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January 16, 2009
Induction or electric cooktop?
We're remodeling our kitchen. Already selected most appliances - Pro48 Sub-Zero fridge, Dacor electric wall oven, even found a beautiful Futuro Futuro range hood and a cool-looking Nespresso "Le Cube" espresso machine. Getting there, in other words. But now we're sort of stuck on the choice of cooktop - induction or electric?
I like the general idea, but there's also a lot of drawbacks according to online reviews - special pots, pans, etc, and supposedly harder to clean?
Does anyone have an induction cooktop? How's the experience? Is the extra expense & hassle worth it? Anything I should watch out for or keep in mind while shopping for one? Thanks!
Comments
I had one when I used to live in Tokyo. Only thing I master with this in 6 months was to boil water. Crapes was impossible to make. Snizhel dried before it cooked.
Do not buy it unless you do not plan to cook.
Posted by: bobjohn at January 16, 2009 3:47 PM
Just don't get a black one...it will show every little bit of everything. Even if you're just boiling water, the condensation/drops make a mess of a shiny glass top. I have not used an induction top but have seen this with gas tops with black surfaces.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 16, 2009 4:17 PM
You left out gas from your choices, which just so happens to be the only precise way to accurately and quickly regulate your heat source. There's no better to cook than with gas.
Posted by: 99luftballons at January 16, 2009 4:23 PM
You left out gas from your choices, which just so happens to be the only precise way to accurately and quickly regulate your heat source. There's no better to cook than with gas.
Posted by: 99luftballons at January 16, 2009 4:26 PM
I agree with the german girl on that one. Nothing beats gas to cook on. You don't see electric and induction in a restaurant do you?? Even where I have no natural gas I always get propane for a cooktop.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 16, 2009 4:31 PM
DiBS - Incidentally this "german girl" is a 6'3" 200 lb+ Australian male but thanks for the visual, somehow I just can't me see me in pigtails and a bib!
Posted by: 99luftballons at January 16, 2009 4:38 PM
haha this is funny..."99luftballons" does make you think of a german girl, def not how you described yourself. though, you never know.
But as for induction cooktops, I am interested in hearing ppl's opinions also, vs.gas. Seems already a couple ppl still prefer gas though.
Posted by: townhouser at January 16, 2009 5:03 PM
bobjohn and daveinbedstuy, thank you for the insights - this definitely wasn't covered in the product literature! I wonder why...
As far as gas vs electric, I'm thinking electric (or possibly induction) because it seems easier to clean. Am I wrong?
Posted by: charleyhorse at January 16, 2009 5:20 PM
Why would anyone who cares about cooking get anything but gas given the choice! What are you cleaning? Nothing is that difficult!
Posted by: BH76 at January 16, 2009 5:31 PM
We have 4 gas burners with grill and griddle and while the grill is a pain, the griddle is a breeze and to wash the burners is easy as they're simple to remove and clean.
If ease of cleaning is more important then the quality of your cooking might I suggest you just get a microwave and some TV dinners and save a lot of hassle? ;-)
Posted by: 99luftballons at January 16, 2009 5:37 PM
Electric and induction are really hard to cook with. I would vote gas or takeout.
Posted by: vanburenproud at January 16, 2009 6:01 PM
Or go out to dinner. There are plenty of restaurant reviews over there>>>>>>>>
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 16, 2009 6:02 PM
You need a 48" Wolf gas range to go with that Sub-Zero and hood :-)
Posted by: denton at January 16, 2009 6:31 PM
The house my parents bought has induction and my mom HATES it. First off she has to use a *special* cleaner on the surface b/c everything else leaves nasty greasy looking streaks (even vinegar!?). Secondly it's REALLY hard to time the cooking. I tried to make scrambled eggs on it when I visited with them and scorched them. Horrific.
I say go with gas, electric if you can't get gas, induction if you really don't cook and just want something pretty.
Posted by: TownhouseLady at January 16, 2009 7:26 PM
So far I've heard about, and marveled over, marble counters that need to be polished/wiped every day, granite that stains and needs to be ever-so-protected, Viking appliances that are terminally unreliable, Asko appliances that cannot be serviced, and induction cooktops that you have to pray over and beg 'em to cook right.
Thank God I don't have the money to indulge in these paeans to pretension, but I do have a dilemma: I need a new blender and want one that I can pass on to our girl, now 4, when she goes away to college. What brands might be appropriate?.
