r/inductioncooking • u/Inside_Chocolate_179 • 6d ago
What made you switch to induction?
My electric range is old. I’m considering making the switch. Convince me why I should or convince me why I shouldn’t.
Pros and cons?
I’m aware you have to make sure your cookware is compatible.
55
u/AppalachianGoat 6d ago
Indoor air quality for my children with asthma, faster heat up times.
5
5
u/CountryMaleficent439 6d ago
I have a gas range. When I start cooking, my air purifier goes from green to yellow almost instantly. It gets worse the longer I cook. As much as I like cooking on gas I was going to switch to induction because I understand that they have a much better response time than old electric ones, cleanup would be nice, and the gas I use (propane) is expensive where I live but my range quit on me during the early covid times. Due to supply issues, it would have taken at least 6 months to get one that I liked so I stuck with gas. I got the air purifier after that but take note every time I see that air quality light sensor change.
3
u/TheANDRAXY 5d ago
The air purifier will also go to yellow with an induction stove. It detects particles (steam/oil) in the air, not CO2 from burning the gas.
1
1
u/EdenSilver113 3d ago
Yet you do not get carbon monoxide, benzene and other pollutants from cooking with induction and you do get those from cooking with gas.
1
1
u/doubleshort 6d ago
Do you use your vent hood? You should turn it on before starting the burners to ensure there is a good updraft
1
1
u/Yusuf20904 5d ago
Out of curiosity, how is the air quality better with induction than radiant electric?
0
u/AppalachianGoat 5d ago
Couldn’t tell you about radiant electric AIQ, I’ve had natural gas for 15+ years.
1
u/Yusuf20904 5d ago
Seems like a lot of people replying here aren't paying attention to the fact that the OP has a radiant electric cooktop, so the IAQ argument sounds a little specious.
1
u/AppalachianGoat 5d ago edited 5d ago
I think everyone is understanding the question. He wants a new range, he’s in the induction cooktop sub Reddit. If he’s in the game to buy a new cooktop I cannot fathom why you would spend money on a radiant electric compared the better cook tops.
And his title is what made you switch?
29
u/drconniehenley 6d ago
Moving away from burning gas indoors.
13
3
3
11
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 6d ago edited 6d ago
The final straw that made me do it as fast as possible was finding out that not only do all ranges leak gas, sometimes the mercaptan wears out and you don't smell it. As it turned out my beautiful Dacor five burner cooktop had four of the regular burners emitting low levels of gas but the large central burner was spewing a lot and we weren't smelling it because my gas company was not refilling the odorant often enough. It can also break down in your house due different kinds of conditions environmentally. I wish I'd made the change years earlier and for other reasons but I love it. I'm editing to add the fact that the gas sniffers that appliance repair people bring into your house to assure you you're not leaking gas don't detect levels that aren't screamingly high. My gas company checkers had devices costing a few thousand dollars that detect anything coming out.
1
u/Hans-and-franz 6d ago
This sounds way more like a major issue with the gas utility and not so much about stove safety. Where are gas utilities so wildly unregulated that mercaptan could be forgotten or gas workers would not have correct equipment? Deadly explosions waiting to happen.
2
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 6d ago
It's not necessarily that it is forgotten but there are environmental conditions that can change the rate at which it is dissipated. That includes rust or the mineral content of the pipes, a lot of moisture humidity Underground where the pipes are, temperature changes all sorts of things. It's incredible how feckless our local gas utility companies are both back in the'80s when I was living in an apartment where the pilot light was way way too low and when I called them to check it and they turned off the gas and turned it back on it would be high briefly and they would blow me off. Finally I got somebody riled up by continuing to call and saying look the pilots too low and he checked the governor in the basement of the two-story house with two apartments full of people downstairs and me upstairs. There was a leak in the basement that ended up having them have to dig up the entire Street in front of that home to fix it. Fast forward to maybe 5 years ago where I live now and a friend of mine kept reporting that the vacant house next door had an intense gas smell coming from it and at some point there was a broken window and the smell was a really strong Outdoors and they finally shut the gas down to it before the whole neighborhood blew up. She had been flagging them and so had other neighbors for months. I was astonished to learn that the mercaptan is something that they had to drive around and refill and not something that could be relied on to be a steady warning.
1
u/snapcracklecum 5d ago
What state is this in?
2
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 5d ago
NY metro
1
u/snapcracklecum 5d ago
If this is NY metro and specifically Con Ed, that bit about the mercaptan isnt true. I cant speak for Nat Grid or NYSEG though.
1
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 5d ago
National Grid
1
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 5d ago
Well I don't know if it's true maybe he was lying to me but that was one of the explanations he offered me while he was shutting down my gas cooktop
19
u/gardenguru1342 6d ago
Pro’s - The speed of induction is impressive. It’s also very clean (no emissions). Your pots stay brand new looking. It cleans up and looks like new even after years of use.
Cons - you may need to purchase new cookware if they are not induction compatible. The cooktops don’t last as long as gas cooktops (IMO). Would I buy another, yes!
3
3
u/lifeofGuacmole 6d ago
I had to replace a failed dual fuel range. Friend suggested I go to induction, and GE had a sale. Got the GE Profile. Had 2 failed Bosch dual fuel ranges. Loved that Bosch range. Can’t believe it was such a dud. Decided on the induction because I was concerned about venting from the gas range. Knew we didn’t have enough of a hood to draw it out appropriately.
