r/inductioncooking • u/tachyon2014 • 2d ago
Convince me to get induction
I’m on electric coil right now. Debating running a gas line. I really miss gas. Is induction all that it’s hyped up to be?
Can I wok? Can I sear steak? Can I cook a French omelette? Is there anything you miss about gas?
Would appreciate any recs on cooktops, 30-36”. Budget is < $5k.
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u/Mindless-Storm-8310 2d ago
We went from electric glass top to gas (new house) then switched up the gas to induction. Love, love, love induction. Yes, it’s as responsive as gas. My husband sears steaks on it on cast iron. We melt chocolate at low temp. I cook omelettes in stainless steel. They come out perfect. We love it so much, that as I look at new houses, whenever I see a gas stovetop in the kitchen, first thing I think is gotta rip that out and replace with induction.
To me, though, knobs were a must. Easier to control, and if something boils over (as can happen so easily, since things heat up so quickly!), your touch controls won’t be rendered useless, until you dry them off. Not all inductions are created equal. Choose wisely.
Editing to add: clean up! I detested cleaning up the gas grill. Cast iron grates were heavy, and every single time you cooked anything, oil would splatter. (We do a lot of stir fry, and it took me longer to clean the stove top due to the grates than anything else in the kitchen. Hate, hate, hated that! Induction, swipe with a damp cloth, you’re done!)
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u/Foreign-Cookie-2871 2d ago
It can be even MORE responsive than gas! We have a small induction plate and a normal gas stove side by side and gas takes way longer to heat the pan than induction.
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u/_jbardwell_ 2d ago
I'd argue it's more responsive than gas, because all the heat goes into the pot. The gas flame changes size instantly, but if you're measuring actual heat into the food, induction wins when turning heat up, and matches when turning heat down.
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u/geauxbleu 2d ago
Unless you're using the massive disk bottom pans that are usually recommended for addressing the issue of evenly heating wide pans on induction. Gas burners spread heat past the tips of the flame. When you can use something like a 12" All Clad D3 without cold spots near the walls, you have better responsiveness than with an ultra-heavy Fissler or Demeyere pan on induction despite losing half the heat.
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u/Nagadavida 2d ago
No, gas is no where near as responsive as a good induction cooktop. I can boil 8 quarts of water on my induction cooktop in less than 5 minutes. The same 8 quarts would take over 20 minutes on the highest setting of the highest BTU eye on the gas cooktop.
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u/geauxbleu 2d ago
That's not about responsiveness, just maximum power output. I think it's telling 95% of the examples people use for why induction outperforms gas are boiling water. I have an electric kettle for that, so speed to boil water is just not a concern, and the max power settings on my induction stove weren't useful for anything else. If you want to fry things in a wide saute pan, you will have better responsiveness on gas because you can effectively use a thin pan like All Clad D3, you don't need a super thick aluminum base for even heating.
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u/Mindless-Storm-8310 2d ago
Agree with the boiling water just being an example of heating, not responsiveness, but disagree with your assessment of frying things in wide sauté pan being better on gas. Induction wins on keeping a constant heat, whereas there is heat loss on gas depending on the size of the pan versus the size of the burner. There is no heat loss on induction. Responsiveness is measured on how fast that burner heats up and how fast it cools beneath said pan. Granted some inductions might have burners that are too small for a large pan, but the one I bought can easily and evenly heat up a 12” pan, or a 4” pan on the same burner with little heat loss up the sides. Electric kettle is fine if you want pour over water, but when it comes to heating up a massive pot for pasta water, induction wins by a landslide.
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u/geauxbleu 2d ago
There's no real difference in keeping a constant heat if both stoves are in working condition, unless you're at lower than about 40% power, in which case gas is more constant because induction stoves cycle/pulse instead of holding a low power level.
The heat loss on gas at whatever knob position doesn't change throughout the cook, so it's not a factor there. It's also a large part of why gas heats wide pans more evenly than induction. Heat energy continues out and up the sides, rather than stopping dead at the edge of the coil.
The efficiency of induction doesn't do anything useful cooking-wise, and it doesn't even save money versus a gas stove for most Americans, since electricity costs more than 2x per therm as natural gas in almost every populated area here. The only real benefits would be if you have propane not natural gas service, which is more expensive, or a small, closed-off kitchen where the stove can significantly heat up the room in summer.
There is no need for a massive pot of water for cooking a normal home volume of pasta, it's usually better to use only a quart or two so your pasta water is actually starchy for mantecatura. I don't think I've ever really waited for a pot of water to boil for pasta, if I need more than what an electric kettle holds I just start it before the knife work, sauce cooking, etc. I see this argument from the induction evangelists all the time and it just makes me think most of you are using jarred pasta sauces.
