The smooth top slide in.

There is no comparison. I just replaced my smoothtop radiant range that worked fine and was only 4 years old with induction. Induction is far better. The ONLY excuse for not buying induction is that you cannot fit it into your budget (as well as pots if you need them). It heats faster and is more responsive than both gas and electric. Cleanup is so much easier than smoothtop electric. The problem with smoothtop is that the surface gets so hot that stuff can bake on there. I gave up trying to make mine look like new after a few weeks of owning it. With induction, the only heat on the cooktop surface is the heat that gets transferred back from the pan. This also means that you can cook on top of paper towels so the only cleanup is throwing away those paper towels.

If you search the forum using google (add "site=ths.gardenweb" to your search terms, the search function on the forum here is notoriously difficult) you will find that induction wins by a landslide among posters here. Some still prefer gas, but I don't recall anyone that still prefers smooth electric if they have a choice.

I have had an induction range for a year and a half. I bought it mostly based on what I read here as there was much more info here than I could find anywhere else. Nobody I know has induction. DH didn't even understand what it was, he wanted gas, but trusted my research and has fallen completely in love.

Many pans are already induction-ready, if you can stick a magnet to it you are good to go! It has a much higher heating efficiency, less wasted heat going into your kitchen, at least as much control and responsiveness as gas, and much easier to clean. Aside from high heat cooking like searing, you can indeed cook with a very thin covering (that will tolerate the radiant heat from the pan) on your surface, which is great for bacon! We rarely do that since nothing gets baked on anyway, so cleaning is not hard at all.

If you have the budget for the induction, and since you are between these models it sounds like you can swing it, then I'd definitely go for the induction.

No contest. Induction is the new black. But more importantly, it is clean, safe, efficient, and lightning fast. In another 10 years, IMHO, no one will use anything else. BTW, I have the most basic Bosch induction cooktop and it is flawless.

My big complaint about the current state of induction induction is a lack of knobs. There are far too few induction products with knobs on the market. The only ones I've seen are expensive Viking products and a Frigidaire hybrid cooktop. Touch controls work fine but knobs are far better IMO. They better have that figured out by the time it gets to the point where everyone has induction.

Gagg has the knob too, but as you said "You will pay for it"!!!

Wife wanted No knobs in the kichen when I designed it in 2005-2006~~~~~she says they are "dust-catchers".

Even our drawers and cabinets have no knobs and were designed that way~~~~So Not "Everybody" is "Into Knobs"~~~~if you will.

Not had any problems with the touch controls on any of our appliances except a piece of junk Radiant smoothtop cook top, and that "Turkey" is in the junk pile, replaced by an Elux Icon Induction Cook top.

Gary

Cooking on top of a paper towel???!! What kind of magic is this? Can you really do that and it works normally???

Absolutely, you can do it. Every weekend, I fry bacon after covering my cooktop with a sheet of newspaper, and usually I cover the backsplash, too. Just so I don't have to wipe up the spatter.

I think the sheer safety factor of induction escapes people, and isn't being fully exploited by the appliance marketeers. Induction cooking puts the heat directly where you want it, does it efficiently, and leaves the glass merely warm. If you have small children or "bad" pets, induction is a godsend.

I don't even bother with the newspaper/paper towel trick when cooking greasy stuff. My Kenmore induction top is so easy to clean. I wish the control panel in the front of the slide-in was as easy....

I am notorious for over-boiling rice. Used to be a huge mess on my electric cooktop. Now I can just wipe it clean with a damp cloth.

I sort of wish it had knobs too. It does get tedious cycling through 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, etc...

Here's one I put up on Utube, several years ago.

Gary

Here is a link that might be useful: See if for yourself here

Gary, I once tried the paper towel thing, and the towel did actually turn brown on the edges, which spooked me.

The towels can get scorched if you cook with high heat or for a long time. I think it may also depend on the cookware. I'm with stir_fryi, I only got my induction range this week but so far I've just gone without. Paper towels are a great way to demonstrate the technology and impress guests, though.

Yep you should never do it with being right there in front of the cooktop/range.

Were you to let a pot/pan run dry, then said pot/pan could get hot enough to burn the paper.

I also would not do it for Woking or stir frying as again you might get the paper hot enough to ignite!!!!

Just be careful and use common sense!

Gary

I went from coils to Samsung induction, and no regrets whatosever.

Not trying to start a fight here or anything, but I am in the market for an induction range as well, and cannot get past the ridiculous looking burner arrangement on that Bosch slide-in. That whole back right corner looks like a complete waste of real estate. Maybe it doesn't turn out that way in practice, I guess.

I used a paper towel under my cast iron griddle a couple of times, then I got side tracked one day while preheating (3 out of 10 setting) and came back to a smoky kitchen and a charred paper towel.

You have to pay attention! Things heat up much faster on an induction range than any other I have used, from coil top to Viking gas. Once I got that through my thick head there have been no more mishaps.

You can also cook through a silpat, which, I think, has a higher smoke point than paper. And newspaper probably has a higher point than paper towels (because of density vs. air, composition, etc.)