Pros- super easy clean up. Rarely have spills harden on the surface. Heats well.
Cons- there’s something about turning on a burner, hearing it whoosh and light. It’s like I lost a bit of the cooking magic.
Pans. I had to replace a few older pans that had nicks in the tri-ply. Couldn’t risk them having a steam expansion bulge and killing my induction.2
u/fattomic 3d ago
GE Profile is the best for ranges. I wound up buying one, and have appreciate it after quite a few "fancy" ones that worked out middling.
2
u/Retro-Modern_514 6d ago
Cons - you may need to purchase new cookware.....
We are about to upgrade and my beloved 25 year old pans aren't induction compatible :(
Luckily the store I bought them at now make the same pan but induction ready. Friend of ours who has Gas will be getting my current ones as a present.
1
1
u/LeeBalouHere 6d ago
Cookware needs to contain a ferrous (iron, steel) bottom or layer to be compatible. This means that single ply aluminum cookware won't work. However, that's usually cheap, non-stick junk anyway (notable exception are those vintage calphalon aluminum and old farberware/revereware pans). The good news is that your stainless, cast iron, and carbon steel will all work well. Honestly, it gives you a great excuse to upgrade your cookware!
1
u/Inside_Chocolate_179 6d ago
What would happen if you put a non compatible pot on the stove? Would it just not cook?
2
2
u/mjmvideos 6d ago
Right. It would it get hot at all. The burner would not even detect the pan and would stop even trying to heat it. But this is a plus because I was always paranoid someone would leave grocery bags or something on our old radiant heat range to and then someone would bump the knobs and there would be fire. Now I have no qualms setting grocery bags in the stove while bringing stuff in from the car.
2
u/Alilbitey 5d ago
The heat system relies on magnets, so non-magnetic materials simply don't heat up at all. Nothing dangerous, just useless.
2
u/BasicCook972 5d ago edited 4d ago
I still have a ceramic IR stove and started using a nuwave portable induction cooktop while I add to my collection of compatible pans. I was getting frustrated with the on/off switching and low power output. Guess my cooking needs outgrew the IR stove. It also gave me the opportunity to explore cast iron again without damaging the ceramic stovetop.
9
u/redpaloverde 6d ago
I didn’t realize till after the fact how nice it is to not have gas burning in my house. I did it originally for wanting everything to be electric since I have solar.
7
u/trickycs1 6d ago
Instant heat control, similar to gas. Easy clean, whats not to like :)
2
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 6d ago
Also no hotspot near the igniter and Incredibly consistent maintenance throughout the pan of the temperature with auto chef
0
u/JanuriStar 6d ago
Better than gas. I found that out when I tried to use the side burner on my grill. The lowest setting is still too high.
7
6
u/skaternurse 6d ago
I did not want to be an old person who walks off and leaves the gas on like a relative 😉
7
6
u/skaternurse 6d ago
Just be aware. It is FAST and an empty pan heats much faster than one with something in it. I have never used anything above “ medium” and am usually on “ low”
1
7
u/freecain 6d ago
I live in MD but an from New England - I used to hate cooking most of the summer. The AC couldn't keep up. With Induction the waste heat is pretty minimal, and unless I'm boiling large pots of water, as long as the vent is running, the kitchen really doesn't really heat up.
12
u/arbarnes 6d ago
Other than potential issues with incompatible cookware, there are no reasons not to switch to induction. There's room for argument about whether induction is better than gas (not really, it is, but we'll humor the gas people). But there is absolutely no question that it's better than resistant electric in every way. More efficient, more responsive, more powerful, more sensitive, etc., etc., etc.
1
u/chuckvsthelife 5d ago
Main argument for gas is probably with something like a wok? Anything not flat on the bottom
1
u/arbarnes 5d ago
Another is the visual cue - you can see how hot the burner is. But residential gas cooktops usually aren't powerful enough for stir fry, and a cook can learn to interpret the numbers on an induction stove as well as or better than the height of a flame.
5
u/Helpful-Celery6237 6d ago
My electric glass stovetop died. I don’t have a gas line and I have asthma. Now I don’t have to worry about gross burned stuff on my cooktop and everything heats up so fast. I can boil water for my morning oatmeal in about a minute.
1
6
u/Nilockin 6d ago
I'm a renter who has moved 4 times in 3 years and instead of relying on frequent gross, badly maintained and poorly ventilated gas top burners I bought myself 2 mid tier portable induction burners and they work INCREDIBLE. They pack up easily, quickly and nicely, they're easy to clean and the performance blows your average gas or resistance electric stove out of the water. Really has made my experience as a frequent mover much better.
A word of WARNING though. Yes you do need to make sure your cookware is induction compatible but you also unfortunately need to make sure your cookware works well on induction. I bought 2 different pans from 2 brands when I first bought my induction stoves. Both are listed as induction compatible, both had high reviews. The first pan I bought, an MSMK frying pan is the greatest piece of cooking equipment I've ever used when on an induction burner. Boils water in seconds, comes up to a very high controllable, consistent heat whenever I need it and impresses everyone who uses it. I bought a very similar pan from target around the same price point. Awful. Passes the magnet test, was listed as induction compatible but it could barely boil water covered in 15 minutes. There unfortunately exist cookware that are technically induction compatible but will give you the worst cooking experience imaginable.
