Some people miss the flames and heat. Some never get used to using a number to think of the heat level. If you do a search, you'll find a few long threads on this subject, and the answer is overwhelmingly, no, they wouldn't go back, with a few yeses, usually for the above reasons.

I have both. I'm glad I have both. I use the induction about 95% of the time. My gas is normal, not like one of the dragon's breath ranges that are beloved here, but I don't miss the power because I have it on the induction. I'm glad to miss the heat, especially in the Summer. And as one of our members pointed out, water boils at 212ð no matter what your heat source.

That's with separate wall ovens, however. There are more choices for size and configuration of the ovens with gas ranges, currently, than induction ranges.

I'm doing gas this time, just because. I can switch back if I have to because more and more induction ranges are being produced and the range hole is a close enough size.

One more reason to have gas - if you live in an area with periodic outages, a gas range still functions, even though the oven won't. With induction there's no way to cook unless you have a generator, a camp stove or a barbecue.

I don't like glass-topped induction ranges. I just don't. To make things worse, in our last house, we had a microwave over one, and I dropped a bowl I was taking out of the microwave on the glass and smashed it, during a Christmas family visit, that put a damper on cooking :-/ and Christmas. I loved the gas one my parents got right before I moved out, how I wish I could have gas, but I have the metal burner type now. Growing up, I learned to cook on all three. So far, I have only been lucky enough to have the glass or metal burners. At our house, we have a gas water heater in the basement, but hooking up the stove would be a bit of a problem in our situation. Probably not impossible, but probably not happening anytime soon no matter how much I want it.

>>>I copied this subject line from a seven year old post . . . I sympathize. The GW/THS search engine can be hit or miss. I'm guessing that it missed for you. Having been around for a long time (sometimes I feel like a librarian), I recollected a couple of more recent threads in which I participated. If you haven't already seen them, you might want to check out these links to more recent discussions:

Does Anyone Here Who Went Induction Regret Your Choice?
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg1116333928191.html

RE: Any Regrets Over Switching from Gas to Induction?
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0712534312689.html

Not sure about prior discussions of gas ranges with an added induction burner, but there have been lots of discussion of folks with a mix of gas and induction cooktop units. Pillog being one who has had some posts that I found useful.

Myself, I set out to buyt an induction range three years ago but wound up with a gas range by happenstance of price and availablity in my area. I have a portable/countertop induction burner that I use for things where I find the induction unit's fairly precise and repeatable heat control and its built-in timer to be very handy. Examples would be the morning oatmeal (where I want the burner to shut off at five minutes if I get distracted by work) and pressure cookers (where it can be very handy to have the precise timing for full pressure -- and again, avoiding distraction errors.) Recently, I almost got a Cooktek MC1800G induction unit for less than half price, but got outbid, so I'm still using the portable unit. :>(

This post was edited by JWVideo on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 20:12

Thanks, JWVideo. I tried figure out a way to sort my results by date but it wasn't obvious to me (if it's possible).

I went from electric to gas and I said my next Stove would be induction given the choice. I hate cleaning the gas stove!

Something to keep in mind:
Most, but not all gas range cooktops will permit the burners to function during a loss of power from a storm etc.

Something to keep in mind:
Most, but not all gas range cooktops will permit the burners to function during a loss of power from a storm etc.

I planned my new kitchen for about 15 years and in my dreams, there was a big, honkin' gas range with "dragon's breath" burners. I'm an avid cook and I love the look of them. But when I went shopping and played with an induction cooktop, I was sold and never looked back. The induction is every bit as responsive as the gas was. I can do a stir fry or melt chocolate, and clean up is so, so easy. Nothing ever burns onto the glass, so it's always as simple as wiping up a spill, even if the hob is still on! No chance of an errant towel edge catching fire, either. I also love the timers--I'm the queen of getting distracted, so setting a timer on the grains or my pressure cooker is just lovely for me. If the power goes out, I'll use the gas grill outside. To each their own, but I'm an induction convert for life. :-)

Cj

My mom, who has sometimes had my dad set up a dangerous appearing wok gas burner, spent 2 days happily cooking away on my induction cooktop and called the food "restaurant quality", and is now considering getting one to replace her gas cooktop.

cj47, I spent quite a few years in restaurant kitchens and have waited thirty years for the day when I could have the big, honkin' gas range. Now I'm building and can have the range of my dreams but think I'd really prefer induction. What kind of cooktop do you have? (I'm still tempted by the Viking induction range, if only their reliability ratings were higher . . .)

