I am planning to go with Induction in my new kitchen, and bought a portable hob to test it out before making any sort of committment to it. I'm loving it. A bonus is that it really does not throw a lot of heat out into the kitchen--it's been hot here, and I've been using it a lot not just because of the response, but because I'm not sweating over a hot stove. I'm impressed.
Cj

While you will not have to install a gas line you may have to install a large electrical circuit for the induction cooktop. If you do not have a 30 to 50 AMP 220V circuit in your kitchen then you will likely have to undertake the same procedures as installing the gas line (cutting open the walls, ...). Also if you do not have a big enough electrical service into the house then you will need new electrical service to the house which will likely be far more expensive than $2000.

My electrician didn't charge me anywhere near $2,000 and he also put in a new mini-panel next to the main panel in the garage that has the 50 amp breaker plus has 7 more circuit breaker switches. Of course, what probably made the pricing cheaper is that my house has a 4 foot crawl space under it, making it super-easy to run wires anywhere and keep them invisible.

Also, my older All-Clad pots and pans work great on the Diva DPP50 36", which I bought for less than $2,500, as I ordered about $16,000 worth of appliances from the same place. The most expensive appliances being the Thermador Freedom line 24" freezer and 30" refrigerator which is also great.

Greg

I saw a demonstration of induction yesterday -- a direct comparison of boiling equal amounts of water on an induction and a gas rangetop. It was very impressive! I learned a couple of things. For example, the built in hobs draw twice as much current as the little standalone hobs, so the built in ones are twice as fast. Induction is much more efficient than gas. American Range now offers a stove that has both gas and induction. Despite all the foregoing however, I will get gas. Like so many others here, I like to see that flame.

If you have the electric circut there go with the induction. It is MUCH faster and more efficient than gas, plus it does not pump out the heat like gas does so you do not need as powerful of a vent hood as you would with gas and the smooth glass top is easier to clean. Induction is the way to go.

A couple things need to be corrected here as people are getting a little ahead of themselves.

Induction is only as efficient as the conversion of energy required to produce it and the consumption of energy required to obtain and transport it.

Any electricity produced by heating water to make steam to drive a turbine which spins a generator whether by coal, gas, nuclear or oil is about 35% thermally efficient. This represents most all electricity used in the USA. So your induction cooktop will never be more efficient than the process used to generate and transport the energy it uses. You can make arguments about the environmental impact of these energy sources but electricity is for the most part a dirty, inefficient energy source for an appliance by virtue of the way it is likely to have been produced. It is no better than gas, if not worse, especially if your electricity comes from a coal powered plant.

The power of the vent hood is primarily required for smoke and vapor removal, not heat removal. You will have just as much smoke/vapor stir frying on induction as you will over gas. Much of the heat involved here is radiant, not convective and a fan doesn't do squat for radiant heat.

Ease of cleaning depends on the cooktop. I just throw my Bluestar grates in the dishwasher the few times they need to be cleaned - couldn't be easier. Glass tops show scratches which can't be cleaned off.

Induction does have its place. I would recommend it for an elderly person who may be forgetful or overly curious children on safety grounds, otherwise common sense and normal mental faculties make safety a non issue. Induction, depending on the unit, can equal or exceed a gas cooktop in cooking performance but it does this at a huge cost in versatility. You won't be running your induction cooktop in a power outage without a big honking generator, you are locked into ferrous cookware, the cooktops scratch easily, they are complex and electric which make them expensive/impossible to troubleshoot and fix, you can't roast a pepper over them, flambe requires a ligher, you can't get induction cooktops with built-in grills or griddles, they are limited in number of burners and configuration etc.

Induction cooktops are just another option that has to be considered carefully, factoring in your circumstances and requirements. They are not the holy grail of cooking or efficiency or even cleanup and should not be sold as such.
Sleepyhollow

Get into the 21st century and use nuke power so full eff can be realized on an induction cooktop. Europe sells 50% cooktops that are induction. Check out the choices of induction in Europe and you will see. When the world wakes up to solar, wind and nuclear power the induction cooktop will look like a dream. Stop burning the earth and use what is available.