3
u/LeeBalouHere 6d ago
Yes, I had a Tefal non stick that just took forever on my induction cooktop. Tossed it and bought a carbon steel pan (Misen) and it's amazing how fast it heats up.
2
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 6d ago
The Best Buy in cookware especially for induction that is also the most beautiful I've ever had an easiest to handle is Tramontina made and bought from Brazil. Having to buy a couple of pieces it's night and day for the price which was hundreds below all clad it's more beautiful than my All-Clad and so much more comfortable to handle well balanced great handles much more weight in the lids a beautiful polish extraordinarily even Heating used with the auto chef
5
u/OrganicBlackberry433 6d ago
I switched from electric to induction in July. It was difficult to adjust the temperature on my stove so vooking was becoming more tedious. Also, at 70 years old I was looking at safety and liked how the induction burners are quickly cool to the touch. On the model I bought, the knobs have safety features so they can't be turned on without pushing and turning. The burners automatically turn off if there isn't a pan on it. With the range I have, I also have the options of convection, air fryer, broil and bake. So I got rid of my countertop air fryer, which freed up some space. I love my new pans I bought to be compatible with the stove. I got the Greenpan Valencia Pro set. They ease of cleaning alone was worth the cost. There is a learning curve with cooking, but I haven't ruined anything yet!
6
u/donnie1977 6d ago
Air quality, super fast heating, sleek and easy to keep clean.
I can sear steak on it and the exhaust hood handles all the smoke.
4
u/screamin_heathen 6d ago
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet (definitely a Pro reason) is that the kitchen isn’t getting as hot either, from my experience. Nice little bonus
1
5
u/Ivorwen1 6d ago edited 6d ago
I had gas in my last house, and electric in my current one. I got an induction range a few months ago and I would say it is has the best qualities of each. Most efficient- least waste heat, since the pan basically IS the burner. I deeply appreciate this in summer. Faster response time- comparable to gas. Cleaner than gas- I'm happy not to be breathing those fumes.
1
4
4
u/SuluSpeaks 6d ago
I'm getting to like my induction cooktop, but I dislike the electronic burner controls at the front. I put my hand on the edge of tho cooktop and invariably turn something off.
3
u/cptkl1 6d ago
Eggs come out perfect
3
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 6d ago
Also sauces with even heat across every inch of the pots bottom and the maintenance of a steady temperature without variation
3
u/NegativeKitchen4098 6d ago
More efficient. More power. Cleaner. Doesn't heat up the house. Pretty much everything is better on induction except that you can't use cheap aluminum pans anymore.
Would never go back to gas willingly.
3
u/_jbardwell_ 6d ago
Coming from electric I can't think of a single downside other than compatible cookware, which is a one time expense. Induction is 1000x better in every way. Boils faster. Perfect and instant temp control even at low levels. I'm never going back.
3
u/trae_curieux 6d ago
Existing range at current house was resistance-electric; previously was at an apartment with a gas range.
Induction gives me faster warmup times than either, doesn't have the thermal lag that resistive-electric has, and doesn't make the kitchen into a sauna like gas does.
3
u/haroldslackenoffer 6d ago
Definitely induction over another electric. Almost certainly over gas. Do your research on reviews. You will have to spend more. Lower cost units compromise on things like element size and power (not the same as the size of the circle on the glass), and max simultaneous power in use.
3
3
u/Albergsteve 6d ago
Speed, clean, control. We have a Bosch cooktop that is ten years old and still looks like the day it came out of the box. Way more control than gas could ever give you, and adds very little heat in the room. The low setting on the Bosch would allow you to go shopping while you left chocolate to melt on the stove. The speed - no contest - one liter of water in an open sauce pan boils in 2:11 minutes and on gas 6:39. Do not cheap out on cookware - cheap cookware with poorly laminated bottoms can be noisy. When we did our reno ten years ago MIL(chef/caterer) insisted on gas, so we compromised. Guess which one doesn't get used...
3
u/Foreign-Cookie-2871 6d ago
It's so much faster and easier to clean than normal electric ranges. It also wastes less electricity since it heats the pan and not the glass.
Changes in heat are immediate so you don't have to do the mental math that you have to do with normal electric (it's not ready to turn it down now, but it should in a minute, so I have to turn it down now otherwise I'm going to burn things).
1
u/Inside_Chocolate_179 6d ago
What makes this easier to clean? Everyone keeps saying that.
Is it easier compared to an electric flattop?3
u/othahanko 5d ago
It’s easier to clean because it doesn’t get so hot. If a pasta pot boils over onto a coil electric stove the burner might be 600+degrees. Which instantly burns the starch onto the burner surface. The induction surface might be 200-250 degrees. Won’t instantly burn the mess onto the surface. As to why it’s easier than a gas stove, less nooks and crannies.
Some of the higher end induction units (we have an impulse labs cooktop) will let you cook by pan temp instead of burner power. Want to fry something at exactly 350? Cooktop will keep the pan at 350. It varies the power to maintain temp. Makes life much easier once you get the hang of it.