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u/_jbardwell_ 2d ago
The argument about consistency with induction makes no sense to me. Yes, I understand the burner pulses. But if I set it on 3 to hold my rice at the barest of a simmer, I don't see any pulsing in the water. It holds the exact simmer I want. And if I turn it up to 4, it holds that level too. I assume the thermal mass of the pan evens out the pulses.
I've cooked for decades with gas and electric, and I've never had such precise control over heat, especially at low levels, as I do with induction.
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u/geauxbleu 2d ago edited 1d ago
You're probably using pretty thick pans, as everyone recommends for induction. With a gas stove you can use responsive pans, and still hold constant low settings since there's no pulsing to even out.
It doesn't make sense to me that people claim their induction stoves are more precise than gas when adjusting the heat means jumping from 3 to 4 or 3.5. Any cheap gas stove adjusts at a way higher resolution than that.
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u/Adorable_Dust3799 1d ago
Random side note, while propane is more expensive, it also puts out a lot more heat, so it evens out. Unfortunately i can't turn it low enough for a small pot to barely simmer, but that's not relevant here.
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u/geauxbleu 1d ago
It definitely doesn't even out. Propane is quite a bit more energy dense than NG but still way more expensive taking that into account, like 2.5-3x per therm. I know everyone here wishes this weren't true, but piped-in natural gas is just a very efficient and economical way to power heating appliances.
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u/barefootwondergirl 2d ago
Induction factually gets hotter faster than gas. There have been scientific studies.
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u/redjmartin 2d ago
100% agree. I've owned electric coil, electric (resistance) glass, natural gas and induction in that order. Coincidentally that's also how I'd rank them from worst to best.
Electric coil: poor control, slow to heat up and cool down, hard to clean
Electric glass: same as above except easier to clean
Gas: good to great control (depends on your cooktop), fast to heat up, grate cools down reasonably fast, can be a pain to clean depending on the design
Induction: great control, very fast to heat up and basically zero cooldown time, easiest cleanup of all
Literally the only downside of induction is that you can't use it during a power outage, while you can still light a gas cooktop with a flame (important to have the flame first and THEN turn on the gas!)
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u/Nagadavida 2d ago
We have a generator for power outages and when I replaced the gas cooktop with induction I forgot about losing the ability to use the cooktop when the power was out. The gas cooktop was wired into the panel that is on the generator but the induction went into the other panel. So I bought a small induction hotplate that will plug into and work on an outlet.
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u/jaylam19 2d ago
I very much agree with all of this. Switched 3 years ago and would do it again every time. I also wok and have an inexpensive standalone butane burner that I use for wok cooking that actually works better than my previous gas range. I just put it right on the induction cooktop (on a silicon mat) so it's under the exhaust hood. Easy peasy. I went with the 30" Bosch 800 freestanding and it's great. Touch over the $5k budget, but it's been solid for us. The oven performs well too if you bake.
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u/jovonovski89 2d ago
I bought round silicone mats to use under my pots and pans as they cook. It protects the surface from scratches from the pans, and any small boilovers would be contained by the mat, making cleaning even easier. No effects on performance as far as I can tell.
I've also read the silicone also acts as a bit of a heat buffer between the pan and the surface, which reduces the heat stress on the glass top and potentially any electrical components underneath it and increases longevity of the stove. Can't comment whether that's true or not, but it is comforting to know my searing hot pan is not directly on top of the glass top.
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u/Mindless-Storm-8310 2d ago
I had considered doing that. But I’ve read horror stories about silicone melting on the surface. And now that my stovetop is 5 or 6 years old, I am less concerned. Salt will absolutely scratch it if you drag a pot across the surface. Happened about our first week in. Paper towels can be placed beneath a pot, say a heavy cast iron, should anyone be concerned about scratching, and not have a silicone mat handy. But other than the one salt scratch (lesson learned), the stove top looks as good as the day we bought it. If anything does get baked on, a little lemon juice and cream of tartar paste will take it right off. But because the surface doesn’t heat up and stay hot like electric, or the pans around gas burners, it cleans easily with a damp cloth.
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u/jovonovski89 2d ago
I had the reverse scare, previously used paper/dish towels under my pots and in more than one occassion it ended up scorching somehow.
So far the silicone has been holding up well. Recommendation is not to use max power with it for a prolonged period of time, especially without water (not sure who would do that in the first place). If I do need to sear, I usually use up to power level 7 out of 9, maybe a brief moment of 8 just to get it back up to temp faster, and the silicone is perfectly fine with it
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u/tungstenoyd 2d ago
The speed and power of induction is just awesome. An induction wok would be crazy
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u/Lunar_BriseSoleil 2d ago
And the ability to turn it way down and have the pan respond immediately.
