I don't have Wolf but I will tell you that I wouldn't consider electric. With electric you really have very little control over your heat. Want your stock to boil and then simmer? Well on electric you need to switch burners because it takes so long for the burner to cool down enough that you won't burn your stock. With induction, you turn down the dial and you're simmering at the correct temperature.

Want to boil water? With electric...wait for it...wait for it...wait for it...you get the picture.

With induction, put the power boost on and your water is boiling 90 seconds later.

If you're spending the money for a Wolf appliance you really should get induction. I would take gas over electric.

Actually can only do electric or electric/convection oven. Don't have gas in my condo building. That said, I understand that electric for the oven is better than gas because of temperature control. At least thats what I hear.

Cpartist: have you been able to use your all clad stainless or not? If not,

did you end uo buying new pots/pans? If so, what brand?

I have the 3 year old Wolf induction

Love induction and would never go with standard electric.

Lexie(great name as mine is similar) - another advantage is ease of cleanup.

The surface does not heat up so little sticks to it - yes, the surface is hot but not like a standard cooktop.

All clad works fine (except the griddle which is not steel but aluminum)

I had a recent post describing my eclectic set of pans.

One thing you can do is to buy a small induction burner to give it a test run. Realize the small unit is only 120 and not 240.

If your condo has an elevator- verify if your electricity is 208 and make sure the appliances will work with 208.

There are some AllClad pans that are not induction compatible. I don't remember which, but something like some of the larger stock pots. They used to have something on their site about this.

Lexi - sorry I spelled your handle wrong. I was working on it in the dark on my iPad.

Weedmeister - good call on the All Clad. Some of their roasters are not Induction capable (IC)

I found an article listing what is and is not IC from All Clad

- All Clad non induction link

Mine is not Wolf but when I replace, it will be Wolf, Miele, Bosch etc. In any event go with induction, it is awesome although you may have to buy some new pans. You don't have to buy all high-end All Clad, Costco sells pans that will work. As long as a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pan, it will work. (cast iron will work) Induction is even better than gas in many cases.

I have a two year old Wolf induction cooktop. Compared to standard electric (which I had for the prior 30 years), there are no cons to the Wolf induction. It cooks faster and better with pinpoint heat control than an electric cooktop, plus the cleanup is a breeze (hated the burnt on food on std electric! never happens on induction). I would never, ever, go back to cooking on std electric or gas.

All:.

1) How long have you had induction Cooktop?

2) Was there a learning curve? How long?

3) So pros are clean up and temperature control. Is that it?

4). Any cons?

We had a Miele 36" Induction Cooktop for several years. Flawless performance, but from a design standpoint...the glass was a dark black, red, and when using the overhead lights from the Miele Vent Hood....you could see the wires and control modules under the glass cooktop surface. Drove me NUTS!!! Switched to the metallic silver 36" Thermador Induction Cooktop and could not be happier. Looks better, works better, easier to cleanup and just love it. Btw, I had gas for about 30 years, and have been Induction for maybe 3-4 years...I will NEVER NEVER NEVER do gas again. Induction is the best thing ever!!! Clean up is like 20 seconds with a microfiber cloth and a few squirts of windex. Frying, splattering....No worries!!! :)

Lexi65, Take a test drive of induction. See for yourself. You can buy a portable unit for under $100. You can get induction safe pots and pans at Ikea. They have normal Ikea pots/pans which are induction safe and and high end (sensuell line) which are expensive for Ikea but inexpensive compared to anything else and seems comparable in quality to demeyere and fissler (two top brands).

That was what we did but for a different reason. Our electric cooktop died. We bought a portable induction while we were waiting to repair it. No comparison with electric! Even now that our electric cooktop is repaired, we left the portable on the counter. Both my husband and I use that most of the time instead of the electric cooktop.

We are currently planning a remodel. I was dead set on a gas rangetop when we started. Now that we've tried the induction, we've switched our design to a 24-30 inch induction cooktop (Wolf or Bosch) and a Wolf 15" multi-function gas burner (for power outages and second large burner).

Lexi- 3 years. It is our only appliance that hasn't needed a repair. I am still learning new tricks. You can use it immediately but I play with new tricks - high heat searing, then turn it down to cook the inside- turn up heat and flip the item - same drill.

Cons- newer technology in U.S. Cost but worth it!

larsi_gw:

This is a bit off-topic, but can I ask you whether you noticed a significant difference between the max power of your Miele and Thermador induction units?