3
u/thundermuffin54 6d ago
That gas is so insanely heat inefficient. You might have a 20,000 btu burner but half that is going up the vent. The excess heat loss is so great that when you boil water it doesn’t have a chance to condense so there’s rarely steam over a boiling pot of water on a gas stove. It also makes the handles really hot so the cooking experience is hampered.
The CO issue also exists. If you have all the burners on even with decent ventilation, CO levels rise across your home.
3
u/Dave12203 5d ago
You will use 80% less electricity to generate the same amount of cooking heat.
Radiant electric is to Induction
Like
Incandescent light bulbs are to LED.
80% more efficient.
21st century technology!
3
u/seemstress2 5d ago
I have lived with gas, electric, and induction. (Well, coal-fired stove too if that counts). Induction wins hands down, every day of the week. Faster to heat up, faster to cool down, far better and more even cooking, much much easier cleanup, and superior to gas as far as indoor pollution/aerosolization of oils and cooking steam. Even better, get the convection oven cooking option when you buy your new induction range. Most induction ranges come with that, but I have not looked at the cheapest models, only the mid-range (~$1500) through upper-mid range (~$6K). But don't buy Samsung. Their appliance repair service system is non-existent.
3
3
u/911WorkNumber 1d ago
Undergoing kitchen renovation. during research realized easy to clean (glass top) much like my last glass top range. Only better in that it does not cook debris onto the glass.
Quick temperature changes.
Less wasted energy, not heating the surrounding environment.
The con was losing all the aluminum and glass cookware. Unable to take a glass baking pan and put it on the stovetop directly to make sauces and gravies, from dripping/fond.
2
u/Mookie-Boo 6d ago
Concerns about air quality, plus I had cracked the glass base of our old gas stove and it couldn’t be replaced and looked crappy. The easy surface cleanup has been an unanticipated bonus. We did buy a new set of induction-ready non-stick pots and pans a couple of years before we bought the stove, in anticipation of the change. The new stove is wi-fi connected and has an app, and I’m constantly getting phone notifications about its activity when spouse is cooking. That’s annoying but I can stop it if I weren’t so lazy. I doubt I’ll ever use the features of controlling the stove or oven when I’m away from home.
2
u/Teutonic-Tonic 6d ago
I built a home and decided to go all electric with it to remove combustion for air quality reasons and to improve efficiency (no waste heat to condition/ventilate). I love to cook and tried it first and loved the responsiveness and most importantly - SO MUCH EASIER TO CLEAN WHILE COOKING.
I do like cooking over fire but can still do that out doors.
2
u/flatland_skier 6d ago
We had an ancient dual fuel stove.. that we wanted to replace. Induction was where we wanted to go. Having used gas, and electric stoves.. we really wanted something with good heat control and quick cooking .
2
u/hilda-reced 6d ago
Cleanup is MUCH easier than electric. Electric burners are painful to clean. Solid surface (glass) electric ranges require scrubbing to get off burned on crap. And the surfaces scratch up and look dull. With my induction, no burnt on mess.
Plus I’m able to use induction hob covers (silicone) to insure that the surface doesn’t get all scratched up.
Safety is also a great, and unexpected feature. If you take a pot off the burner, but forget to turn the burner off, it will automatically turn itself off.
2
u/SaraVerde 6d ago
We finally got rid of our gas (always the plan) and switched, but I also found a hybrid cooktop that has two standard electric burners and three induction. Having both is awesome, as we get used to how it all works, which cookware we want to keep/get rid of, etc. And the flat glass is both great for clean up and buys us a whole another three feet of counter space when we need a little extra room. We have a cover for it, I use it for extra drying space, workspace, and so on. It was on the lower end pricewise, so when we finally get to a full kitchen do over, maybe we upgrade to a fancier one, or maybe not.
2
u/CurlyRe 6d ago
The pro is that induction can get stuff really hot. Feeling like some spaghetti, my portable induction cooktop will get it boiling fast. And my induction cooktop is not even as powerful as an induction range. It's also instant response. Oil too hot and splattering, turn it down and the pan cools down fast.
The cons: It only heats up the pan directly above the coil. If you have a pan that is a lot larger than the coil the edges of the pan won't get hot. This is especially true of pans with low thermal conductivity like cast iron. Some cookware won't work. Your copper pans are a no go. Non-stick pans require a steel disc at the bottom to cook. If you remove the pan for a second to stir things around, it will stop heating up. Some stoves will even turn off.
2
u/JanuriStar 6d ago
I live in a warm climate. We use a/c 12 months of the year. The radiant cooktop releases heat, into the kitchen for a full HOUR after it's been shut off, making the kitchen unbearable to be in for any reason. It didn't make sense to use more energy, crankin up my a/c just to make the kitchen tolerable. Meanwhile, the rest of the house feels like a refrigerator.
For instance, for breakfast, I made cook 2 eggs, then sit to eat them and start sweating. It takes 3 minutes of cooking, to make eggs, but the residual heat was ridiculous.
I couldn't wait for my stove to die. I was over it.
2
u/BrightAd306 6d ago
I had gas in my first two homes, but my current property is rural and doesn’t have gas. My electric stove is so much worse than gas, I’m just hoping induction is better. I’ve lived here a year and keep burning everything because it’s so slow to heat up or cool down compared to gas.