Posted by: cmu at January 16, 2009 8:53 PM
get a gas cooktop ..the electric and induction choices suck if you actually cook as opposed to wanting to impress your friends with a pretty nonfunctional kitchen.. why are you even considering this overpriced crap as a choice..have you never cooked in a kitchen before?..these choices seem extraordinarily stupid
Posted by: eman1234 at January 16, 2009 9:12 PM
Oh wow. I wasn't expecting THIS many replies in this short of a time. Guess I'll add gas back into my list. Apparently the drawbacks of induction really outweigh the looks. Any recommendations for good brands or specific models for a contemporary kitchen? Trying to go for the black-and-stainless steel look.
Posted by: charleyhorse at January 16, 2009 10:11 PM
Did someone mention boiling water on an induction? Takes FOREVER. Put me down with the "couple" of people who prefer gas. Along with anyone else who likes to cook....
Posted by: mshook at January 16, 2009 10:25 PM
Induction is far more efficient than gas and electric. In some ways it's also safer (no combustion, only the pots get hot - the surface is not so, and often times they have a sensor that will turn it off if, for example, you remove the pot). Note induction is different than ceramic surfaces that are essentially electric cooktops (even though they look the same).
You do need special pots (the ones you have now may work though).
There is a bit of a learning curve associated to induction but I didn't think it was a big deal... I love my induction cooktop, it's fast, reliable and safe. I changed (from gas) a few years back and I've never looked back.
I recommend that you talk about this with someone that owns one and uses it regularly. You may want to visit a showroom and try one out. Then decide for yourself.
I do love mine!
Posted by: Ray at January 16, 2009 10:58 PM
cmu, unfortunately you can no longer get a blender that is well made enuf to pass on. You can no longer get much of anything that is well made enuf to pass on.
And when you do, given that these items will be at the top end of the cost range, the haters come out :-)
Posted by: denton at January 17, 2009 7:03 AM
I have never cooked on induction, but the gas vs. electric is simply no contest. Gas is trillions of times better--heating power, ability to precisely set your temperature, speed, responsiveness, etc. I believe it's also cheaper.
You should rule out electric. Induction, however, may be worth considering.
I have heard induction is good because it's more efficient. It is also supposedly very fast to get to a high heat using it, as long as you have a sort of power boost burner that has a lot of electricity going through it. Not to mention it's safer because the element doesn't heat up without a pan on it, and heats down very quickly once you take the pan off it. Another advantage is that it heats your house up a lot less, especially in the summertime in a small kitchen. Another bonus is that some of them have auto shut-offs, which means you can set an egg to boil for 3 minutes and walk away. That's pretty cool.
Some downsides on induction:
--you can't use aluminum or copper pans unless they're specially made (there has to be an iron component so it can be magnetized). To test your pots, see if a magnet sticks to them. If it doesn't, they won't work on your new stove.
--they are lousy with round pots (woks), because the surface area of the pot isn't in enough contact with the heating element to build up heat. Though, frankly, you can't really do wok cooking on a normal gas stove because none of the burners are hot enough.
--they may be less responsive, because you have to use thicker pots
Here's a good roundup from people who have used both:
http://ask.metafilter.com/71258/Which-is-a-better-stove-gas-or-induction
But ELECTRIC RANGE SUCKS. I used to use a 70 year old gas stove that you had to light with a match, and it was a bazillion times better than my mother's brand-new fancypants high end electric.
Posted by: lookin fer stuff at January 17, 2009 1:28 PM
I cook on induction and it is THE BEST. Don't let all of these people (most of them with no actual experience cooking on induction) tell you, go and try it objectively for yourself. I will never ever put a gas cooktop in my home again. Gas pollutes your home, even if you are combusting it. If you do go with gas then you need to get a very good ventilation hood.
My induction cooktop is great and temperature control is INSTANT, i find it to be easily even faster than gas. Also, far contrary to what someone said above, you can boil water faster with induction than with gas. Furthermore, as far as efficiency goes, induction beats everything hands down. To me it is no contest. I can scramble and boil eggs perfectly every time no problem. I can sear steaks no problem, etc. If you're hung up on appliances like most of the people here, Wolf and Viking both make induction cooktops.
Furthermore, with Induction you don't have to have gas lines running all over your house. Also, Induction is far safer than gas or even regular electric in many ways. Your burners will shut off if you leave them on and forget. The cooking surface does not heat up as much even while you're cooking (induction heats the pan, not everything around it). In fact, if you have no pan on the burner and you turn the burner on, it will produce no heat until you place a pan there. If anyone has kids I can't imagine any safer cooktop for your home. And as I said before, you will have no gas in your breathing air and no carbon dioxide in your living space from your cooktop, requiring less venting and overall better health.
Go and talk to someone who sells the cooktops, I think there is a place in DUMBO where you can make and appointment and try out some of these cooktops. There is also a lot of information on the web. I would not post here for opinions on something like this.
My vote: Induction YES!!!
Posted by: werner at January 17, 2009 2:19 PM
I love gas stoves and cast-iron frying pans.