I have an induction cooktop for 4 weeks and it is great. Even heat, very fst response, no burnt hands or pots. A friend came over who just installed gas and said "are your handles hot". She burned her hands the first time on her gas stove. I almost went gas due to the allure. I used my head and took the induction route could not be happier.

A few strokes of the keypad and the heat changes within a few seconds. Go see a demo and you will be amazed at the control and power. I have a 36" Miele with lots of power 10.6 KW at 230 volts or 11.0 KW @ 240 volts here in Canada. The power is the equivalent of almost 6 15,000 btu gas. In the mix I have to elements that will do 3.2KW which is the equivalent of 24,000 btu/hr boy does the water heat up quick.

Speaking of using what is available, I happen to live above one of the largest gas reservoirs on the planet, and work in the industry that extracts and markets it. Now why would I want to cook with electricity?????

Dear Hannah 1

We had an electric cooktop prior to remodeling. I had always wanted gas because of the control you have as a cook. However, for us to convert to gas would have cost a lot. When I researched about induction, I was so glad to have this available. We got a De Dietrich from Europe (prior to when it was available to order it in the U.S.). I'm ecstatic with this cooktop. I have all the benefits of gas cooking plus my kitchen doesn't heat up. Clean up is really simple with the glass top as I was used to this with my smooth electric cooktop. We did have to use a larger duct system, but in comparing to the cost of having to plumb for gas, this was a minor cost. I did get new cookwear - stainless. I wouldn't hesitate to get induction again.

Well I think the porice of gas has increased a factor of 4 in the last 3 years. Correct me if I'm wrong. The price of electricity in Ontario has not increase by more than 10-15% over the last 3 yrs (>50%) by Nuclear

Since searching didn't suffice.

Induction does everything better than gas, it does it quicker, cleaner, safer, with less ambient heat and is much much more efficient. I heard one person say, "oh yeah. try to flambé with induction!" I simply said, "Have you ever heard of a matchstick?"

So unless you favor the possibility of burning down the homestead or blowing it to kingdom come, a sweltering kitchen in the summer and wasting 60% of the energy you purchase, I'd recommend induction.

I've had kitchens with gas, radiant electric and induction. From experience I can tell you that there is no comparison. Induction wins, hands down.

By the way, for those who have induction and are using generic cheap cookware, you're not getting anywhere near the right experience.

"The price of electricity in Ontario has not increase by more than 10-15% over the last 3 yrs"

That's great Canuck - but is hardly relevant to the discussion if you live somewhere other than Ontairo, Canada; which the majority of the forum does. They'd need to do their own cost benefit analysis, that needs to include the likely savings w/ gas that'll occur when this cycle trends in the other direction.

I think it is incredibly silly to try to link one's choice of cooking energy to environmental issues or saving the planet. As sleepyhollow mentioned in an early post, electical power generation by conventional means (gas and/or coal fired plants) is extremely inefficient. The best one can say about nuclear power is that it is controversial. Not to mention that my nearest nuke plant is at least 2000 miles away and the gas fields are within 100. Household natural gas utilization is an extremely established and safe technology. In my city (pop. 1 million) virtually ALL residences and businesses are heated with NG, so I fail to see how anyone can suggest it is a danger to burn in one's kitchen, but OK in the furnace or water heater.

I don't know if any of us is capable of doing a comprehensive energy balance regarding the comparable impact of gas vs electrical cooking (at least in the space allotted here for posting) and its wider environmental, economic, and/or geopolitical implictions. However, I think it is reasonable to suggest that the energy one consumes in cooking for a family is dwarfed by the energy expended in heating/cooling one's home, operating an automobile regularly, or taking 1-2 airplane trips annually.

