Does anyone have an induction range? What's your experience?

[Beck Water]

 

I have a 5 burner, 2 oven 30" wide Kitchenaid gas range that is  except for too much technology 

 

Thinking about switching to induction since everyone seems to feel it's Truth for rapid heating, temperature control, and energy efficiency.  If they're the wave of the future I figure I better switch soon while I still have a few brain cells left to make the adaptation.

 

Anyone got an induction range?  Good points/bad points?  Reliability?

Not really a fan of Alexa much less having my smartphone control my cooking.  Give me knobs.

Edited Wednesday at 03:23 PM by Beck Water

[Cash]

I’ve had induction for about 8 years now. Compared to old school electric, it’s not even close. Induction blows it away. Compared to gas, it’s fairly close, with a small edge to gas. 
 

Rapid heating: My induction is great at this, and performs as well as gas. And one nice feature of induction is that the range surface doesn’t get that hot, which helps avoid major cleaning hassles if something does boil over. You can even put a paper or dish towel under the pot as extra protection. 

Temperture control: Good, but gas has an advantage here in being analog. Mine has temperature levels from 1-9, plus a “boost” mode for boiling water and such. Occasionally something will need to be toggled between two numbers while cooking, but that’s pretty rare. For me personally, I actually prefer this aspect to gas, because I can write down what level worked best. 

Reliability: We bought from a local place that does service, and we’ve needed it twice. Both times a motherboard in the control panel had overheated and needed to be replaced. Other than that, zero performance or reliability issues. 

[Augie]

12 minutes ago, Cash said:

I’ve had induction for about 8 years now. Compared to old school electric, it’s not even close. Induction blows it away. Compared to gas, it’s fairly close, with a small edge to gas. 
 

Rapid heating: My induction is great at this, and performs as well as gas. And one nice feature of induction is that the range surface doesn’t get that hot, which helps avoid major cleaning hassles if something does boil over. You can even put a paper or dish towel under the pot as extra protection. 

Temperture control: Good, but gas has an advantage here in being analog. Mine has temperature levels from 1-9, plus a “boost” mode for boiling water and such. Occasionally something will need to be toggled between two numbers while cooking, but that’s pretty rare. For me personally, I actually prefer this aspect to gas, because I can write down what level worked best. 

Reliability: We bought from a local place that does service, and we’ve needed it twice. Both times a motherboard in the control panel had overheated and needed to be replaced. Other than that, zero performance or reliability issues. 

 

Does induction require replacing your cookware? 

 

I never had gas until about 15 years ago, and I’d have a hard time giving it up now. I look at a lot of houses (it used to be a profession, now it’s just a hobby) and if they don’t have gas I’d consider induction. Running a gas line to our last house in Florida was possible, but it was going to be a big deal.  Induction might have been perfect there. 

[Simon]

3 minutes ago, Augie said:

Does induction require replacing your cookware? 

 

From what I've read, it uses an electromagnetic field so your cookware has to have iron/steel in it. You can actually test it's compatibility with a magnet.

Aluminum, copper, glass, etc won't heat on it.

[f0neguy]

My son has an induction and really likes it.  The magnet test is true so he uses steel and cast iron.  But he has a small Italian coffee pot that’s made of aluminum.  To use the coffee pot he has a steel plate he places between the induction top and the pot.  The plate gets hot and that heats the aluminum coffee pot.

[Beck Water]

6 hours ago, Cash said:

I’ve had induction for about 8 years now. Compared to old school electric, it’s not even close. Induction blows it away. Compared to gas, it’s fairly close, with a small edge to gas. 
 

Rapid heating: My induction is great at this, and performs as well as gas. And one nice feature of induction is that the range surface doesn’t get that hot, which helps avoid major cleaning hassles if something does boil over. You can even put a paper or dish towel under the pot as extra protection. 

Temperture control: Good, but gas has an advantage here in being analog. Mine has temperature levels from 1-9, plus a “boost” mode for boiling water and such. Occasionally something will need to be toggled between two numbers while cooking, but that’s pretty rare. For me personally, I actually prefer this aspect to gas, because I can write down what level worked best. 

Reliability: We bought from a local place that does service, and we’ve needed it twice. Both times a motherboard in the control panel had overheated and needed to be replaced. Other than that, zero performance or reliability issues. 

 

Thanks for the response!  Do you mind me asking how much the motherboard repairs cost and what mfr your stove is?

I'm concerned about the durability of the glass surface.  Any input there?