I have tried to get comments on the Thermador 36" (not the Freedom, but standard 5-hob) without success -- you are the first poster I've seen here that uses one. I am wondering about the max output of 3850 watts on the Miele versus 4500 watts on the Thermador: is this difference significant?

Thanks!

@ kitchengirl....Hi there. Honestly, I do not notice that much difference in terms of max output, Miele vs. Thermador. When I use the big burner, or any burner on power boost....the Thermador is fast and powerful. I liked the Miele unit, but I LOVE the Thermador. We do have the Miele SpeedOven, Full Size oven, Miele dishwasher, Vent Hood and warming drawer....and love them as well!!

I have a set of 3 small (1.5, 2 and 3 cup) porcelain steel pans I bought 30+ years ago from Kmart for $6. Well, maybe $8. They work fine on my induction hob, though the smallest kinda pushes the minimum size limit.

But you don't have to spend big bucks to find a pan that works.

larsi_gw: Thanks very much for your reply -- I really appreciate it. Did you give up the Miele indux. because of the glare or b/c of a technical issue?

I've planned on the Thermador induction but now see other cooktops with newer bridged elements for a griddle, like the Bosch Benchmark 36". I will compare Thermador and Wolf 36" induction, as I am leaning toward a SZ fridge and trying to buy two of SOME brand (as I think lexi is)!

lexi65: I can't imagine choosing electric over induction these days; while the appliances look similar, induction offers only advantages over electric. The only con is learning curve and price, but since you are looking at top-quality appliances, that would not be a good reason to purchase a limited / old-fashioned technology when a much better one is available.

@ Kitchengirl.....I gave up the Miele for the glare honestly. Even though the whole kitchen is Miele, I hated seeing the wires and electronics under the glass. I think the Thermador looks better & there is no metal ring/border.....so cleanup on the Thermador is even easier than the Miele. I like the Thermador is German owned, but most of their products are USA made (although I believe the Induction cooktop was Made in Spain). The Thermador has been flawless, and I am so happy I sold the Miele!

I read about buzzing on induction cooktops. What's thebstory?

lexi65....buzzing is not the induction cooktop's fault, but if you use a "cheap" induction cookware piece you can hear some buzzing. I use almost exclusively LeCreuset and Demeyere and have a few Silit pieces from Germany, and NO buzzing. Cheap made in China "induction" cookware almost always will generate a little buzz....it is made with layers or just an thin iron disk in the stainless, and therefore "buzzes" while getting hot.

Buy quality cookware, and you will be fine. Speaking of Made in China.....they've put poison in baby formula to give false high protein readings, used anti-freeze to make toothpaste and so on and on...I refuse to cook for myself or my family in any Made in China anything. Our plates, cookware, bowls, casseroles, utensils, glasses, etc, etc are Made in USA, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, Italy, Sweden or Belgium! I do not think I have one Made in China item in my kitchen....and let me tell you, THAT was hard to do ;)

My Bosch induction cooktop has been in use for about 1-1/2 years. I use Tramontina, IKEA, Kitchen Essentials, Zwilling, Lodge and Denmark pots and pans. Only one pot buzzes, ever, on one burner, and only for the first few seconds (I assume until it heats up) -- and it is not the least expensive of the pots I use. There's a slight learning curve, but it's worth it. The only con I can think of is that you can't char peppers (and as everyone said on another thread yesterday, they use a torch for that). I would never willingly go back to gas or regular electric.

Lexi65:

You asked what is new. I would start with the speed with which the cooktop can induce heat into the pan and its contents. I recommend that you do not put any pan or pot on high or power boost and then walk away until you have experience with how quickly it will heat up (and boil over). Or, once you have a feel for the timings of different cooking containers and their contents, set a timer that you can hear from wherever you are walking away to. I still do so and I now have over 7 years experience with mine.

kas

I agree with a2gemini that the buzzing occurs even on high quality cookware. Also like a2gemini, the buzzing increases with my LED UCL. Maybe not surprising since we have the same cooktop. But I have gotten used to the buzzing so that I usually am not aware of it. Searing meat or fish is much louder than the buzzing. Even if the buzzing were loud, induction is so worthwhile! Couldn't be without it now.

I am considering the Wolf 36 inch induction with bridged elements. Thank you for sharing your pros / cons. I didn't hear the buzzing during the demo, but does it happen all the time?

htc- maybe the newer one is quieter. As repac said- other cooking noises are louder and for the most part - I just ignore it. Other household sounds bother me a lot more than my induction. I love cooking on it.