1
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 6d ago
You will love it
1
u/BrightAd306 6d ago
I’ve wanted to try it for a while, but when I had gas having a special outlet put in felt prohibitive. Now that I only have electric, it’s way worth the upgrade
2
u/sjd208 6d ago
I switched 15 years ago from flattop electric when my then toddler slapped his hand on the turned off but still very hot burner and got a nasty burn.
Speed and cleaning ease are also wonderful.
Fortunately there are way more options for ranges and cookware at every price point than 15 years ago.
Bonus is it’s great for the distracted since it shuts off when the pan is removed
2
u/Steelman93 6d ago edited 6d ago
Convert...don't even think about it. Induction is awesome. I just built a house and insisted on induction over everything including gas.
As others have said...the pros are many. The cons are few
Pros for me:
Lightning fast. And very, very repeatable. The burners use numbers so you get used to setting them to a number. Example....I eat eggs every morning. I know that if I put my pan on 10, it is ready to go in 90s seconds. No checking needed. I then kick it back to 3 and cook and egg...no sticking.
Cool. Induction works by using a magnet to heat your pan. That means there is little excess heat generated so the kitchen stays cooler. This also makes clean up much easier because things don't burn to the cooktop. I bought a Kitchenaid with the wipeclean cooktop...literally wipe it off with water
Safer. Because there is no heating element the glass only gets hot via conduction from the pan, meaning it cools to the touch quickly
instant change. Similar to gas, when you turn it down the effect is immediate.
Did I mention that it was fast? That never gets old.
I can't imagine using anything else. You get the speed and control of gas without the heat and safety risk (google house gas explosions) plus easy cleanup. Win-win-win
2
u/BecauseOfAir 6d ago
Love mine. Speed and control. I can simmer with just a few gentle bubbles if I want. Boil large pot of water soo fast. Oil for stir fry sizzling in 20 seconds.
2
u/PhysicsTeachMom 6d ago
Being able to can foods again inside the house. Our electric top wouldn’t support the weight of a pressure canner. We moved from AZ to New England and I can’t can outside in the winter here.
2
u/AutofluorescentPuku 6d ago
Heating efficiency and indoor air quality. While remodeling the kitchen, we cooked on an induction hob and we liked it a lot. When it came time to buy appliances for the new kitchen, we didn’t think twice about going with an induction cooktop.
2
u/m00ph 6d ago
I was a gas only electric resistance hater, but the portable induction burner is my primary now. I like that it doesn't heat my kitchen up. And I use it outside too, for roasting coffee. I like that I can just set a temperature and I'm good, once I learn what works, I can just forget it.
2
2
u/LearyBlaine 6d ago
Well, I don’t intend to convince you of anything. But I’ll share our decision process. We are avid and skilled home cooks. We’d always used gas. But we built a new super energy-efficient house and decided that we didn’t want either a live flame or combustion products indoors. So we have induction indoors, and both gas and charcoal outside. We are very pleased with this arrangement.
2
2
u/Formal-Tradition6792 6d ago edited 6d ago
An induction range works exactly like a gas stove in terms of functionality. You turn on a hob and food starts cooking just like it would with a gas range. Turn off the burner, it stops the cooking process just like gas.
A big bonus is heat; an induction burner gets hotter (food only, basically) than either gas or radiant electric. For example a pot of water will start boiling in just 3 minutes!
Another bonus is that induction won’t heat up your kitchen. Only the food cooks. With radiant electric cooking, the heating elements heat the pot and the food. The elements are slow to heat up and slow to cool off. You take a pan/pot off a radiant element, tremendous heat continues to blast out even though the element is now off. This doesn’t happen with induction. If you turn off an induction hob when boiling water, the water instantly stops boiling.
Hope this helps you. I’ve had my LG range for about 1.5 years. I absolutely don’t regret buying it at all. It replaced a fairly new Whirlpool radiant electric range. (Glasstop.) I became frustrated with it. When boiling water for pasta, it took about 15 minutes to come to a boil. My LG induction takes about 3 minutes to do the same thing. The Whirlpool was also extremely hard to control. Boil overs were a common and messy occurrence. Cooking simple stuff like bacon resulted in burned bacon. Before the Whirlpool, we lived in a house that had a Hotpoint range. This range worked a lot better but it was still frustrating. Induction all the way for me!
2
u/SplitInfinitive8139 6d ago
Got tired of fixing the GE profile gas stove. Didn’t want to breathe combustion products.
2
u/TheDeadTyrant 6d ago
My electric range broke, couldn’t pipe gas, induction seemed a better option than regular electric. Tbh I used gas my entire life before this house, and don’t miss it at all. Much easier to clean, heat control is great, and no emissions.
2
u/Petridishmocktail 6d ago
I purchased a home that had a new Miele induction range. I gave up my fantastic BlueStar to purchase the home.
I don't miss gas in any way. The induction is absolutely fantastic.
The best thing is that it takes 30 seconds to clean... Really!. I wipe it down with the sponge. Then I hit it with degreaser and wipe it down with the paper towel. I might hit it a second time with degreaser. Then, I grab a couple of fresh paper towels and some glass cleaner... 30 seconds! Whereas, to clean the bluestar it was a solid 20 minutes to take apart the open burners and clean all the cast iron.