I do love my gas range and make notes of which burner/approx analog setting I used to cook various dishes.  Being able to put a paper towel under the pot on an induction range is wild, as is @f0neguy's story of his son's steel plate.  Like I said, we figure we should make the change before we lose the mental flexibility to really adopt.


 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 12:09 AM by Beck Water

[Simon]

21 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Thanks for the response!  Do you mind me asking how much the motherboard repairs cost?

 

Don't forget to factor in how much you'll be spending in restaurants while you're waiting for the part 

 

[Cash]

6 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Does induction require replacing your cookware? 

 

I never had gas until about 15 years ago, and I’d have a hard time giving it up now. I look at a lot of houses (it used to be a profession, now it’s just a hobby) and if they don’t have gas I’d consider induction. Running a gas line to our last house in Florida was possible, but it was going to be a big deal.  Induction might have been perfect there. 

 

As others have pointed out, maybe.  It's called induction because a magnetic field "induces" heat in the pan itself.  If a magnet sticks to your existing cookware, then that cookware should work fine with induction.  Some but not all stainless steel works, I think all cast iron works, and anodized aluminum works as well.  If you're happy with gas, I'd say stick with it.  But if it isn't available, you'll find that induction is the next best thing.

 

22 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Thanks for the response!  Do you mind me asking how much the motherboard repairs cost and what mfr your stove is?

I'm concerned about the durability of the glass surface.  Any input there?

I do love my gas range and make notes of which burner/approx analog setting I used to cook various dishes.  Being able to put a paper towel under the pot on an induction range is wild, as is @f0neguy's story of his son's steel plate.  Like I said, we figure we should make the change before we lose the mental flexibility to really adopt.


 

 

 

 

Manufacturer: Jenn-Air. 

 

We pay about $100/year for a service plan, and that covers any service calls we make.  I think every time we've had to make a service call, they've fixed it same day (including other appliances besides the oven/range).  I think the part itself would normally cost something like $350 plus labor, but that's from a few years back and it's probably more now.  (Also probably going up more if US tariffs go up as proposed - it's the one part of the stove not made in the US.)

 

Durability of the glass surface: Very happy on that front.  Haven't done anything to majorly put it to the test, but it's handled normal kitchen wear & tear very well.  Currently spotless with no scratches or anything.

 

I forgot to mention the cookware aspect, so thanks to those who did.  I would highly recommend using a magnet to test all of your current cookware before deciding to switch.

[Beck Water]

2 minutes ago, Simon said:

Don't forget to factor in how much you'll be spending on take-out while you're waiting for the part 

Eh.  We eat out fairly regularly regardless because for *reasons* I start wanting to have polite young people bring me tasty food. 

We own a small propane grill, an Instant Pot, a microwave, and a variety of camp stoves so range or no range, there's no reason for us to eat takeout unless we want to.  Give me a 5.5 oz V8 can, a couple ounces of ethanol, and a pot and I'll be cooking soup, tea, coffee etc

What I meant by "loving it, except for technology" is even my decade(+)-old gas range has various circuit boards to control the oven features (delay start, time bake, convection etc).  There's also some kind of "dead man switch" that cuts off the gas flow when electrical power goes out, most irksome.  So we could find ourselves waiting for a replacement circuit board with our current gas (!!!) range and probably waiting longer, since the age means they're likely to be more scarce (if available)

 

 

 

 

[Beck Water]

27 minutes ago, Cash said:

 

As others have pointed out, maybe.  It's called induction because a magnetic field "induces" heat in the pan itself.  If a magnet sticks to your existing cookware, then that cookware should work fine with induction.  Some but not all stainless steel works, I think all cast iron works, and anodized aluminum works as well.  If you're happy with gas, I'd say stick with it.  But if it isn't available, you'll find that induction is the next best thing.

 

 

Manufacturer: Jenn-Air. 

 

We pay about $100/year for a service plan, and that covers any service calls we make.  I think every time we've had to make a service call, they've fixed it same day (including other appliances besides the oven/range).  I think the part itself would normally cost something like $350 plus labor, but that's from a few years back and it's probably more now.  (Also probably going up more if US tariffs go up as proposed - it's the one part of the stove not made in the US.)

 

Durability of the glass surface: Very happy on that front.  Haven't done anything to majorly put it to the test, but it's handled normal kitchen wear & tear very well.  Currently spotless with no scratches or anything.

 

I forgot to mention the cookware aspect, so thanks to those who did.  I would highly recommend using a magnet to test all of your current cookware before deciding to switch.