When one is trying to choose an appropriate energy source for their kitchen, there are several things to look at. Probably the first thing is one's cooking habits and preferences. If one is looking to change the existing mode, you really need to do a cost/benefit analysis, because rarely are things as simple as buying a new stove and plugging it in where the old one was. Several here have mentioned that they don't have gas service where they live. That can create an expensive problem, as can upgrading one's electrical capacity to induction specs, or reconfiguring a kitchen layout to accomodate separate cooktop and ovens instead of a one-piece range. In my case, the latter situation totally killed off any consideration of induction. Plus, since I already have NG service, extending the gas line another 6 ft to my kitchen is a trivial proceedure.

If any one cooking technology is clearly superior in all situations, why do my appliance stores offer so many choices?

cooksnews, I agree with you in that it is silly to think that how you cook can be effecting the planet. Talk about illusions of grandeur. Folks, the planet isn't going anywhere, we are. Words spoken by the late great George Carlin. He is absolutely right. But I won't digress.

The way I look at the energy issue when cooking is in a micro way. I, for one, am not concerned with the current trend of global warming and conserving energy. I don't believe it a bit. Anyway that's not what this is about.

Looking logically at the two methods of cooking you see that gas uses about 40 percent of its energy while induction around 90 percent. Gas and induction lose 60 percent and 10 percent respectively, give or take a percentage point. Note: proper cookware brings induction up to about 96 percent.

It doesn't take a financial genius to see that cooking with induction is way more economic than gas.

Get induction and spend the money on gas......for your motor vehicle.

Just offering a different point of view since sleepy implied all electrical usage is dirty due to how it is produced and induction is suited to old people.

"I would recommend it for an elderly person who may be forgetful or overly curious children on safety grounds, otherwise common sense and normal mental faculties make safety a non issue"

Not all electrical product is dirty but to each his/her own.

>>>It doesn't take a financial genius to see that cooking with induction is way more economic than gas.

It really depends on the relative cost of gas vs. electric which varies from time to time and place to place. Years ago many people were converting their oil furnaces to natural gas because of the price difference - well years later that changed.

I don't have induction and have never tried cooking on it. From what I've read and heard, I think it's a reasonable technology but not necessarily the answer for everyone. I love cooking on a gas range for a variety of reasons - if I were remodeling now I'd probably stick with gas. I recently went to a cooking demonstration by a fairly well-known chef. She did the demonstration on induction burners. I asked her how she liked induction and she said it was fine for the demonstrations but she prefers gas in her restaurant.

weissman, perhaps I wasn't being clear, I apologize. On a dollar to dollar (or loonie to loonie for my Canadian friends) you have less waste. spend a dollar on gas but only get .40 worth for cooking. Spend a dollar on induction and get at least .90.

It's two and a half times more efficient. I'm sure we could get out the prices of both gas and electric and actually figure it out. You'd probably have to have your own propane factory to get it that cheap.

Besides, I doubt anyone purchases induction strictly on the basis that it has the best efficiency. There are way too many other favorable aspects to consider.

I think you mentioned the only reason why so many people stay with gas. They enjoy cooking with it. After all, food tastes good cooked with any method as long as the chef is half way decent, right. To each his/her own. To me, speed, safety, less ambient heat, easy cleanup, efficiency and the sheer beauty of the cooktop can't be beat.

Remember - Use pro cookware. I know, I sound like a broken record. It's that important.

Klaa2,

What cookware do you use and what pieces do you have?

Primarily Demeyere. Thermador was good enough to give us a nine piece of the Apollo line and I was sold.

Apollo: (sizes are not exact, give or take an oz or 2)
1, 3 & 4 qt Sauce Pans with lids
91/2 & 11 selectline Frying pan
91/2" & 11" Saute pans
8 & 11" casserole with lid
5, 8 & 16 qt Stockpots
91/2" Controlinduct Frying Pan

I'm looking to get the Wok next.

I have a 5" All Clad Frying Pan
I gave away a piece of Mauviel
Some UltrexIII from HSN a long time ago
a few faberware pieces

I suggest if you are interested to get one piece just to try. I'm building the collection slowly

Klaa2,

Did you consider any other the Atlantis pieces? Did you purchase the Controlinduct for a particular reason?