Posted by: mopar at January 17, 2009 4:02 PM
But then I also like the 1970 Dodge Dart with V-8 engine.
Posted by: mopar at January 17, 2009 4:03 PM
Mopar, I too love cast iron, especially old cast iron, the kind you find in flea markets for a dollar or at curbside on recycling day. I have three heavy frying pans and a big black Dutch oven, I think I paid five bucks for the collection.
But that Dodge Dart was one of the worst handling cars I've ever driven!
While I prefer gas, I have an electric stove in my house in Lake George, and I can deal. It's more a question of adaptation than anything else.
Posted by: denton at January 17, 2009 4:15 PM
I see one of the alleged drawbacks to induction is the lack of a good wok. LeCreuset makes a great cast iron wok with a flat bottom. I use it all the time, and I assume it would work well with an induction top.
cmu, I know you love to hear when these high end items break. Last night my big Best range hood shed one of the two metal enclosures that surround the halogen hood lights. Fell right into my fish chowder! Fortunately I saw it fall, and didn't have to 'fish' it out at the table.
Posted by: denton at January 17, 2009 4:27 PM
Guess you might have to relabel it "Worst," eh?
Glad there were no ill effects.
werner, if you're concerned about the ill effects of gas combustion, I have new for you: offgassing from formaldehyde cabinets, fumes from practically any household cleaner and bisphenol from many soft plastic containers will kill ya faster.
Posted by: cmu at January 17, 2009 5:09 PM
My dad has an induction stovetop, and it sucks ass! Werner, you are either deluding yourself because you are too proud to admit that you bought a lame appliance, or you have never used gas!
Posted by: StuyStone at January 17, 2009 6:18 PM
Denton, that car didn't like to go less than 80 miles an hour. It would creep up past 70 no matter what. The incredible horsepower plus the extremely loose front end and the granny aesthetic was a ridiculous combination. Ridiculous as in LOL. Acceleration was often the best way to stabilize it. Fortunately, the brakes were OK, unlike, say the 1965 model, which didn't really seem to have any brakes.
Posted by: mopar at January 18, 2009 4:41 PM
If you want more online opinions, check out gardenweb.com. This debate comes up every 2 months or so. I had pretty much decided to switch to induction when we reno'ed our kitchen last year, but we didn't have enough amperage into our apartment so I stuck with gas.
To me the main advantages were cleaning and efficiency. Even if we had to use some sort of special cleaner, it would have taken 2 mintues vs. 10-15 to clean the cooktop. And since it runs on resistence, if there's no pot on, it isn't using much power. Also, we already do 90 pct. of our cooking on cast iron pans and Le Creuset ware.
Posted by: Bolder at January 18, 2009 6:11 PM
Hmmm ... How do you like that, I post my opinion and get cyber-blog attacked!! I stand by my comments, I truly dig my induction range, and I cook all the time and have cooked with gas for years and years. My personal opinion is that induction is better. Just an opinion folks, not a war cry.
Posted by: werner at January 19, 2009 12:12 AM
I've cooked on all three.
El Bulli (arguably the greatest restaurant in the world) runs entirely on electric (b/c they can't get gas). However most Americans are prejudiced against electric as it is hard to change the temperature -- i.e. if you get it too hot, it takes longer to cool down than if you were using gas.
Gas -- able to change temperature quickly. Biggest selling point. Preferred by most home cooks in areas with natural gas.
Induction -- new (sort of), not that well know, often confused with electric, requires using _special_ pans (All Clad works as does cast iron. Copper does not) Incredible temperature control -- you can sous vide with an induction cooktop which you could never do on gas or electric. And you can achieve lower temperature points on induction than gas, so you don't need to use a double boiler -- like for making hollaindaise or melting chocolate.
However, most people won't understand the pro's of induction or will confuse it with electric so your probably safe going with gas hobs for the resale value.
Posted by: johnkeenan at January 19, 2009 3:28 PM
Oh, Werner, rough play is what Web 2.0 is all about...
Seriously, while I respect your love your induction range, I have had nothing but bad experiences on them. It could very well be that I am just inflexible. But I prefer to think that induction ranges suck.
Posted by: vanburenproud at January 19, 2009 5:57 PM
"you can sous vide with an induction cooktop which you could never do on gas or electric."
which of course is total rubbish, as the term predates the modern induction cooker. So the French invented a term for a process that did not actually exist? "In almost all cases, the cooking medium is either a water bath or a convection steam oven."
And I would guess the number of people on this board who've ever utilized this exotic process is zero. Not the mention the danger of pathogens. And the difficulty of the average person finding a vacuum packer.
Posted by: cmu at January 19, 2009 7:58 PM
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