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Induction stove

Aquamarine

Veteran

Happy New Year all!

Switching out our kitchen appliances and debating pros/cons of an induction stove. Already have electric but intrigued by induction.

Appreciate your thoughts and real life experiences!

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17 replies

Latest reply was from Aquamarine

Kathie

Veteran

We had a 20+ year old gas range that was down to 2.5 working burners, among other issues. After trying an induction single burner for a couple years, we decided to go with an induction range, and >4 months later, are completely satisfied with our purchase! We needed a 30" range, and wanted knobs, so that limited our choices a bit- the GE Cafe and Bosch rose to the top of our list, and we got the Cafe. The "cons"- we had to upgrade our electrical and purchase a few new sauce pans. (About 50% of our existing cookware was induction compatible.) Given that I have cookware that's nearing 30 years old, and kids who will need their own stuff in 3-5 years, it was a fun upgrade for us, and we boxed up the "old" stuff to store for the kids until they need it.

Runcarla

Veteran

Have always had an electric stove/oven. No experience whatsoever with gas. First induction stove is the one I currently have - new in 2014. Would not go back to elements. Use my mom’s handed down copper bottom Revereware (60 yrs), etc. No problems.

If investing in a complete range (vs separate cooktop/oven) I would recommend a two part oven (‘pizza oven’ on top, regular oven space underneath) rather than an oven over a storage drawer. Best thing ever!

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Eliza

Veteran

Had to replace our electric stove 6 months ago and went with induction. We both love using it and find it a game changer in the kitchen. The stove top stays quite cool, the change in temperature is immediate and the time to boil much faster. We found many of our pots and pans worked with the change; updated 3. Unlike our electric glass cook top, which ‘baked’ any spills onto the glass and made for difficult cleaning, this one avoids the more intense heat, making cleaning much easier. We cook a lot and enjoy it even more now. Best with your search.

Kathie

Veteran

Seconding Carla on the double-oven! So nice to have for pizza night and holidays.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am no help. We went with gas again, despite my wishes to go with induction. And now, despite being the main mover in favour of gas and quite insistent on it, Mr. Suz is sorry we did! Argh!!!

I truly wish we'd made the change but now we are stuck with this rather expensive gas (propane) that is not as nice to use as our old one in Ontario. Sigh.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Wow, no cons at all for induction…good to know! Talking to our local appliance store about our options.

I *thought* I wanted a double oven range but the salesperson mentioned the bottom, bigger oven can be difficult if you have back issues and had to lift a heavy pan from down low. Had never considered that and I do have a tricky back. Long-term plans are to renovate/expand the kitchen and I’d love a double wall oven at that time.

SarahD8

Veteran

Another vote in favor of induction! Like Kathie we have the GE Cafe range. We also wanted knobs rather than touch controls, for functional reasons.

I LOVE the speed, the precision, the even cooking (try cast iron on induction, it's amazing), the safety, the ease of cleanup. And the climate and health benefits, heck yeah!

I will try to list the cons:
-need for electrical work. This was especially expensive in our case because we are working with limited panel space in a townhouse. Some companies are starting to make induction stoves that work on standard outlets but none of the big appliance makers so far.
We were switching from gas and encountered a few glass cooktop issues (that might not be induction-specific per se):
-we replaced a couple of pans because they were old and had become a bit warped over the years, so didn't lay flat.
-keeping the pan actually on the burner can be challenging especially for young cooks bc there is no guide by feel.
-spills/boil overs go alllll over the place with nothing to contain them.
And finally:
-yes we do get a bit of pot "singing"from time to time. I can usually stop it by jiggling the pot a bit or moving it to a smaller burner. The background noise of the stove is a low hum, and some quiet clicking if you are cooking on low. I've habituated to it though (I'm VERY sensitive to sounds.).

All in all I find the cons quite minor in comparison to the benefits.

We also started out with a countertop induction burner. That cut our gas stove use by at least 75%. Could be an option for your situation, Suz?

Aquamarine

Veteran

Thanks for your thoughts, Sarah. Appreciate the “cons” too. Interesting about the humming. Had heard this but not really sure what it means. Seems odd.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

We have induction too. While planning our new kitchen, we thought about gas, since we had it at the ranch in Texas and we both like the visible flame aspect of cooking with gas, but it would have meant running a brand new gas line into the house and dealing with the cons of it (I hate cleaning those gas burners!).

So we decided to stick with induction. The old range in our kitchen was induction and we’d gotten used to it, but it was a 30-something year old Jenn-air and only two burners (the remaining cooktop was occupied with a grill top, which did come in handy but it was not helpful for cooking a big meal like Thanksgiving). I’d say the only real drawback for us is that the two burners that sync up for a griddle (for pancakes etc) do not heat terribly evenly and our pancake game has suffered a little for it. I got a really nice cast iron griddle so I don’t think that’s the culprit — I think it’s just very hard for two bridged burners to attain even heat in between them. Otherwise we are thrilled with how efficient and clean the new unit is. It’s a GE monogram. We get the humming too, but I’m used to it from our old stove.

Runcarla

Veteran

Have any of you heard about this?

https://www.consumerreports.or.....isk-a69715.

Gail

Veteran

I have had induction for 15 years and have been very happy . Easy to clean, it heats up very quickly and goes off right away unlike electric which I always struggled with.
A downside for me is that you must ensure that you don't slide very heavy pots such as cast iron on the cook top as it will scratch. I also wish I had got knobs, mine is touch and it leaves finger marks , not a dealbreaker for me.
I rarely have any singing pots, I have a 30 inch Miele.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Carla, yes, there is talk in the U.S. about possibly banning gas stoves (likely phasing them out). I grew up with gas but as an adult have only lived in homes with electric stoves.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yes, gas will be phased out. I think we were crazy to go with it in this situation. But there it is.

We've considered a countertop burner, Sarah. But we hate having stuff on the counter.

I think if we stay in this house, we will likely switch at some point. And if we move, we will go with induction next time.

Staysfit

Veteran

We’ve had an induction cooktop for 17 years. No cons except my initial investment in some pans that would work on the cooktop. They were well worth the investment and I have only had positive experiences. It’s quick. Day to Kip clean. Efficient. My mother has a Jenn Air gas cooktop and I’m always surprised at how long it takes to boil water. We have electronic controls and I like them. The surface is completely flat and easy to wipe off without worrying that spills will gunk up knobs.

April

Veteran

Neither here nor there regarding induction (yes, New York state is phasing out gas in future buildings) but I will say this. Our current gas range is an 8-burner Wolf. Are 8 burners useful? Not really. Given my druthers, I'd take 6 burners and more counter space on either side. Even six is more than the typical cook needs, unless you regularly feed very large crowds and are an ambitious cook.

What I *would* love and don't have: my last range had two racks up under the hood with warming lights above them. Those were worth their weight in gold.

JamC

Veteran

Most of you say cleaning your induction stove is easy. We are new to induction stove so looking for specifics about cleaning products and how you keep your stovetop clean. I have been using Weimar glass cook top cleaner and polish. It seems to leave a film and looks streaky. Any advice?

Aquamarine

Veteran

Hey everyone, I did get a GE Profile induction stove and I really like it so far. It’s incredible how fast it heats up pots/food. I do need to spend some time figuring out the various extra oven settings—convection bake, convection roast, air fry, etc. My last stove did not have as much functionality, but of course it was older. Kind of excited!

JamC—I ordered the recommended Cerama Bryte Cooktop Cleaner from GE, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Meanwhile, the salesperson told me to use microfiber cloths to clean the cooktop, which seem to work just fine.