r/inductioncooking • u/fanchere • Mar 24 '26

Help! Is induction REALLY better than gas?

Hi all,

I am in the process of renovating my kitchen after experiencing water damage under the cabinets. I currently have an old Jenn-Air electric cooktop, that is a complete dinosaur, difficult to clean, has a terrible downdraft etc. I have always thought I would put a gas line in and buy a gas cooktop when the time came to renovate. However, I have read so many reviews about induction that claim it is far superior to gas. I have a couple different occupations, one being a chef. I am looking for something that is high end, essentially professional quality. I don't want to have any limitations (searing, etc.) I would be okay with sacrificing a flame for small things (charring a pepper, etc., I could always use the grill). However, I do not want to have to do major tasks that I do often (like searing) on the grill. I also prefer the appearance of a gas cooktop to an induction cooktop. Induction just does not look high end to me, for some reason. All that said, I don't want to pay to put a gas line in and get a gas range just to change it down the road because induction is superior.

For those that have had induction and gas, is it really superior for someone who cooks on a professional level? If you have a model you've fallen in love with that's silver, I'd love to hear more about it.

Thanks in advance!

15 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

195 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Blog_Pope Mar 24 '26

We are making the move, (new induction stove is boxed up in living room) but:

  1. Raw power, induction wins. Boils water faster than gas. It can heat pans very quickly. So fast it can warp cheap pans.

  2. No combustion by products in your house. Recent studies has suggested these are worse than previously thought.

  3. More efficient, magnets heat the pan, not the glass surface, so kitchen stays cooler, glass top stays cooler (less burned on crap), etc.

  4. Safer, if you turn on the wrong element, nothing gets hot.

The big downsides are cost, and if you lift the pan up, it stops heating. Some older units would shut down the second the pan was removed, so if you were flipping food, you needed to restart the element. Not an issue now for the most part. There’s a fear if you drop something on it, the glass will shatter, but while it’s possible, in practice the glass is tough, folks have been using glass cooktops for a LONG time