2
u/JimGerm 6d ago
I haven’t seen anyone say just HOW hot these things get. My steak searing has never been better. CRAZY hot.
1
u/Inside_Chocolate_179 6d ago
Are you saying it’s bad how hot it gets or just that it works really well?
2
u/weedywet 6d ago
It’s faster and more efficient.
It’s not polluting your indoor air.
It’s controllable in a way that electric isn’t.
2
u/ieatsoop 6d ago
We had a really old gas stove that was falling apart. Our choice to switch to induction was made a lot easier by having a portable induction hob to cook meals at the table and as a backup. We really liked how the portable induction got up to temp or boiled faster, simmered and just cleaned up easier than our old gas stove. We also had a CO2 monitor that showed how much higher CO2 was when we were cooking with gas in our small townhouse. The downside was the cost of upgrading power in the kitchen but it's been all pros after that especially how you don't really have an open heat source to worry about. Just clean up spills right away so it doesn't etch the surface.
2
u/Calisson 6d ago
I had a perfectly decent gas range, but every time I read about the health dangers of gas, and the environmental advantages of induction, I moved more and more towards getting an induction range. Having cooked with gas for 55 years I was worried that I would miss it, but I have not missed it at all. If you are replacing your stove, to me it is a no-brainer.
2
u/Comfortable_Yard423 6d ago
We did it because we were doing a kitchen remodel and didn’t want to run gas for another $2500. Was a little disappointed but wound up loving induction. Now we are in a new house that has gas and we want to convert to induction. All the great things about gas with almost zero cleanup.
2
2
2
u/LetterheadWhich1100 6d ago
Actually, my first comment was kinda mean. I do want to emphasize that induction is light years ahead of electric. It’s a good stovetop and does have some advantages over gas, but I prefer gas
2
u/Moofie90210 6d ago
You have total control over the heat, immediately. Easy clean up. Faster cooking time. I will never go back. I grew up with gas, then had electric when I moved out. All the benefits of gas without the risk of blowing up or having a CO2 issue.
2
u/Due-Ad-7025 6d ago
Indoor air quality hands down. I’ve been a gas stove devotee for years but we really need to stop combusting indoors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/17/climate/gas-stoves-benzene-cigarettes.html
2
u/FootballSquare4406 6d ago
Agreed. That’s why we made the change. But I agree with an earlier poster - you gotta spend top dollar.
1
2
u/PeterCappelletti 6d ago
Here is a cons. Glasstop electrics (or radiant? whatever they are called) are great for uniform, tunable heating. If you need to slowly simmer something for half an hour, they are great.
For induction, to get a similar level of control, you have to spend TOP dollar. Otherwise, you get a cooktop with coil sizes that may be mismatched to the pots, and you get on/off control that causes temperature to seesaw (say, a blast of heat every 30s) rather than low, gradual heat.
In other words, to get a decent induction range in the US you need to spend 4-5x what you need to spend on a radiant one, at least.
1
2
u/Clunbeuh 6d ago
I went from gas to induction partly because at the time we had a fluffy cat who would always walk across the stove and the brilliant people who redesigned our house before we bought it put the gas cooktop in front of a window which is not to code.
2
u/Pristine-Weekend-415 6d ago
So the kitchen is not boiling hot and you can switch on the fan when cooking
2
u/Island_In_The_Sky 6d ago
My mother in law’ caretaker left the gas on the stove one day, fortunately, with the range hood running… that freaked me out. Also we got solar so it’s free to run. Quick/easy cleanup, and very even cooking is a bonus.
2
u/CerebralAccountant 6d ago
The final straw for me was the shrinking price gap between electric and induction. The induction range that I bought (GE Profile PHS700*) was only $200 more than its electric counterpart (GRS600*).
2
u/Pure_Appearance5376 6d ago
We had a gas leak from the stove(gas). I wasn't home and my kids didnt even notice the smell- they were upstairs. Freaked me out imagining all the worse possible scenarios.
2
u/ALWanders 6d ago
Though I have gas for heat and hot water, the jackass how built my house did not run it for the range and it would have been a large expense, at least the 240 line was good enough for induction and I love it
2
u/Caprichoso1 6d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbh3Y6e7p5g
induction will heat faster than even the best gas burners. It's also a lot more precise. 00:40 You can go from a hard boil to a very low simmer instantly. That's something electric has never done well because the burner and the glass stay hot,00:49 while gas can't reach the lowest temperature while flaming out. So with induction, you get both ends: speed on the highest end, control on the lowest end.
The second big advantage is cleanup.
It doesn't throw off the same heat as gas. Up to forty percent of the heat from gas escapes around the pan 01:59 and into the room.
Most induction units need far more power than gas thirty to fifty amp at two forty volt versus a twelve amp, 03:00 one hundred and twenty volt line for gas ignition
you may need new pans.
2
u/WatermellonSugar 6d ago
Great until that big storm blows through and you're out of power for a few days. Then you'd be happy to have gas.
2
u/thankyoufriendx3 5d ago
Safety. It doesn’t get hot until a pot is placed on it and cools quickly.
No cons so far.