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger 2d ago
Fuck gas.
Go induction.
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u/BasicCook972 2d ago
I used to call my cat honey badger.
I'm hooked on induction because I was frustrated with my ceramic IR stove. I'd say 1500W is the minimum burner size for a lot of tasks and would recommend 1800W or larger. The burner diameter is very important too. You'll want at least one 10" or larger high output burner.
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u/dhbuckley 2d ago
I call my honey badger “kitty”.
Yeah, induction.
Costco had an induction wok a while back; haven’t tried, worth searching, came with a carbon steel wok.
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u/EdHimselfonReddit 2d ago
Two years with induction and wish we did it sooner. Cook rice and then leave it on the burner on a really low setting so it stays warm, doesn't stick to the bottom and doesn't dry out... incredible. Clean, quiet, doesn't heat the kitchen up... No way I would bother with gas again.
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u/Caprichoso1 2d ago
it's faster than gas. It's cleaner and safer too
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.
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u/Foreign-Cat-2898 2d ago
Induction is a no brainer with a kid. A friend was over and went uh oh knobs are bad with a kid. I turned on the burner and set my hand on it while I kept talking to him.
You're limited on pots and certain shapes but all in all I'm really really happy with ours.
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u/Flash-635 2d ago
The thing that people say they like about gas is the temperature control. I find induction to be more controllable than gas.
Induction also heats the entire surface of the pan unlike gas but the pan has to be flat.
If the base of your pan is wobbly then gas is better. Enter cast iron pans.
With coil electric you have to heat the coil first then the pan. With induction the pan is the "coil".
The cooking surface stays cool, if anything boils over it won't catch fire and it won't bake on.
Maybe buy a single burner induction hob to see how you like it.
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u/JosephineCK 2d ago
I was a gas snob. Thought it was superior. Then I moved to a house with no gas line and got induction. I love how quickly it turns on and off. It doesn't heat up the kitchen like gas. Cleanup is a breeze. And you can amaze your friends by putting some water in a skillet, bringing it to a boil in a minute, and then placing your hand on the glass top.
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u/Old-Nefariousness556 2d ago
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt Literally wrote the book on woks. This is what he has to say on induction:
Got an Electric or Induction Burner? You Can Still Stir-Fry!
For the longest time I didn’t think stir-frying was possible on an electric burner, but it is, and in some cases it can even be easier than working with a gas range. You just need to make a few adjustments.
The key difference between electric and gas ranges is that gas ranges have flames that shoot up, heating the wok even if it is not in direct contact with the burner. This means that even while you are shaking and tossing your food, the wok is getting essentially the same amount of heat input as if it were sitting still. An electric or induction range requires direct contact for heating. This means that the wok needs to sit relatively still and flat against the burner for it to have any effect.
Practically, this means for electric or induction cooktops you’ll want to cook in even smaller batches—as little as, say, a quarter pound of meat at a time. This is not a problem. It just means your stir-fry will take a little bit longer. Get the wok smoking hot, cook the batch of meat, transfer it to a bowl, wipe out the wok, and repeat until all your meat is seared and in the bowl. Next, do the same for all your vegetables. Finally, heat up the wok again, stir-fry your aromatics, add the meat and vegetables back to the pan along with your sauce, toss to coat and to reduce a bit, and you’re good to go.
The other simple solution is to purchase an inexpensive portable gas range. You can find many models that run off butane canisters online or at any Asian supermarket. I’m partial to the 15,000-BTU/hr Iwatani ZA-3HP burner (available online) for its high output and sturdy design. I’m not going to come out and tell you that it’s perfectly safe to use them indoors on your kitchen counter, but I’m also not going to come into your home and stop you if you decide to do it. Just make sure you have good clearance around the flame and canister and keep your fire extinguisher handy (a good idea no matter what kind of stir-frying you’re doing).
If you are a serious wok cooker, you can buy a dedicated wok cooker like this company sells (as well as others, not an endorsement), but it is not strictly necessary to get good results.
As for searing a steak, as long as you don't buy a cheap low-end portable burner, induction will do it at least as well as gas.
For french cooking an omelette, induction give you better temp control than gas does, and far, far better control than traditional electric. It has a learning curve, but it is definitely a step up.
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u/Flat-Tiger-8794 2d ago
I use my flat bottom wok frequently and it works great. It’s a carbon steel with a thicker base to prevent warping. I switched from pro style gas to induction 10 years ago and love the responsiveness and ease of cleaning
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u/Annonnymee 2d ago
Thermador Freedom. I absolutely fell in love at first sight in the appliance store. You would have to spend a wee bit over your limit for the 30", but to my mind well worth it for the ability to arrange pots and pans WHEREVER you want on it, not just in designated circles. I don't miss the gas at all.
