Hillbkr_comcast_net: How often are you pressure canning and what size pressure canners are you using? Are you doing production canning with huge pots with 20 to 40 quart capacities? If you are doing larger volume canning sessions, there are no induction capable substitutes. (Frankly, at that size, you pretty much have to use aluminum because ferromagnetic versions would be too heavy to lift when full.) OTOH, if you have been using one of the smaller models (say, a 10½ quart All American or 15-quart Presto), there are some good induction-capable options such as the 10 qt. models in several of Fagor's product lines lines. Fagors are set up to make it easy to vent off air as the pot comes to heat. Last time I checked, Costco.com had the 10 quart Fagor Rapida model with a canning kit and instructions for under $100. Kuhn Rikon has a 12 quart model which is very easy to use and also works for pressure canning but is very $$$. Plus, for pressure-cooking beans (and pretty much anything else), an induction-capable, stainless steel, spring-valve model can seem like a huge improvement. Not only easier to use (IMO), but also having no worries about any acidic ingredients causing "off" and metallic flavors in your beans. Frankly, if I were doing enough largish spates of production canning that would make it worthwhile to have a 20 quart or larger All American type pressure-canner, I would skip a hybrid range/cooktop. Instead, I would get a full-induction range and look into a couple of other options for running the big pressure canners during those times I needed them. One option would be using a commercial 2500 watt portable burner like the ones from Cadco. Something to consider, thugh: can you easily install a 20 amp/240v outlet in the kitchen or an alternative workspace, such as garage. The other alternative would be one of the propane-fueled portable campstoves with the stands and 30k-btu burners. These will easliy hold pots up to 14" in diameter and will get the pressure-canners to heat quickly. The brands I know of are Coleman and Camp Chef. A two burner model should be under $100. I saw a 3-burner model at Costco last week for about $149. They use the same 20 gal. propane bottles that are used for gas grills. Pull them out for canning season, fold them away when you don't need them.

dsgulbas, are you arguing that Wolf is a commercial quality range??? I hope you understand that the Wolf commercial range company is NOT the one you are advocating. The Wolf brand name was purchased by a refrigeration company that has never produced a commercial range. The original Wolf stove company operates out of California and produces commercial stoves but has no relationship whatsoever to SubZero. Here is their website: http://www.wolfequipment.com/Wolf/Products/subcat.aspx?brand=Wolf&cid=1&scid=38 SubZero/Wolf gas stoves are not commercial quality and don't even have open burners, they are very good stoves but first and foremost are prime examples of kitchen jewelery. SubZero/Wolf ranges may be heavy but they are not long lasting. Try to get a Wolf gas range porcelain oven interior fixed after the warranty expires and you'll soon find out they are essentially disposable items. Been there done that. I will never defend Samsung as I've had bad experiences with them too but I don't see Wolf being any more (or even as) reliable than GE, Electrolux, Bosch and a few others that are sold in less exclusive stores.

I no longer have an instant hot water dispenser but had one in my previous kitchen. It did not produce boiling water - it produced very hot water. I liked having it and would have one again. It's handy for many things other starting with hotter water to boil. I never used it for large quantity boiling - just a cup or two in a glass cup the microwave. Granted it's not a necessity but I used mine to make an individual cup of pour over coffee - heat to boiling in microwave in seconds vs. minutes, instant hot chocolate (no microwave heating required), quickly cleaning stuff off utensils and dishes, etc. In my case I much preferred being able to heat a quick glass cup of hot water vs. using a pan on the cook top. I think an instant hot water dispenser and an induction cook top serve two entirely different purposes. Whether or not you'd like to have an instant hot water dispenser depends on what you planned to do with it and how important that function is to you. If you were planning to use it to produce boiling water then I'd say skip it as they don't do that.

I am in complete agreement with weedmeister. The originator of that tale, aiming for "old wives'" status, doesn't understand the relevant electromagnetics. Further, the magnetically susceptible layer of the pan base does not need to be flat on the cooktop, but generally within a quarter of an inch. Thin silicone pads can be used without any degradation of power transfer, and will actually help keep the glass (Ceran) cooler and hence the coil possibly cooler. I've even tested operation with an entire thick cloth hot pad as a pan shim, but can't say I proved that there was no loss in coupling efficiency. I can say that the susceptibility test circuit of the cooktop was satisfied that there was a suitable pan there, i.e., that there was sufficient coupling that power transfer would work well enough to not overheat the induction circuit.