Yes, induction is like that. Other people debate the smoke point of vegetable oils. We debate the smoke point of wastepaper. :)

>cannot get past the ridiculous looking burner arrangement on that Bosch slide-in

I was wondering about that, too. It sure looks like my big stock pot would keep me from using any of the other burners at the same time.

I liked the GE Profile slide in induction. It has steam clean and slider racks in the oven. But it would project too far in my kitchen and the color was grey and stainless which also did not really go with my kitchen. I like the way the Bosch looks. It is nice and clean. I also like a slide in to come all the way to the wall. So choices are limited. If someone knows of a better choice, let me know. After the reviews here, Induction will be the way I go.

What's the issue with the layout of the Bosch hobs? I have a 30" Bosch induction cooktop with the same layout - biggest back right, medium left front, small right front and left back and it works great for me. For dinners, rice on the left rear, frying pan on the right rear, vegetables in the front. Or corn on the cob or boiling potatoes on the left front.

sjhockeyfan, yours has the big burner in the center of the cooktop, like the first photo in this thread?

Here's a straight on pic of that cooktop, sjhockeyfan. Is it really the same as what you have?

sjhockeyfan, I am glad you llike it. Did you have to get new pots and pans for it? If so, any recommendations. I am asking you, because you would know which pans fit the burners. I am really leaning toward the Bosch. It is so clean looking.

katie234, I installed the Bosch 30" yesterday. I had purchased the Ikea 365+ pot set and they fit great. I like that the bottom tapers in so that I can see how it's sitting on the hob. In addition, I have the two larger non-stick skillets and stock pot. Great bang for the buck!

I already had the following...
a large sauté' pan (10 in bottom), 1 qt pot w/o lid, and small fry pan from All-Clad. I love the sauté' pan and probably use this the most out of all my cookware. These were "special offer" bargains, no where near retail price.
12 in fry pan (10 in bottom) from Calphalon ($25 from HomeGoods/Marshall's clearance)
3 qt pot from Masterclass w/ glass lid ($15 from HG clearance)
Tramontina 6.5 qt enameled cast iron
No-name 5 qt ECI
10 in Lodge CI
Martha Stewart flat bottomed wok in carbon steel I got many years ago and forgot I had!

A word about tapering in--I get what Alex is saying, but more contact with the glass is generally more preferable. The more direct contact with the glass your pan makes, therefore the closer to the inductors, even at the edges, the better heating and response you'll get. Whereas with gas flames, you adjust the flames to the size of the pan, when you're choosing your Induction pans, you're sizing the pans to your energy source.

The rings will work well with pans a couple inches in diameter bigger or smaller, and will work okay with pans even bigger or smaller than that. Within that sizing, however, the more contact with the glass, the better. This fact totally inverted my usage of my Le Creuset cast iron. The tapered pot that was so great on gas and coil electric is now my least used. The straight sided, flat bottomed saucepans I used t to use last are my go-tos.

That's not to say that Alex's recommended pots aren't good. Just that the tapered feature, while it might have good use, isn't something to actively look for when choosing pans, just something to appreciate if it happens to be there.

Writersblock, yes, the layout is exactly the same as in that picture.

Katie, I'm not a fancy cook nor do I even love to cook, so there is no way I would have spent the money on a set of All-Clad for example. I got an 8-pc set of the Tramontina all-clad (not just triple ply bottoms) from Wal-Mart (they're perfect), one little 1-qt 365+ from IKEA (also works great, but I mostly use it for boiling small amounts of water), my favorite frying pan is a Zwilling 12" ceramic I got at Bed Bath & Beyond, I have two 10" Kitchen Essentials non-stick frying pans (those used to be my go-to pans until I got the larger Zwilling and one Lodge cast iron that I almost never use.

I have the same layout on my Bosch. Like sjhockeyfan, I have never had a problem. It did look odd to me at first -- I almost didn't choose it for that reason -- but somehow it just works.

I've had the GE induction slide in range for about 15 months now, had smooth top electric before - Induction is the best. I had considered going with a gas range, but found out about induction on GW and did my own investigating. I went with the GE over the Electrolux and the Viking mainly because the oven is so much bigger, among other things. IMHO, I thought the Viking was very very pricey for what you were getting. Knobs would be nice, but not for double the price.
That Bosch looks nice, I don't think they had one out last year when I was looking.
My GE Induction fries, cooks, bakes, roasts like a dream, clean up is super easy, as many have said.
If you need to buy new pots - go ahead and treat yourself! There are always sales - and now many of the pots/pans boxes will say "induction" or have a logo of some kind indicating they are induction friendly (if they are).

I thought it might be helpful to post a picture - upper left is a 2-qt saucepan, bottom left is a 5-qt chili pot, upper right is a 12" frying pan, bottom right is a 1-qt pot.