The problem with the "induction is way more effiecent than gas so therefore cheaper" argument is that where I live electricity is significantly more expensive than gas so this likely cancels out any effiecency saving as far as cost goes. My best friend has the exact opposite cost benefit (his electricity is much less expensive than gas). To be sure I'd have to run the numbers (which I'm not going to do right now).

skwid and I have the same situation - in Northern CA, our electricity is way more expensive than gas. No one with any sense buys electrically heated appliances (WH, washer, furnace, etc.) because of the outrageous running costs.

Personally, I have no objection to induction. In an area where most homes don't have air conditioning, it would be nice to cook without heating up the kitchen too much. But our panel is full and a subpanel was quoted at $2500. So I just cook on the gas grill outdoors when it gets to be 85 inside.

My ideal would be a combo of gas and induction, which a couple of folks here have done. Best of both worlds - because in winter, the electricity goes out once or twice a season during the big storms.

I labored over this issue when we were designing our kitchen 2-3 years ago and continue to follow the induction movement just to see if I regretted sticking with the more traditional gas approach we settled on. Over the last 4 years the story has remained fairly consistent...if you want to boil the fastest pot of water on the block, induction is it. I hear occasional discussions regarding control but more directed to instant heat change but not consistent heat especially at lower levels. Like a MW, my understanding of induction is that it is either on or off. Heat levels are controlled by the frequency and duration of the induction cycling on and off as opposed to gas which can be adjusted to a constant heat. Am I wrong on this point?

Anyway, I kind of liked the point of another poster of not trying to solve the energy crisis or global warming by the cooking appliances we choose. I still like gas for all of its versatility. I love never looking at knobs to set cooking levels but rather just the flame height. However, induction has certainly proved it is here to stay it seems and there are many who swear by it just as i do my gas...so its all good...right?! You just have to test drive and choose from there.

You don't have to upgrade your electrical circuit. You just won't be able to run all the burner on high at the same time. There is no safety problem. If you use to much power the circuit breaker will simply trip. Who uses all their burners on high at the same time anyway.

Sorry but I have to disagree with the funster on a whole host of levels. Purposely overloading electrical circuits is risky business period. Not to mention the safety factors for you, your family and your home but the legal exposure to others should it cause damage to them. And don't try to rely on any insurance coverage to proctect you for personal damage or damage others may suffer if they trace the root cause of damage back to your overloaded circuit.

Saying there is no safety issue b/c you will never use all burners on high is like saying there is no need to put a toddler in a car seat b/c you never intend to drive fast enough to have an accident.

Hey funster! Are you the GC I auditioned for my kitchen reno? The guy who said, "I don't believe in building codes! I have 20 yrs experience, and I know what works, and I know what is safe."

Sorry I didn't get back to you, but I hired someone else.

There is no overloaded circuit safety issue because the breaker will trip! What do you think the breaker is for? It is the same as plugging too many things into a circuit and overloading it. There is no code broken when you do that either! As far as the appliance is concerned, it is just like one had a power failure if you "ever" use too many burners on high. Do you guys work for electrical contractors trying to drum up business? The only reason to upgrade the circuit is because you know you will need to run the appliance at an amperage that will exceed the breaker. The voltage of course has to match the appliance's requirement. Gee, I can't run my ten HDTVs on this one circuit at the same time, I guess I'll just have to watch only 7.

I have Kenmore induction cooktop for over 14 years and it is love -hate type thing. I got it because it looked cool and clean. After the basic warranty, one of the burners died and new burner was 500 bucs. I don't cook much at home so I didn't care to fix it. Just last week another burner went. Still ,I don't worry.
I was a proffesional chef and I always worked w/ gas and that's the only way to cook, specially if you saute a lot. I couldn't have gas at home , that's why I got the induction top. It does superb job.It heats up fast, easy to clean, safe- no fire w/paper or rugs around, very good looking, smooth and ordinary folks should be happy w/ it. The only neg is that pans and pots slide easy on it when you stirring things. After 14 years the bright white is starting to yellow around edges and on the touch screen side. The top is still very white and spotless. I like the child lock on it too,my cat walks on it and if she accidentally steps on it, it will not come on, it beeps and it shuts off. Don't worry, she never got burn, somehow she knows when it is hot and when I cook, she doesn't jump on the counter.I have downdraft w/ it and I love it, works very well. I will eventually replace it w/ another induction top because I hate radiant heat or coils.
When I need to do some serious cooking in saute pans, I crank up outdoor cooktop, it works well and all the splatter and mess stays otside.

