I have cooked about 20 times on a close family member's new Thermador induction...I didn't like it. The heat is hard to control. Yes, it's great for boiling water fast, but if you're used to gas with a lot of btu power where you can shimmy and shake the heavy pans and get a good heat going, I don't think you'll like it. Also, just for simple things like making a grilled cheese sandwich it's really annoying. On my gas stove, for example, I just put it on a nice low flame and leave it for a 3 minutes or so, then flip. On the induction, it's an ordeal. I set it at 5 (yes out of 9!), so you'd think that was a medium setting. After 5 minutes the bread was barely golden. Then I move it up to 6...no progress. Then 7! At this point it started to get a good amount of heat and finally started to brown. But the highest level is 9. Also it does make a slightly irritating high pitched buzzing, I've noticed, plus the surface itself doesn't seem "sturdy." I know with a high end appliance like that, I should be able to slide an All-Clad pan no problem, but we're all nervous since it seems like it could scratch and scrape, judging by the sound it makes while I drag a heavy pan across it. My advice is to keep cooking a variety of food so you can try a soft simmer, but also a high heat browning of breaded chicken, for example. See what you think and if you could get used to it! I think it might be an easier transition if you're coming from electric vs. gas.

Some people can hear this "buzzing" and some can't.

Maybe you should test run the unit you are looking at.

If you can't find a store with a live one then someone in your circle of friends?

Problem seems to be more common with the portable units but some people can hear the built-in ones as well.

some pots buzz more than others, and buzz more when half empty or when the heating element is on low. Fill the pot or increase the heat.

davidro1... the unit was on 10, maximum. it was a 3/4-filled pot of water for pasta. same both times.

I have an LG induction cooktop. I also have dog hearing and can also hear the buzz you are talking about. When I first got my cooktop I had a failure out of box so a repair man had to come out. I mentioned the noise to the repair guy and he said that he could barely hear it and that this unit was the quietest induction he had heard - he was a Viking repair guy and evidently they are much noisier. The noise is more noticeable on the highest settings and if the pan has poor contact with the cooktop or there is water under the pan.

The rest of my family does not hear it and everybody LOVES to cook on it. My kids often bring friends over and they look for excuses to make something. Hey, who doesn't eat mac and cheese at midnight?

I don't really notice it so much anymore but like you, did not know that the units made a noise. Mine is a dream to cook on - perfect heat control, easy to clean and very fast. We often use it three times a day (hot breakfast and hubby home at lunch too) and I would not trade my induction cooktop for anything.

I have the Miele induction. I can't say enough about how much I LOVE this unit. It is extremely responsive and I'm talking about an IMMEDIATE response. Each hob has 12 settings plus a power boost. There is no power sharing on the hobs. I can sear something on power boost and then slow down to an immediate simmer. It's amazing. There is a very slight buzzing at the highest level. But only at the highest levels and barely audible.

Ditto what remodelfla just posted. Mine is by Electrolux and I haven't counted but I hve many settings.

I'll not willingly go back to any other type of cooking.

We've been cooking on a 36 inch GE induction cooktop for a week and also can't imagine going back to gas (never mind electric). Amazing speed, control, and evenness. Yes there is a buzz at the higher settings but that's a small price to pay for what's really important - how amazingly well it works.

I also have a Miele Induction unit. Like the above poster, I've found the power to be immediately responsive. There are 12 power settings plus boost, and if I so choose I can tweak it to have half settings, so that there are 24. Much to my surprise, I haven't found this to be necessary--I fully expected to change that setting. I have melted chocolate chips directly in the pot with no problem, and got plenty of heat to do a proper sear on meat. I hear a slight buzzing with some of my cookware, most notably the ones with discs on the bottom. Until recently I never heard the high pitched chirp that some people seem to hear. But recently I had all 5 burners going, and all of a sudden there wss a very soft, high pitched sound that I hadn't heard before. It was not intrusive or annoying to me, but it made me stop and think 'so THAT is what those people hear'. :-) I feel comfortable shaking my pans if I want to--but I find that I do it less now than I did on the old cooktop, as the heat is distributed evenly across the bottom of the pots. Each brand of cooktop is slightly different, though--I wouldn't make a decision not to get one based on the portable, unless you just really didn't like cooking on it for some reason. For me, I love cooking on induction and would never go back to gas.

Cj

I have a Windcrest and previously had a 1983 Kenmore induction cooktop. No frills on these cooktops. Ten to 12 settings, more than enough.

There's noise from the machine and noise from the pan. The machine noise is slight and like any other cooking appliance.

The pan noise varies depending on the pan and the contents. Cast iron is pretty quiet even empty. But if you have sensitive hearing, it's possible that the noise will get you.

Roma, it took me about a year to not hate my induction cooktop. It was a driving force behind my kitchen remodel, to get rid of that weird sized induction cooktop! By the time I got around to the actual remodel, I liked it enough to get another induction cooktop.

If you make candy, you will love induction! I've finally mastered grilled cheese which I never could do on gas or electric. It just takes time to figure it out.

I make jam, and can go from a full rolling boil, shut the burner off and have it drop to non-boil in 2 seconds. Dump in the sugar/surejell and turn it back on high and have a full boil very fast. Then after the minute boiling, I can shut it off and have it stop even simmering seconds, then I can start putting it in jars. I do all that and never have to take the pot off the burner!

I've never cooked on gas, so I don't have that to compare to, but I have a lot of fun doing more "picky" stuff with this cooktop.

I rarely notice the noise now, have more on smaller pans than larger.

My Dh has started to really like cooking. He likes to make messsy stuff, and he's extra messy himself. Now he can make a mess to his heart's content and he knows clean up is going to be a breeze. He has a lot more fun in the kitchen now too.

I've got my new Elux induction range waiting in the living room. We've been cooking on a Burton induction hot plate and love it BUT. My teenager also complains about the buzz on the clad pots, but NOT the cast iron frying pans. Lurking around the boards, it sounds like you need to test out each pot to see if it makes noise. That's my plan, anyway...

thanks for sharing your cooking experiences, everyone. your posts were all very interesting to read.

skyedog...

i have "dog hearing", too. this is really what i'm concerned about. glad to know you got used to it.

i've read that flat-bottom pans work best, which made me think that slight warping may have occurred.

i don't have any cast iron, so i will have to try that, too. i've always wanted a le creuset pan. ;)

thanks again, everyone.

i should also mention that there are also some pots that may not be not suited for induction even though they are magnetizable, because they make a lot of noise, and more on high than on low. My remarks about noise in this thread were about the most negligible noise imaginable, not about the big vibrating buzz noise I have heard on some pots and pans that I returned immediately. It may be that the same "noisy" pan would work quietly on another induction cooktop, and it may be that in 2011 these problems are less present than ever. My cooktop was manufactured in 2008.

Like remodelfa and cj, i have the miele and love it! I don't hear the buzz with my good pans. I hear it with a couple of the Chinese ones I bought as interim pans while I waiting for the Miele bonus ones to arrive.

I have De Detriche and love it. I was concerned about the noise the first day only. It was just cause I was paranoid about my decision. I rarely hear a noise now. When I do, its not any worse than the clicking noise you hear with gas on simmer. Its very responsive.

I remember when Fori hated induction. Even she likes it now!

Well since we got our Miele we allow no one in the house to move or talk. No televisions or video games. All windows are sealed and doors closed. We love the sound of induction cooking. Not easy to hear but if you put your ear on the surface of the top , yep there is the sound of cooking..

Fori,

I can't WAIT for you to switch up to current level inductions.

SIGH.

If you liked the original version that's 30 years old you will nearly die from happiness with the new stuff.