AnnieJ, I have a Miele 5 hob induction cooktop. I love it, for more reasons than anyone here cares to read, I'm sure. ;-) When I was looking, the only cooktops that had turn off timers were the Gagg (with the cool magnetic knob) and the Miele. And there were only one or two ranges, which were hugely expensive. People shopping today have a lot more options to choose from. Even so, I still love my cooktop and have no regrets at all. Viking has a big name, but not many of their products have good reviews or any sort of reputation for reliability. It's too bad, really.

Enjoy the new range, whichever one you decide to go with! Cj

I got induction about four weeks ago. Why did I wait so long to buy it? Only thing I don't like is that black cook top shows every spec of dust. Fast and cool cooking.

With induction if you cook much in a wok you're either SOL or have to use one of those horrible flat-bottom wok-shaped objects.

I wouldn't mind having a supplementary induction unit, especially during canning season, but haven't wanted one badly enough to spend the bucks yet.

I do like being able to cook when the power goes out, a fairly regular experience.

How about modules? A gas wok burner and some induction hobs plus a wall oven. Or an induction range plus a separate wok hob?

There are round inside flat outside woks that work on induction. They're cast iron, however, and handle differently from hammered woks over open flames. The base is also too small to take advantage of the outer element in a high powered double ring. Because of the mass, the wok takes a long time to heat up, but then it doesn't cool quickly when ingredients are added, and returns to heat well. Also, because of the mass, you don't have single handed flipping, and, in fact, it's far easier to flip and stir with a spider or paddle than by tossing.

Alternatives are round bottomed woks with feet. Gaggenau has one where the feet are attached to a ring which connects with their single powerful induction element. This is supposed to work very well, though the wok is heavy steel and has some of the issues that the cast iron has. This is a very expensive option. It requires installation of their module, with apron mounted knobs, and the module itself is very expensive. It is, however, useable as a flat induction unit and is one of the most powerful around. Demeyere made one with ball feet, but I don't see it on Amazon. It has a long, Western handle. I don't know how well it works, but you can use it with any induction element.

Demeyere on Amazon now shows a partially flat bottomed wok. It's bowl shaped, with just a small flat area in the middle. It seems to me that with induction this would be the worst of all worlds. Small contact area, no well. The classic flat bottomed wok has a larger flat surface and is basically a frying pan with high sides. That has more contact area so will heat better, even though it's not really a wok.

The alternative is a dish-shaped induction wok unit. These come with their own woks which are shaped to fit correctly, though I've heard that you can use any wok that comes in contact with the bottom and doesn't fall over. :) This units are found in homes all over Asia and are sometimes the only cooking equipment. People will argue that it's still not the correct wok experience, but they're usually comparing it to an open gas burner of up to 80K BTU. Compared to the coil burner electric stove that many a Chinese mama has been making due with for 50+ years, it's fab. A lot of these are semi-industrial and have loud fans.

You're not SOL with induction, but you do have to know what the compromises are, and, no, flat glass wasn't designed for a round bottomed wok. Lots of people have a separate wok burner, whether gas or induction. A plain induction cooktop, however, isn't for the casual wokkist with a $15 wok that gets used a few times per year, whereas that will work fine on gas.

I have Bosch induction. I will never, never, never ever have gas again. Messy and unsafe, for me. FWIW.

^Completely agree. Add in the stink, excessive carbon monoxide put out by half of them because nobody bothered to adjust the air shutters, ovens with HUGE temperature swings, etc. I used to be really into cooking with gas and was very upset when I moved into a place with an all-electric kitchen, but I'm a complete convert now. If I were forced to give up induction I would even rather have an electric coil range than convert to gas. Many people's issues with electric stem from them not knowing how to get the most out of their cooking surface.

Many people's issues with electric stem from them not knowing how to get the most out of their cooking surface.

Agreed. I can cook on anything, though I don't have enough practice to be really good at controlling a woodfire. I never got what was so awful about cooking on electric coil. The "good" ones were better, but I've cooked on a two coil tabletop unit, that I think cost $25 thirty years ago, and it's fine. I've cooked on propane and natural gas, lots of different stoves. I don't like cooking on electric under glass because it's slow to respond and hard to clean. I don't like cooking on a stove that gets hot enough to burn when you touch it.

Other than that, the reasons for choosing to use induction is because it's fast, powerful, fantastically responsive, and mindless. :) You can pour the alcohol or oil straight in the pan without worrying the flames will follow it up to your hand, and if you're startled and pour outside the pot, you just get a sponge and clean it up, lifting the pot briefly to clean under it. No fire extinguisher! No tying up sleeves. Tie up hair so it won't fall on the food. It won't catch fire. No asthma and indoor air quality issues.