We have had at least 3 lengthy power outages since March. Each time I am thankful we have a gas range. Lengthy to me is over 6-8 hrs. One was 2+ days.

If I had power outages to that extent the least of my worries would be the ability to cook with gas in the dark.

We live in a tiny town out in the country. Our generator takes care of lighting, frig, furnace, TV etc but it wouldn't handle an electric range. Some would think it is the dark ages, no Cell service etc but we love it.

czechchick2 - could you elaborate a little on why you can't saute on an induction cooktop. I've had gas for many years and never tried induction but so many people rave about it, that I'm curious about this. Thanks.

On the subject of safety. The induction cooktop is cooler than cooktop parts when cooking with gas, and electricity leaks are relatively rare compared with gas leaks. However, do not make the mistake of assuming that you can be forgetful and walk away from an induction cooktop and have less of a disaster than with a gas cooktop. The only thing less about induction is cleaning the cooktop. Water can come to a furious boil, and it can do so sooner. Food can easily burn if the pan is heated on a high setting and one walks away or is distracted.

On the subject of fuel cost: If I were to boil water in containers on all 5 hobs of my Kenmore induction cooktop, they would all be boiling within 5 minutes unless they were very large. 8 kW x $0.20 /kw-hr x 1/12 hour = about 14 cents. In general, after the initial heating of pans, the hobs will have to be on low settings and the power cost will be modest.

I dare say that the power cost is insignificant compared with the imputed interest on the cost of building most of the kitchens described on this forum.

kas

Weissman,you can saute on induction top, but compare to commercial stove, I had to be carefull not to scratch the top and some of my saute pans are much bigger than the burner so to me it isn't too practical, It is maybe just me because I am use to big stove,don't have to worry about damaging little glass cooktop. Specially if it's white.
However, for pidly little cooking, the cooktop is fine.

CZ,

What do you consider pidly little cooking? 12 in fry pan on the induction cooktop is pidly? I think a lot of people do a lot of pidly cooking based on your definition. I have a 36 cooktop and do not consider 4 of the elements as pidly. One element is pidly for small jobs.

I wonder which brands have glass tops that scratch easily because my Whirpool electric smoothtop is over 11 years old and has no scratches at all. I've never babied it, use plenty of heavy pots and pans.

If you're a good cook you can make beautiful meals on any stove, even electric coils. However, I'm really looking forward to the pleasure and convenience of cooking on my new induction cooktop.

Those of you worried about scratching your ceramic glass top with your pans just need to get a couple of silicone pads to put under the pans while you cook. Of course make sure they are heat rated to at least 500 deg. I have used silicone pads under a 12" cast iron skillit to do frying on my induction top and it works great!

I'm getting induction in my new house because of all the concerns I had with setting my towels on fire. LOL. Sounds petty, but I have melted a few things on my ceramic cooktop but all is well...no flames! I also didn't want the problem over time of the gas line into the kitchen becomeing eroded. We also don't have natural gas, so those propane tanks would be a bear.

That's my reasoning. Gas is sure nice when the power is out and for doing most any sort of cooking, but I'll stick to the induction as an upgrade to my electric smooth top.

I decided to get a gas cooktop instead of induction due to the electronic "whine" noise I heard on the 4 induction demo units I tried. Could be I am more sensitive to the higher pitch, than the noise of rushing gas and combustion. I tried a Diva, Wolf, Thermador, and Gaggenau, induction cooktops. Other than the noise, I thought the speed and ease of induction cooktops were fantastic.