 

We're good on cookware.  Primary set is Le Creuset enameled cast iron, cast iron dutch oven.  We needed to replace our ceramic coated aluminum pan this summer and chose to do so with stainless steel that said it was induction ready.  Inherited two cast iron frying pans we electrolyzed and re-seasoned, and a stainless steel Cuisinart saucepan.  I am a bit worried about my copper-bottom stainless steel stockpot but the copper is just a coating over the stainless steel so if a paper towel under the stainless steel pot works, copper below the stainless steel should work?

 

Only thing I'll for sure have to replace is my two burner non-stick aluminum griddle.  We may choose not to do so since I have an electric griddle, but I'll probably keep my eyes open for a cast iron rescue baby.

I gotta say the $100/yr for a service plan would grinch me out at the price point we're looking at.   We have had to replace the oven igniter in our range (which was a matter of picking up the part and swapping it in), but other than that it's been a Beast.

I'm pretty happy with gas, but I do have respiratory problems so in addition to the "adopt technology while still flexible enough to master it" thing, I do think the air quality concerns are real.  My kid made a point that she could really tell the difference in the air quality of our kitchen vs. her no-window, poorly ventilated kitchen because of our gas range (vs. her electric).  

Edited Thursday at 01:01 AM by Beck Water

[UConn James]

I’ve had gas ranges all my life and would be rather loathe to change at this point. But I did get a standalone single induction burner unit ~5 years ago that I can use outside in summer so as to not heat up the house for things like steaming corn & veg, boiling potatoes, heating water for pasta, etc. Works a charm. IIRC, it was about $100 and there are smaller units now, probably for less $.

 

I have infrequently used it in the other three months, inside, too. Best of both worlds would be if they made a gas range that had 3 nobs and one induction burner. 

[UConn James]

Ooooo. I’m seeing some as dual-fuel stovetops. E.g. https://www.trueinduction.com/Single-Burner-Double-Gas.aspx

 

So it looks like they are out there.

Edited Thursday at 01:09 AM by UConn James

[Cash]

39 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

We're good on cookware.  Primary set is Le Creuset enameled cast iron, cast iron dutch oven.  We needed to replace our ceramic coated aluminum pan this summer and chose to do so with stainless steel that said it was induction ready.  Inherited two cast iron frying pans we electrolyzed and re-seasoned, and a stainless steel Cuisinart saucepan.  I am a bit worried about my copper-bottom stainless steel stockpot but the copper is just a coating over the stainless steel so if a paper towel under the stainless steel pot works, copper below the stainless steel should work?

 

Only thing I'll for sure have to replace is my two burner non-stick aluminum griddle.  We may choose not to do so since I have an electric griddle, but I'll probably keep my eyes open for a cast iron rescue baby.

I gotta say the $100/yr for a service plan would grinch me out at the price point we're looking at.   We have had to replace the oven igniter in our range (which was a matter of picking up the part and swapping it in), but other than that it's been a Beast.

I'm pretty happy with gas, but I do have respiratory problems so in addition to the "adopt technology while still flexible enough to master it" thing, I do think the air quality concerns are real.  My kid made a point that she could really tell the difference in the air quality of our kitchen vs. her no-window, poorly ventilated kitchen because of our gas range (vs. her electric).  

 

Copper should work fine but definitely test with a magnet to be sure. 

[sherpa]

We had ours for twelve years.

Had to replace the control board once, at about the ten year mark.

Never had any other problem. 

Wouldn't change for any other option.

 

[BuffaloBill]

14 hours ago, UConn James said:

I’ve had gas ranges all my life and would be rather loathe to change at this point. But I did get a standalone single induction burner unit ~5 years ago that I can use outside in summer so as to not heat up the house for things like steaming corn & veg, boiling potatoes, heating water for pasta, etc. Works a charm. IIRC, it was about $100 and there are smaller units now, probably for less $.

 

I have infrequently used it in the other three months, inside, too. Best of both worlds would be if they made a gas range that had 3 nobs and one induction burner. 

 

 

This is my situation.  It gets hot and humid here in the summer so it is nice to have a portable induction burner I can use outside with a grill.

 

Do pay attention to your cookware.  If your favorite cooking pans are not at least clad with iron in them they will be useless.  Even with something like stainless steel clad with copper your efficiency on induction may be impacted. Also, I really like wok cooking. You can easily find woks, typically carbon steel, that will work on induction.  I just can’t attest to how effective they are.

 

 

 

[Sweats]

I've still got an electric range.......it's like rubbing 2 sticks together.

 

Pathetic.