Other than the wok issue, I like having gas for roasting peppers and eggplants (though cleaning the stainless is tedious enough that I don't do it as much as when I had enamel). I like gas for toasting tortillas and grilling sausages. Basically, gas is great for when one wants an open flame, or when one wants to heat up the air around the pan. :)

I'd choose gas over coil, if those were the options, but if I moved into a place with a good coil stove, tearing it out wouldn't be the first thing on my list...

I love my induction and will never switch ... The control and ease of cleaning alone will keep me from ever switching to gas .. My Viking induction range has performed like a rock star !! And with zero issues ... I don't miss a flame ... I can control the heat by the feel of the knob position ... I don't need to look .. I could go on and on but I won't ...anyone that has induction knows all the reasons !!
Brad

On the Cooktek induction wok hobs, the wok should NOT touch the glass but only the ring at the top of the unit. It should avoid touching the glass at all likely wok angles. The wok shape should reasonably conform to the curvature of the glass to keep the steel in the best part of the induction field. The supplied wok conforms to these rules.

About five years ago a participant in this forum, whose name I can't find quickly, was engaged in searching out other woks that met these rules. I can't report any results. The last time I tried to contact him by email there was no response.

kas

plllog: "Demeyere on Amazon now shows a partially flat bottomed wok. It's bowl shaped, with just a small flat area in the middle. It seems to me that with induction this would be the worst of all worlds. Small contact area, no well. The classic flat bottomed wok has a larger flat surface and is basically a frying pan with high sides. That has more contact area so will heat better, even though it's not really a wok."

Induction does not require any contact area at all: you could make up a gimmicky demonstration, if you were so inclined, with the pot hanging off chains or wires, suspended above the cooking surface, and (provided the bottom was close enough to be in the magnetic field), you could cook in it even though it had no contact at all with the surface. Demeyere cookware, generally, has featured very heat-conductive sandwich construction (some models even use silver) in the pot bottoms of vertical sided pots and up the sides of sauteuses and other curved-form pots. I never have used the Demeyere unit in question, but I have no doubt that the heat gets conducted evenly up the sides.

I grew up using coil, well maybe from age 12!. I used gas ranges from low end to mid-range, radiant, and picked induction for the new cooktop. I'll stick with induction.

No gas smell or combustion products in the air, rapid response, SO much cooler in my S. Tx kitchen. Really a lovely experience all the way around. You know, I don't know anyone who uses gas that operates the vent! Drives me crazy, but they don't like the noise. I don't like the smell and the heat. One of the couples is VERY concerned with where their food comes from to limit exposure to chemicals/additives/ etc. Kinda funny that they give no thought to the air quality while cooking those carefully sourced foods.

I'm sure that I'll miss it when a hurricane comes through, but I won't be home for a good part of that and then we'll grill.

Herring Maven,

That may be true in theory. In practice, I've found that the the more flat contact there is with the glass, the better the responsiveness. If the same flat were hovering an eighth of an inch above the glass, given that they say the field is aimed for up to a quarter inch, perhaps it would respond just as well. Yes, well conducting materials spread the heat well, but, again, in my experience, direct is better. Regarding the woks, I was comparing the new Demeyere flat bottom wok to the old round one with ball feet in reviewing what was available. I've never cooked with either, though trust Demyere's quality. I don't know if they changed because of a performance issue or an inventory management or marketing issue. Neither of them are like using a regular hammered carbon steel wok--they're too heavy for that--and I've never heard anyone reporting good success using a traditional one on a non-dished induction surface.

I expect the field above the electromagnets (located just under the cooktop glass) to be toroidal, extending into the air above the glass. (Think of a donut, with outer radial dimension equal to the inner painted ring of the hob, and inner radial dimension half that, say, and sliced perpendicular to the donut hole axis so at least half the donut is above the glass.)

Over a range of distances above the glass all of the field lines should be expected to be above the glass until a magnetizable material is present, in which case the lines converge into the material and exit it where the toroidal field favors returning to the electromagnets. Even if there are some field lines in the glass when no pan is present (and the pan sensor is defeated), they will be "attracted" to any material with higher mu than the air or glass, and this is what the pan bottom provides.

This is why silicone pads and other means of keeping the pans above the glass do not seem to degrade the power transfer. If there is degradation is is very slight. Further, by providing an air gap and relatively poor heat transfer between the pan and the glass, there is less heat loss to the glass. I would expect such supported pans to have slightly(!) quicker response than pans resting directly on the hotter glass that one will have when no pad is used.