Modern,

Did you check the units with low cost cookware. Remember if you turned the boost on with little liquid on a low cost pot you will hear some noise. The time spent on high or boost is very small. Once the food is on the pan what ever noise is lost in the rest of the process of cooking. We have a Miele and when on boost there is a small high frequency noise but the time spent is low. When the fan goes on it is much noiser than the cooktop by far.

Hi Canuck,

I'm a fellow canuck in London Ont. We will be installing our Miele induction on Monday. What types of pots and pans do you have that you recommend and where did you buy them? I will be getting a promotional set of Henkels, but want to supplement with some good pieces. I have 2 Le Creuset dutch ovens.

Do you use silicone pads or towel paper on the elements? Do you worry about/ notice scratches?

Thanks,

Judy

Judy,

We had a Jamie Oliver set of pans and have received the Henkels. Do not use anything on the top no towels and no pads. Need to clean the top not just wipe off. Think of cleaning glass with grease splatter with a damp cloth. What you get is a window with a slightly greasy film. Use Cerma Bryte type cream to get the top back to a new look.

The only pans we plan to get are some Demeyre fry pans will eventually get 3 sizes to supplement what we have.

Thanks, Canuck.
Do you like the Jamie Oliver? Which set are they? Where will you get the Demeyre pans?
Does the glass scratch? What happens if you use windex on the glass?

Judy

J,

James Oliver is OK solid enough on the bottom would look around. Make sure you take a magnetic with you. The Demeyre I would order on-line and pick it up in the US do a search and you will see a few places that sell them. Al Clad is a high end brand name from the US. I have seen a held some Demeyre pieces and they feel great and clean up well as I understand. The glass has not scratch in 3 months. Did not try windex would follow the manual or call Miele and ask for guidance.

Thanks, Canuck!

Judy

Hi Canuck,

I tried the demo units at a couple of dealerships showrooms. They had Demeyre and All-Clad cookware. I think I am just more sensitive to the electrical noise than others. A range fan would be more louder, but the high frequency whine really got on my nerves. I went into the showrooms with the idea of getting an induction range, and left disappointed. Other people will naturally react to the whine differently. I hope to revisit induction at some time in the future.

A few interesting links for people tying to decide which one suits them best:

Advantages of gas:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/291179/electric_vs_gas_the_advantages_of_gas.html?cat=6

Disadvantages of gas:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/291182/disadvantages_of_gas_cooking_stoves.html?cat=6

2 Gas vs electric/induction comparisons:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/360697/deciding_between_gas_and_electric_cooking.html?cat=6

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/139385/electric_ranges_vs_gas_ranges.html?cat=6

Hope this helps!

I originally went with gas for the whole "power outage" reason. Then I realized that I could get a small propane burner to use in emergencies, and switched to induction. Now, instead of being slightly unhappy every time I use the stove (because I really wanted induction but got gas for the power outage reason), I'm happy when I use my stove, and have a back-up plan for when things happen (propane burner + ordering out for pizza).

I wouldn't make a decision strictly based on how that particular appliance functions during a rare occurrence. Make your decision based on how it will work for you during 95% of your usage, and then figure out what to do during the other 5%.

Back to the poster’s original question, if you are considering induction, buy a portable induction unit (less than $100) and see for yourself what you think. You can also test cookware and cookware noise. Even the “wimpy” portable units that plug into 110 volt outlet are surprisingly powerful. I bought a portable unit as a stop gap while waiting for our cooktop to be repaired. Now that it’s repaired I still use the portable unit instead of the built in electric. i was set on a gas range for an upcoming remodel, but now I want induction.

As far as noise from cookware, Viking pots make noise on our portable induction cooktop. I have never had any noise from fissler pans or ikea sensuell pots and pans, even on high. I use the latter a lot. The IKEA sensuell cookware is as good as fissler but at 20% of the price (best kept cookware secret). Cooks evenly, holes heat, doesn’t warp, food doesn’t stick, easy to clean ....