit.

I have a Bluestar and I chose it over induction because I have a variety of cookware that I like to use and the power and control is great. But also a more nebulous reason in the sort of Primal feeling about cooking over fire.

mccall, yeah like in the beginning before electricity

Guadalupe, I have LP. What are the drawbacks of using a pro-style gas range w/ LP? Agree that not being able to cook in a power outage is a drawback. We're thinking of adding a whole-house generator, though.

For me it comes down to the fact I like cooking with flame. I like the sound a gas burner makes when it lights. I like the visual indication of how much heat is being applied (size of the flames). I have used my burners to toast marshmallows, burn pinfeathers off chickens, roast peppers and temper small tools.

I like the fact that no matter what happens to my cooktop I can fix it or at least make it work by hand lighting it. I am an engineer and intellectually I know that induction is "better". However, I am also a pyrotechnician and I find fire to be magical.

The line pressure varies with LP, you could have ignition problems because the gas is not always consistent, cold, moisture and other elements effect the flow of LP

I have used LP for 25 years on thee different stoves and have not experienced any of the problems mentioned.

blidstar your stoves were normal 30" ranges, without 18,000 btu burners and grills or griddles, not to mention 2 ovens

"blidstar your stoves were normal 30" ranges, without 18,000 btu burners and grills or griddles, not to mention 2 ovens"

The Chambers model C was the only "normal stove". It was replaced with Wolf Commercial hotplates (4-30,000btu burners) and a 24" US Range charbroiler. I now have a custom 48" Bluestar 3, 22,000 btu burners and 24" charbroiler.

Guadalupe, I often have ignition problems on my existing Jenn Aire. I always thought it was the stove's fault (and it is a piece of junk), but now I am thinking that the line could be an issue, as well. Thanks for the advice-- induction is looking like a good option for me.

Why couldn't you use your gas cooktop without power and LP. That is one of the things I miss most about my old house - being able to light the burners with a match and cook in our frequent power outages -- can't wait to have another gas range (LP) again.

As for induction - too modern for my house. I like the visual feedback that you get from gas - and I don't want to figure out something new.

Cost of electricity here in the SF Bay Area is very high vs gas. I'm tempted by induction, but would probably be content with a 2-burner module next to the gas cooktop. Power outages here are few, but they have happened, especially during winter storms in the hills here.

I gave serious consideration to getting induction. I presently have a Thermador Ceran top. While I was extremely pleased for about 4 of the 5 yrs in use "it finally happened". A potato boil over. I wasn't right there and it ended up etching the top. Also remembering right after instillation we had a 5 day power outage, it is asking a lot of even the best generator to run an electric range. Also I like the idea of infrared broiler. Thus we are going with gas this time.

With us it was more an "analog versus digital" decision. My wife is the cook, and she's an "analog type person" that likes to see a flame and get feedback that way (much as I would rather look at the instruments on my sports car and see analog gauges instead of digital). She doesn't want to look at a number or touch-pad on a cooktop to change the temperature, she wants to turn a knob and see the flame change.

Induction is more effecient and can be very powerful, it's just not what we wanted.

If I had an induction (or electric) smoothtop, I'd have to be more gentle with pots and pans than I prefer.

I also am noise sensitive -- some of the induction tops whine.

And as an observant Jew, gas is much easier for keeping kosher, although really the best cooktop for kosher is cheap electric coils. And unlike gas, induction is not usable on Jewish holidays.

Like McCall and Blindstar, I also enjoy the visual feedback and magic af cooking with fire.

I didn't want to have to replace all my cookware, although I have bot some new items that would be okay on induction since then. I'm comfortable with gas and have used it before. The power requirement may have been a negative factor, but I didn't get to seriously considering that. The real killer for me was hearing that the surface would pit from sugar drips, and I make peantu brittle and sometimes other candy every Christmas at least, we can and make jellies and jams -- too many ways to yuk up a new cooktop when I know I like gas and cast iron grates.

I agree with (and love) the analog reference above. Analog data transfer is faster than digital and analog (to plagerize the reference) feedback feels better than digital.

And, I'd rather burn the fuel to make heat (with ineffeciency) rather than let the power company burn the fuel to make heat (with ineffeciency) to send me electricity to make heat (with ineffeciency).

And, romantically, all the great meals I've had have been cooked on gas versus induction and I can therefore imagine myself as duplicating the effort.

And, where are the induction grills for my patio? Then I might consider induction.