Note that all this is theoretical, as actually measuring response with larger gaps will be thwarted by the pan sensor. Measurement with small gaps would have to account for different pan bottoms, initial and final water temperature (measured precisely), and stabilized house voltage. Hob cooling to ambient between tests would also be necessary.

kas

plllog : " In practice, I've found that the the more flat contact there is with the glass, the better the responsiveness. If the same flat were hovering an eighth of an inch above the glass, given that they say the field is aimed for up to a quarter inch, perhaps it would respond just as well. "

In practice, when we make tempura, which results in a lot of oil splatter around the pot. we spread newspaper on top of the cooktop to catch the splatter. Then there is zero contact between the glass surface and the pot, and the pot is every bit as responsive as it is when used directly on the cooktop. In another thread some time back, I posted a picture of a somewhat rounded bottom Iwachu Nambutetsu pot that rests on three triangular nub/feet on its base, and the minimal contact through those tiny feet is the only physical contact between the pot and the cooktop; that pot works beautifully with induction.

Yes, a difference in terms. I said "flat on the glass". I should have specified "flat on the surface", or even flat hovering over the surface as in the examples above. I didn't mean to exclude newspaper, silicone (though I find that silicone mats do seem to make it slower) or air cushions. And I wasn't disparaging the feet on either the Demeyere wok or HM's fancy cauldron.

My point isn't that it must literally touch the glass, and in the case of Kas's wok, it's not supposed to, but that on a flat induction cooktop the flatter the bottom, the better my pots work. I assume it's not because of the flatness, per se, but because of the amount of cooking surface within the field. I have straight sided pots with bigger flat areas, and round sided ones of similar size and manufacture with smaller flats. Bigger flat is better. Round sides are great with gas because the hot air heats them up. :)

You can argue theory as much as you want. I'm just reporting on what my experience teaches me.

There's definitely a trade off and it really depends on what is important for each person.

I got induction because only propane is available here and after having natural gas and trying propane, it was never gonna happen for me.
I love the response of the induction...as good if not better than any gas stove I had. I worship the clean up. My gas stove never looked clean and the few times I tried to do a more thorough job, it took hours.

I am not fond of glass surfaces because i break things easily, but it has been nearly 2 years and I have not done anything horrible to it...yet. There's a small scratch that is only visible to me.

I miss the All-clad brushed aluminum pans that I gave to my friend. Of course, once you're set with workable pans, it is a moot point.

If there's a power outage, we have our propane grill out back.

I'd have to really, reaaaaally convince myself to go back to gas and only if it were natural gas.

I probably responded up above, but here's my take - if there's a power outage, I'll eat out or I'll eat crackers. That's how sure I am I won't go back to any method other than induction!

I'd never, ever go back. Don't miss the heavy grates, onerous cleaning, unwanted heat, gas smell, robbed counter space, etc. I honestly don't know what the rational argument is for gas anymore, unless it's the look or nostalgia of it. For most cooking, there is no performance advantage, only disadvantages that induction doesn't have.

No one has yet answered the question, which has arisen at least twice, of how induction cook tops weather repeated power interruptions and/or surges. Is the unit's life expectancy shortened? What if exactly no service technicians in your area familiar with induction? I still like the module idea.

Kitchendetective, I haven't had mine long enough or been through any surges to answer that question.

I would hope that since induction isn't "new", and basically electronics, that it wouldn't be a difficult area for techs. That remains to be seen, I guess. I wonder how much, overall, radiant electronics differ from induction in the world of Fix-It.

Modules are a fantastic idea if workable with budget. Not an option for me.

Unfortunately, a lot of the induction stuff can be a real pain in the you know what from a repair perspective. There are several very expensive parts, and often it is difficult or impossible to determine which failed. Thus one must take shots in the dark and order expensive parts which may or may not fix the problem. Yes, most induction products have error codes, but as has been the case ever since there have been electronics in appliances, the diagnostic codes often lie. It is EXTREMELY important that you order parts from a company with a no questions asked return policy when you are trying to repair an induction cooking product.

That may sound pretty bad, but despite knowing it ahead of time I still bought myself an induction range (with no warranty, too!). For me, the many advantages of induction far outweighed one of the very few downsides.

We recently had 2 outages...first time in a long time...
no issues with the induction.

The short answer to weathering the weather is to mount a sufficiently powerful generator in the yard with an automatic transfer switch, or have solar power and a lot of batteries.

A power dropout should only shut down the cooktop, which will, upon restoration of power, boot up and do nothing until one turns on a hob to a desired setting. I have had no trouble with my Kenmore over 7 years so far.

Even as I type this there are some brief wind-caused dropouts causing the APC UPS supplying this PC to complain, but too brief to shut off the induction cooktop (still showing H for a hot hob) or even an arc lamp providing plant illumination.

As always, brands differ in quality of design, so YMMV.

A power spike large enough to be damaging should be absorbed by the transient suppressors one will have added to his main panels right after he gets the bill for all the new kitchen appliances. Auxiliary such devices can be put on electrical circuits where cost-effective to protect potentially delicate expensive stuff such as large flat screen TVs.

All computers, NAS devices, routers, and switches should be on UPS devices so they can stay alive for brief delays or while the generator comes on line, or to allow any critical device to be gracefully shut down if long delays are anticipated.

kas

I wanted an induction cooktop so much that I ordered the DeDitrich from England with no warrantee. At that time, induction wasn't available in the US. I'm sure gas is more economical to operate as we had to run a dedicated 3 phase 240 from the breaker but when we're cooking stir fry on boost mode and getting some nice smoke, just got to love it! The cleanup is so much easier than gas as well. The induction is nice in a sleek modern kitchen although our is in a Tuscan looking kitchen. Gas would have looked nicer with our style kitchen but we're not switching.

We have a whole house surge suppressor wired in at the breaker but it was installed to protect all of our other electronics. I wasn't worried about the HOB.

This post was edited by asharding on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 13:05

>>>"I'm sure gas is more economical to operate as we had to run a dedicated 3 phase 240 from the breaker ...Two comments in response: one on the relative "economy" of gas and induction and the other on the "3 phase 240 line from the breaker."

On operating cost economy, the difference in cost of for running a gas cooktop versus running an induction cooktop is usually trivial. For starters, the energy cost for running a stove (or cooktop and ovens) is a tiny part of a household energy budget -- 2.8% is the figure (1.8% being the oven) I've seen tossed around by the Department of Energy and others.

For an idea of how trivial the difference will be, go to Michael Bluejay's website and use his "Mr. Electricity" calculator.

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cooking.html

Somewhere down the page, he says to figure induction efficiencies by reducing the electric stove cost by 40%. The calculator asks for input of your local rates and how much you use the oven and each burner and how many days per week.

When I ran the numbers for my kitchen, figuring in all the cooking I do, I found the cost differential for an induction range was about 70 cents more per month for induction over natural gas cooking appliances.

Obviously, YMMV. Somebody in an area with high marginal electric rates --- say, $0.40/kWh --- would see more substantial savings with a gas appliance.

Three-phase 240 from the breaker -- are you talking three conductor cable from the breaker or an actual three phase 240v line?

From what I recall of the importing-induction threads here (gosh, was it a decade ago, already?), I thought the DeDietrich induction cooktops ran on single phase power. To me, three-phase 240v would be a commercial setup. (Cooktek and Garland make several of big induction appliances including rangetops with six 3500w burners. A "mere" $8k for that rangetop!) Upgrading a residential electrical service to a commercial 240v (or 400v) three-phase service would require a new transformer, a new service line to the house, and a whole-new breaker panel. If you had to go for a commercial hook-up, then that would have been very expensive, indeed!

This post was edited by JWVideo on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 18:45

I have been using an inexpensive single hob induction cook top for 3 years. My electric coil range top became extra counter space once I had adequate diversity of SS cookware. I am remodeling my kitchen primarily so that I can have a full induction cook top (not that a remodel wasn't called for anyway, but induction provided the impetus).
I love the responsiveness, energy efficiency, etc., but I especially like not having an open flame and the very simple clean up. I often place paper towels or parchment paper on the burner and under the cookware to make clean up even easier.

I have been using an inexpensive single hob induction cook top for 3 years. My electric coil range top became extra counter space once I had adequate diversity of SS cookware. I am remodeling my kitchen primarily so that I can have a full induction cook top (not that a remodel wasn't called for anyway, but induction provided the impetus).
I love the responsiveness, energy efficiency, etc., but I especially like not having an open flame and the very simple clean up. I often place paper towels or parchment paper on the burner and under the cookware to make clean up even easier.

I use induction and would never go back to gas even if I had the option. I love induction cooking. Regarding power outages, I live in Florida where there often are outages and brownouts and I have not had any trouble with the induction cooktop. Perhaps it's the whole house surge protector that is keeping it from serious harm - I don't know. My tv and internet on the other hand are a different story.