I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate my non-induction glass top JennAir. Maybe they've gotten better in the last 10 years, but it's been unpleasant since day one. The problem with non-induction glass top electric is that they stay hot FOREVER. We have a 4-burner stove. There are just the two of us. When we were shopping for a new range, DH really wanted a 6 burner gas. I reminded him the only time we've ever used 3 or 4 burners is when we've been cooking one or two things and we want to turn the heat down...we have to move to a different burner. If something gets too hot, there's no way you could turn the burner down and continue to cook on that burner. If it's too hot, it's over. You have to change burner.

I've read great things about induction, and I'd give it a try. But DH and I are so over our current electric, our #1 NEED was to go to a gas range.

The pots taper just a bit and fit well on the hobs. They aren't cone shaped, like the wok - haven't used that one so far. I didn't look for that shape, but found I liked being able to judge where they're sitting a bit better. I got them based on reviews from GWers and the price point. Ikea was having a sale!

The sauce I heated up yesterday was hot FAST and the water I boiled today for eggs was zipping along in no time. I'm not going to notice the few seconds, here or there, a slightly wider base on a sauce pan will give me. I'm too busy marveling at how much more responsive it is than the radiant I had and learning to keep up!

Of course, there's a reason I like to use my wide sauté pan, so plllog's point is well taken.

"I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate my non-induction glass top JennAir"

Please don't let the fact that induction looks the same as smoothtop glass make you think that they are at all similar in performance. I just made that upgrade last week.

Thanks, sjhockeyfan. I guess it depends on how you cook. That layout for sure would not work for me.

I have the 30" bosch induction and never noticed the odd layout. It works fine for me and I usually have several pots and pans going at the same time. Would never, never never consider going back to gas after using this one.

I bought a set of induction ready pots and pans at Costco for $169. i planned on using them just to get started until I could fill out with better quality but these have been great and I have not felt the need to spend more. Good old cast iron works very well on induction.

hvtech42, Absolutely not. If I had #1 call on a cooktop/range, I'd have given induction a fair shot. DH is just way too over it and wanted gas no matter what.

I read the OP to be asking about induction vs. regular smooth top glass. I'd advise against regular smooth top glass at all costs.

cal_quail, DH should get over being over electric and take a hard look at induction.

My GE induction range goes from full rolling boil to low simmer in about two seconds.

It's been ten years since I moved away from my Viking gas range, so my memory is hazy. That being said I can't think of a reason I would swap out my induction for gas. My Viking was a 4-burner range.

Induction > gas

That starts to get more debatable as you move up to the high BTU open burner stuff, but in my experience it is certainly true for consumer grade gas ranges and many prostyle ones.

If the OP is asking regular electric vs. induction I vote for induction.

Since getting my induction cooktop I have gotten rid of my slow cooker, egg steamer, rice cooker, plug in teapot, and many other no-longer-needed compensatory items that I was using because my electric cooktop was so pitifully slow.

I put any non-magnetic pots into the "first apartment boxes" for my kids, and I only needed to buy 3 pieces of cookware.

I don't even use my microwave anymore bc my induction cooktop is faster.

As far as the paper towel discussion goes. I have cooked greasy stuff on top of paper towels, but not left them lingering. The clean up is easy.

If I've got something on the stove that the little kids have to serve themselves when I'm not home yet, I leave it on low with a dishtowel underneath. That way if they spill, clean up will be easier later.

The other day I made a small portion of mini bowtie pasta for my little niece. Granted, it was a small amount of water, but it was at a full boil in 23 seconds. I think that's amazing.

I've been looking at the same Bosch induction slide-in. I don't understand when people say they didn't notice the layout is odd?? non-symetrical is odd!

That said, my question is the vent in the back of the unit. It looks like a cheesy aluminum grill set on top. Everything else about this range looks great except that. Has anyone seen this in person?

I'm trying to find a display somewhere. If it looks as bad in person, then my backup is the Kenmore elite induction. Same price point.

non-symetrical is odd!

Not really - you'd want more room for the larger size and less room for the small size -- there'd be no point in take up 1/4 of the cooktop for a 6" hob.

Does anyone have the Bosch and can comment on the vent in the back. I seen this in a store and did not take note of it. The stove looked and felt solid and clean looking. The only thing I did not like was that there was only one rack in the oven that had a smooth glide. The other two where hard to pull out and push in. I could purchase another smooth glide rack for a couple hundred dollars though.

"Does anyone have the Bosch and can comment on the vent in the back"

I don't own one, but I can say I'd sure rather have it there than blowing on my legs.

I don't own one, but I can say I'd sure rather have it there than blowing on my legs.

I agree with this in concept, however, in reality, my last two ovens vented out the front and after the initial "gust", I've never noticed it.

^Same. My current and previous ranges vent out the front and I don't mind it at all. However, I don't see how the vent location on the Bosch could be worse.

I don't see how the vent location on the Bosch could be worse

Agreed.

My daughter has had the Viking slide-in induction range and is is happy. Another thing to consider is that the fan does not have to be super powerful like it does for the high BTU gas ranges. In fact, she put in one of the chrome fans on a side wall near the range like you used to see in old kitchens. It looks nice against the white tile.
NuTone /Braun makes a though the wall or ceiling fan.
Fan is shown in link.

Here is a link that might be useful: