Okay, I can relate.. I don't cook much either - but like a pretty kitchen!

My last home has a gas cooktop, it did look great, but even with the little I cooked - it was a PAIN to keep clean.

My current home (we built 2 yrs ago) I decided on an induction cooktop. It STILL looks great, and is sooo easy to keep clean that I personally would never go back to gas. PLUS, it really is amazing just to boil water! LOL

Unless you are planning on selling soon, go with the induction. Even though induction is catching on at the high end, you still see a lot of the gas cooktops in the kitchen magazines so if you wanted to appeal to a "right now" buyer it could be a consideration otherwise induction is the way to go. Since your area is one where is induction is being used a lot and you would have to install a gas line it's an easy decision to go with induction.

There is nothing like induction, especially since you don't cook. Looks great, easy to clean, and as tinker 2006 says it might even get you to boil water more often.

Rockybird, I was convinced for years that when we finally remodeled the kitchen I'd bring in gas and get a gas cooktop. But now that we are "there" I have to tell you I bought a Miele induction cooktop. (After lotta comparison shopping, I wouldn't want any other brand for induction.) It's faster than gas, much more efficent (93% vs. 45-50% for gas)and I love that lean/clean profile. It will be easier to clean, and I didn't have to bring in a gas line. We are still a month away from setting it up but if those Miele cooking demonstrations were any indication, this is going to be fun.

You need the right pots to use induction (iron or steel only), but it's dead easy to keep clean, and it doesn't heat your kitchen.

OTOH, there's nothing wrong with a rangetop. Especially since you don't cook. With gas, you don't really have to know what you're doing. Put pot on flames. Turn flames up or down. Pot gets hot. You have a hood over your island, right?

If I were not using a vintage gas stove, I'd do induction. We are doing the stove for the look and because it is a well designed appliance (still working at approx 70 y.o.!), but for a normal kitchen, I think you can't beat induction for ease of cleanup and a good way to cook.

Fast forward 10 years....induction will be the name of the game, I suspect. But will it migrate down to the level of the great unwashed? not sure. Currently, it's mid-range to high range for no particular reason except that the sellers control the induction market. Until it's available in white at Sears and Home Depot, it's a mid-range to high-end product. Not until Homer Simpson has one will we find it in a majority of modestly priced kitchens.

Apparently it's been available in Europe for years and it's not restricted to the upper end over there.

Rockybird - I could copy and paste everything newcastlemom said because it is identical to my experience with one exception...I've been using my Miele induction for 15 months and it still amazes me how the "fun" level of cooking has increased. Plus, the ease of clean-up is a great bonus.

Apparently it's been available in Europe for years and it's not restricted to the upper end over there.

Natural gas prices compared to electricity prices in Europe are relativly high compared to the US.

Natural gas prices in Europe are largely determined by how much gas Russia exports to Europe. In France, Electicity is larely domestically produced Nuclear. In Germany, there are large amounts of reneweable sourced electricity.

For national security reasons European govermnents through the tax code encourage people to use electrical appliances.

It's faster than gas, much more efficent (93% vs. 45-50% for gas)

Induction is much more efficent if you only look inside the home.

Most electricity is the US is produced by coal. Coal to electricity transfered to the home vs natural gas is not that much more eficient if it is at al. Nuclear electricity has its own issues.

At the same price point if you compare induction to an open burner gas cooktop to what you can get with induction it is not much faster if it is at all.

The highest performing induction cooktops are only slightly better perfroming than the highest performing open burner gas cooktops/rangetops. But it comes at an almost 40% price premium.

I debated on induction vs. gas earlier in the year and was almost convinced to go induction. UNTIL I read about how power is shared between burners and you can't always turn the burners you want on to the exact level you want them. I'm oversimplifying because I can't remember the exact details, but this was the deal breaker for me. I frequently have at least three burners going at once. To have to do the math about which burner is using how much power and which burner it shares that power with to know how high I can turn the desired burner up to seemed like too much for me whilst in the heat of dinner battle. I'm sure someone who has induction can spell this out a little more clearly than I can. But do take that into consideration if you cook on the stove a lot.

Oops! I just re-read your original post. You don't cook so never mind my suggestion!

Country_smile, so glad to hear your experience is what I expect mine to be. Can't wait to use my cooktop. Deeageaux, our electricity is created by water power, not coal. Although you make a good point about the relative costs of the two fuels being a factor, the higher efficientcy rating of induction appliances over gas still stands. Less heat is wasted/distributed into the room... there is so little stray heat with induction you can place an ice cube next to the burner and it will sit there. Breezygirl, that shared power issue was giving me pause, too, but that's why I bought Miele. They have addressed that issue very well in their design. As for faster in boiling water: I watched a side by side race between induction and gas, more than once. Both times induction won. Not comparing price points in that observation, just speed. Rockybird, let us know what you eventually decide on. It's interesting to me see comparisons. Here is a link that may be helpful: http://theinductionsite.com/proandcon.shtml

We have a ceramic smooth-topped electric stove and I will NEVER get one again. I know it's not an induction stove, obviously, but if the smooth top on an induction stove is anything like that of an electric smooth top stove, I would never ever get it. They claim its' easy to clean but I have not had that blissful experience. Even water, if it spills over onto a hot area of the stove, leaves ugly marks and burns. Let alone food or anything else. I hate it. We have to use a razor to clean it and some stupid special cleaner.

Maybe we are just more messy than others I don't know but never again.

Do induction stoves use the same ceramic top?

krycek, I know what you are referring to with the electric smooth top, but the induction cools off so fast it cleans up very easily, you never have to use a razor blade.

I just spent a month in an English rental house, with an induction cooktop - definitely NOT high end appliances, just considered standard, basic.

However, I found it immensely frustrating to use, compared to gas, because of the controls (which - along with cost - was the reason I didn't want one in my US kitchen). Gas: simple knob: I can watch the flame as I adjust the knob, and know precisely how it's doing. All the induction cooktops I saw, including this rental one, use touch-sensitive controls. For me, they just aren't 'sensitive' enough. They automatically powerered on to '5' (or '9' on some models) and you then have to 'touch' them up or down to wherever you want.
So, I have to watch the stupid light display, instead of my cooking. And if I overshoot, I have to fiddle around all over again. I had wondered whether I'd get better at it with practice, but after a month, cooking daily, it was still a pain for me (and my DH) to use.

I love the idea of induction, and if I had to go back to electric, I would have one - provided it had knobs (I think the Viking one does). With a gas supply - there's no contest. Gas every time.

(Incidentally, natural gas in parts of Europe is fairly cheap. It's because natural gas is found in the North Sea and piped to both the UK and Scandanavia. Not dependent on Eastern Europe at all.)

I also think it's not ideal for stir-frying: the power on the rings went off if the pan was removed. When I stir-fry, I lift and shake my wok fairly often, which would mean the heat would keep dropping, just when I needed it to be maintained at the hottest output.

Is my frustration showing? - There are clearly lots of people who adapt perfectly to the controls, but apparently I'm not one of them! :( As I said above, I love the idea of induction, but in case you are like me, definitely go and play with one in a showroom before you decide.

After a long debate with myself and reading a lot of posts here and on Chowhound, I decided to go for it and instead of the Wolf range or cooktop that everyone gets in my neighborhood (with the Subzero, of course) I went for induction. I think if you don't cook at all or much and you are just going for look or resale, either will be fine. I am in a multi million dollar area and most people have 6 burner gas.

I am an avid cook and I am loving my Thermador induction (got off eBay.) It's way easier to clean, is super fast, is as responsive as gas, and looks great. The only negative is that you cannot span two burners if you want to put a large griddle for pancakes or the like. Since we had natural gas to the house already, I ran a gas line anyway-- just in case- for future or future owner. Hope this helps.

I am in a terrible situation in that they've discovered a small gas leak in my apartment but can't find where it is! Cost $2k to get that far--I live in Manhattan. How to go on. Only gas is to dryer and cooktop. Sell dryer, replace cooktop with electric or induction OR continue to repair gas line and then replace cooktop with gas (it needs replacing). I am 67 and my husband is 72, still love to entertain and cook. I have never wanted electric, have a score of pots that wouldn't work with induction. In between a rock and a hard place for sure. BTW, the latest CR says induction is NOT faster than gas.
Help appreciated.

we're gutting and remodeling our midcentury as well. our architect who also does multiM high end said the opposite -go gas.
We are probably going to set up for both but I'm still leaning more toward gas for reasons mentioned by others.

We live in a upper middle class ( which in long island means home value of ~1M) we decided on Both!! A gas range top & a induction module which will be used for big pots of water to fast boil, pasta soup etc... Not installed yet but check outvthe various modules on the wolf site...I'm sure others have the modules as well