Jim

We seriously looked at getting induction for our remodel in a house with no gas whatsoever. Even so, we are adding LP tanks and getting a bluestar range. Reasons have been mentioned. Mostly for us, we are worried about having to be gentle with our pots over the smooth surface. "Analog control" was important although you get half of that with Viking with nice knobs. Even though I am also an engineer, I am not going to fiddel with up/down buttons trying to change temp. And yes, visual confirmation is important as we do it all the time in our current house with gas.

Induction is nice though. I am often tempted to get a single burner for those hot summer nights when you want to minimize cooking heat. And of course, the air is cleaner with induction. Oh well. Cooking priority wins :).

Induction is not more efficient than gas! Most of the power in this country comes from coal used to heat water which produces steam used to drive a turbine and using this system only gives you 35% thermodynamic efficiency.

So what if an induction cooktop can turn electricity into heat at 90% efficiency? The electricity to produce the heat was generated at 35% efficiency so the induction cooktop is 35% efficient when you open your eyes and consider the whole energy cycle.

Sorry to get on the soap box over this but I hear people talk about induction efficiency without really understanding the whole situation. I try to stamp out the induction efficiency myth whenever I see it.

That said, my reason for going gas is versatility (can't roast a pepper on an induction stove or cook without a generator when the power goes out). I like to use any pot I want. I like the visceral experience of gas, the theater and romance of the flame. My house looks historic so I wanted a gas rangetop (Bluestar) since iron, gas and flame are more historic than nouveau induction and it's sleek euro manifestations. I like my pans to stay in place on the burner without a non-skid pad. I like stick shift in a car and unix flavored operating systems on a computer and center stick control in a plane (yokes are tacky). I like to feel engaged in whatever I'm doing. I don't want something to be too automatic or easy because then it becomes boring. I'm sure I'll think of more reasons but that's where I'm coming from.

Thanks, everybody, you've given me a lot to think about! The analog vs. digital issue is a big one. Also the possibility that the cooktop will whine; I hear enough whining with 5 kids in the house, and don't want my range to whine, too. You've also got me thinking differently about fuel efficiency. I'm off to the appliance store today to see cooktops in action. It's nice to to go in with at least some knowledge of the pros and cons of the two systems.

I know how to cook on a gas stove. I spent 11 years with an electric range and could not ever get it to feel right to me. That said, I love the idea of the new technology of induction, but at the time there was no induction range (still isn't from what I can tell, I might be wrong about that) and there were only a couple of manufacturers. I also considered being locked into a high-draw electric device that I would use on a regular basis. I like the ease of cleaning of the smoothtop, but gas was still the winner for me.

morton5, to answer your question about LP, you don't get as high BTU's as are advertized for the burners, e.g. instead of 15,000 you'd get only 12,000

We also have LP. It is not true in all cases that you lose BTUs with propane. Certain manufacturers make their appliances specific to the type of fuel, like Wolf and Bluestar, maybe Capital, too. Theirs have the same BTU ratings with either gas as long as you order the right appliance. Others, like DCS to mention only 1, put an adapter on their NG appliances for propane, and do have lower BTUs on the higher end burners.

Anyway, you mentioned your 5 kids. We have 8. One of the major reasons I went with gas over induction is the silly (for us) burner configurations available on induction cooktops. We cook in large pots and pans, often wanting to use 3 or 4 at a time, and/or have more than one person cooking at a time. Most induction cooktops have 1 large burner. Some have 2, but they are so close together, you'd have a hard time using them at once. I dealt with 30" electric ranges all my life and wanted more flexibility and room to cook our larger meals, not less. So now we have a 48" Wolf rangetop with 8 large burners of all the same power level, so we are free to organize and use it as we see fit, and with larger pans than ever.

Yes, rhome410, burner configuration of the induction cooktops is a drawback for me. The biggest cooktops I've seen are 36" with 5 burners, and some of the rings look a bit small. Also, thinking about the way I cook, I am often moving cast iron frying pans to my convection oven below. I don't think that walking even a few paces to the wall oven would be convenient. I could install the wall ovens beneath the cooktop, I guess, but I'm not sure that will give me the feel I want. Worried about breaking the glass, too. My original plan was to have a 48" DF range with no wall ovens, to free up more counter space. I'm inclined to stick with Plan A, and I will only look at ranges that are customized for LP.

We bake a lot, and, as I said, often have more than 1 person working in the kitchen at once, so in the interest of having multiple workers not all trying to be in the same place at the same time, we went with double wall ovens about 6 ft (3 walking steps) away. The separation was more important for us than having the ovens close to the rangetop. I guess we don't move things from the cooktop to oven that often, or at least not often enough that it made our priority list.

Best wishes on your decision. There is always so much to think about and consider.