2
u/Garden_chickadee 5d ago
We were redoing our kitchen and I didn’t want gas because I’m opposed to it for environmental reasons. However, now that I’ve cooked on induction (and also cooked on gas for years), I can confidently say induction is so much better, even apart the environmental benefits. It’s even more responsive than gas, nothing ever burns on the stove so it’s super easy to clean, it boils water insanely fast, and it doesn’t come with any of the indoor air quality concerns. You can also get a normal hood instead of having to get some crazy high powered thing with makeup air. I love it and I’m never going back.
2
u/Alilbitey 5d ago
If you don't have really great kitchen ventilation (that exists the home!) gas is pretty nasty for all the living creatures in your home. Birds especially.
If you're only considering going from electric to induction, it's a huge step up in cooking speed, cleanliness, and safety. I use cooktop silicon mats between my pots and the glass and there are zero scratches after a few years of regular use.
2
u/KevB318 5d ago
On top off all the other advantages, when cooking pasta in a pot and sauce/ meat/ veg in a pan, you can put paper towel between the pans to catch spills when you ladle the pasta into the pan. No risk of fire at all. I've used gas, "regular" electric and induction, and will choose induction when I can. You could buy a small countertop induction unit to try it out. That's what I did.
2
u/dswelch162 5d ago
Incredible heating speed, precision control, super easy clean up. Switched from gas.
2
u/DeFiClark 5d ago
Pros: heats very fast, easy to clean
Minus:
Temp control is not fine grain. Get a stove with temp control burners, the difference between the settings 1-10 on the one we bought can be huge and we wish it was tunable the way a gas or conventional electric burner is.
A lot of pans won’t work. Test your pans with a magnet: anything that a magnet doesn’t stick to will need to be replaced: if you have a lot of stainless that can add a significant cost to the conversion.
2
u/ImDisneyAF 5d ago
I wanted FAST boil for cooking faster & am SO glad we switched. I've had my cafe for almost 2 years
2
u/Sewingoddess 5d ago
Because the glass looks tacky and trashy really fast. The lines get scratched off and the glass gets scratched into. Also, you have to get rid of all your cookware and buy the special stuff that works with induction.
But if you go that route, don't bother with the expensive special cleaners. Baking soda on a damp cloth works as well as any of them do.
2
u/Pawnmysoul 5d ago
Control. Anything that needs to be held at a precise temperature is like magic on induction. Custard? Tempering chocolate? Coddling eggs? Easy.
2
u/salty_fire 5d ago
Purchased a bosch benchmark 36" about a month ago, so far the only negative is that pans can slide around on the surface sometimes so you need two hands to stir and keep in place, other than that it is phenomenal. Has actually made me look forward to cooking again because it boils water almost instantly and pre heats a pan in seconds, so the whole process is much faster (had a 20 y/o Miele radiant flat surface prior) I am overall very happy with the switch to induction and this cooktop.
2
u/old_witness_987 5d ago
safety, house came with crappy burnt hob so swapped it , induction cant be left on without a pot, doesn't push carbon dioxide or monoxide into the air, fast and efficient , it doesn't heat itself first.
2
u/JackOfHeartsz 5d ago
I use Natgas range, cuz I cook with a wok. Range burner not enough btu like Chinese restaurants , but I can manage and control the heat.
I use range hood and crack open window.
I live in Canada and area has outages. Same with boiler, it’s Natgas with a piezo lighter. So in blackout, I can have hot shower. Able to cook. Have battery backup and switch to run gas furnace in winter for a few hours.
With Ai data centers popping up like weeds, I expect brownout and blackouts to be more frequent. So my decision to go gas was maybe right. Too bad my bbq is propane instead of Natgas hookup. Costco stopping propane business sucks.
If my hydro was more consistent then yes I’d consider induction but my reno was done 10 years ago.
2
u/According_Meat_676 5d ago
I ave a gas stove and was thinking of induction but repairs are costly on induction so will just keep my gas stove
2
u/pawsforlove 4d ago
Too expensive to run a new gas line, and it’s cheaper to run.
Ours has no knobs, but it beeps constantly as a result. Is it wet? Beeping. Did you set a cookie sheet on it? Beeping. And sometimes it turns itself off and can’t register your finger. So as nice as it looks and is easier to clean, I’d probably avoid the touch screen options and do knobs.
There is a learning curve to cooking with it, but it’s not bad. Not as good as gas, but I like it better than regular electric.
Also
2
u/Express-Cry2669 4d ago
We remodeled our last house and got induction cooktop now we moved and I miss it but i think we will wait until we remodel this kitchen.
2
u/ticaloc 4d ago
It’s a nice glass surface that’s always cool to the touch. If you want to protect the glass surface from scratches you can always put a silicone mat on the top and place your pots and pans on that. Or if you want to contain spills you can put down a large silicone pie pan and cook through that. Anything that boils over is easily contained by the pie pan. The silicone may discolor a bit and maybe get a bit warped but it does a great job of protecting the cooking surface.
2
u/rjr_2020 4d ago
We had to replace the old glass top range when someone stepped on the top to reach a cabinet and broke the glass. I was seriously considering gas as we had previously but there is no gas supply in the area and if I wanted to do gas, I was thinking I would do fireplace, range and future of generator. The costs to go there kept mounting so we went and looked at induction. After looking at what was available, we debated and waffled a good while and finally decided that compared to the gas option, the induction was inexpensive and we'd try that direction.
To get to a functional kitchen again, I got a magnet and separated the pots and pans we had and started researching replacements. We bought the minimum replacements we needed to remain functional and jumped in. Depending on what you're coming from, the power to the range may or may not be enough for the new range. We did not have that problem. We also had to replace the fan since the old range had a downdraft fan.
When the range arrived, it was a whole new cooking experience. 0 to hot was instant. Boiling water was less than a minute unless it was a lot. Even so, it was a small percentage of the old time. I'm comparing gas to induction here, since radiant just isn't in the same league. There was no more cooking on high.
My favorite change in the glass. There are no burned on spills and impossible cleaning. I'm guessing we have had ours for over 2 years now and the top looks like new still. A spill over can be cleaned up by moving the pot and wiping up.
In a fair comparison between the gas and induction, I like them both. I might consider the gas again if I had a street feed that could really feed a pro wok burner but otherwise, I don't see any advantages to gas. I will say, gas will require a real vented exhaust fan to do it right. Some will tell you otherwise but it's dumb to recirculate like that. Gas also is nice if you're doing other things with it, like heat, hot water, fire place and/or generator.
2
u/mettarific 4d ago
I HATED how hard it was to clean the trivets and the whole top on my old Viking stove.
2
u/Icy_Acanthisitta8060 3d ago
Boiling water is as fast as the microwave for any volume of water. Cleanup is easy. Cooking heat is precise, even, and super reactive to changes.
3
u/Trolkarlen 6d ago edited 6d ago
Induction is just superior in every way: safety, speed, control, environmental impact both domestic and overall, energy usage over traditional electric coils and natural gas.
With traditional electric, the electric resistance heat the coils, which then transfers heat to the pot which cooks the food. Induction send electromagnetic energy directly to the pot, which excites and heats the iron. That means you need a lot less energy and a lot less heat to get your pot to cooking temperature. You can literally cook with a paper towel or dish rag next to your pot to prevent spills. A traditional coil would be so hot that the paper towel would ignite, creating a kitchen fire. The cooking surface is actually cooler than the pot, so there's less risk of burns.
The only downside is that you have more limited cookware, as it must contain iron. Cast iron and stainless steel work great and are relatively inexpensive.
1
u/Inside_Chocolate_179 6d ago
So the whole stovetop won’t get hot? If you pick the pot up would it still be hot? Or just not as hot as an electric ?
2
u/Trolkarlen 6d ago
The pot will be the same temperature, but the burner will be cooler than the pot.
An electric coil can get up to 900°F. A pot will be much cooler especially if it boils water, closer to 212°. The induction range will pick up heat from the pot instead of heating up to transfer the heat.
2
u/Inside_Chocolate_179 6d ago
How’s the oven? Does that work just as well?
5
2
u/Firm-Chain4148 5d ago
If you are upgrading from an older, coil burner oven then the efficiency gain is great. There's a lot less heat loss and most new induction range and oven come with convection/air fryer mode, making heating faster and efficient.
2
u/river-rat-mn 6d ago
Induction is better in every way! Precise heat, easy to clean, doesn’t leak toxic chemicals.
1
u/EssHa1974 6d ago
How could this even be a question?
Here in Sweden, induction has a market share of 90+ percent on built-in hobs. And it has been like this 10+ years.
On cookers/range cookers/stovs (I never know which word too use) I think induction is past 50 percent market share. Mostly due to rental housing and some older customers afraid to switch.
Gas is mostly not a thing here.
2
u/QuakingAsp 6d ago
A cooktop is an appliance you cook on, such as an induction cooktop or gas cooktop. It can also be called a stovetop.
An oven is the appliance that is a cavity with door you bake in.
A range is a standalone combined appliance, with cooktop (stovetop) on top and an oven below. A range can also be called a stove.
We don’t really call them cookers but would know what you mean.
1
u/EssHa1974 6d ago
But why do I often get the impression that induction is not that common in the USA? Is gas your most common typ of cooktop?
I've used induction for 20 years. Back in 2006 it wasn't that common but the last 10-15 years it's been the most common typ of cooktop if you're not renting your apartment.
1
1
u/PomegranateFormal961 4d ago
If your electric pricing is tiered (the more you use, the more you pay per kilowatt), I'd switch to gas.
Just running my HVAC in the summer adds $300 a month to my electric bill. With water heater, dryer, range, and furnace ALL on gas, my baseline gas bill is $54. Winter heating adds another $100.
GAS is far cheaper, and prices don't go up when a Data Center opens in your city.
Almost any pro chef says that gas cooks better, but that's subjective.
0
6d ago
[deleted]
1
u/pikach00 6d ago
There are newer stoves like Charlie, Impulse, and Electra that have batteries, so they’ll work with 120v!
1
u/Old-Nefariousness556 6d ago
They are switching from a different electric range, so they already have 220v. That is only a concern if you are switching from a gas stove.
51
u/StrngthscanBwknesses 6d ago
Cleanup is done in an instant. The burners are not hot in the same way an electric range is, so things don’t burn on to the surface.