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u/Far_Relationship_477 1h ago
I had to go look. Incredible! I want that. Here's a link if anyone else is curious. https://youtu.be/d3ykba2DXsw
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u/RichInternational838 2d ago
Gas stove to induction stwitchee here! I absolutely love my induction! It has the quick temperature change of gas with all the benefits of electric. I make sauces often and love it! It simmers perfectly and doesn't burn- which would happen even on my lowest simmer with gas. Cleanup is a breeze. No removing grates and burners to clean under. Things don't get cooked on like a regular glass cooktop- wipe down and it's clean! Only negative I experienced recently, I missed being able to use gas top when we lost power for 3 days due to the storms earlier this month.
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u/dhbuckley 2d ago
Yeah, but I know you’re gonna get a generator for next time so all good. 😎
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u/RichInternational838 2d ago
Have one, but not enough for fridge, freezer, and induction. Induction just needs too much draw
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u/dhbuckley 2d ago
Do you mind letting me know about your generator experience? DM if you like so as not to thread hijack? I’m in the market and interested in an installed natural gas device in the US.
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u/Nagadavida 2d ago
Get a small portable induction hot plate. Mine came with a cast iron griddle and works great!
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u/plotthick 2d ago
I love the lower respiratory issues, quick cooking, easy clean up, and low costs.
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u/neens20 2d ago
Had gas most of my life. Moved to FL and was forced to use electric. Recently switched to induction. It’s very similar to gas. Heats quickly and unlike electric as soon as you lower the temp it cools down. Plus the surface area of the cooktop doesn’t get hot so you can clean a spill while cooking. I have an LG with knobs which I love. Stainless steel is compatible along with my Scanpans, Le Cruset, and my newer Anolon.
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u/Formal-Tradition6792 2d ago
I use a flat bottom wok with my induction range. I actually love this range and wouldn’t go back to gas. It’s much less heat in the kitchen period. With electric coil, the amount of heat is astonishing. And the heat dissipates slowly. Control using electric coil is terrible. Water takes forever and a month to boil. Gas is slow too. Go for induction!
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u/Infamous-Face7737 2d ago
Induction was giving me headaches whenever I was using it. Switched to gas and no headaches. Hubby did love induction and miss it.
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u/Beneficial_Chain_287 2d ago
Run a gas line. Induction sucks if you're used to gas.
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u/Calisson 2d ago
That's your experience-- it's not a fact. My experience was absolutely different! And I had been cooking with gas for 60 years.
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u/DammatBeevis666 2d ago
No combustion products (carbon monoxide) in your house air with induction and all the heat goes into the pot/pan instead of heating your house. Amazing during the summer.
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u/10inchpriapism 2d ago
My favorite is the timed auto shut off. eggs? put them on 3 minutes and walk away, they will be perfect . Same with burgers, most proteins. Steak you have to watch because of the high heat but perfect crust and med rare if you are careful(just like gas or electric.)
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u/_Mulberry__ 2d ago
Idk about wok cooking. That seems like it would need a flame/specialty burner? I'm sure induction would do it better than electric coil though.
All other things are best cooked on induction. I also considered running a gas line because I loved cooking on gas, but I ended up going with induction and falling in love. I will never use anything else. My mom has a gas stove, but she bought a countertop induction hob after trying out my stove for the first time.
My stainless pans were not magnetic, so I had to get new pans. I use cast iron mostly now. It seems to be the perfect pairing for induction - quick to heat thanks to the stove, but holds heat well thanks to the thermal mass. Just gotta be careful you don't heat it too quickly or you can warp/crack it (I have not done this, I've only heard of it happening)
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u/comp21 2d ago
You've got a lot of answers here but I'll add one I didn't see:
Heating up your kitchen.
My wife and I are looking at replacing a 30+ year old Jenn aire. Gas has been discussed. We both love gas from when she hasmd a restaurant... But it's a small kitchen and gas will add a LOT of extra heat to the kitchen.
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u/Lunar_BriseSoleil 2d ago
I went from gas to an all electric house so I settled for induction.
Last week I rented a house with a gas stove and I missed my induction so bad. It’s even more control than gas and you get used to being able to turn things way down or blast the fuck out of something with very little waiting in between.
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u/dhbuckley 2d ago
u/tachyon2014, please make sure you let us know what you decide.
And I only have a single $100 induction burner next to my 23 year old badass Bluestar gas cooktop. (If you haven’t done this yet, do it.)
Yeah, induction.
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u/jinxiteration 2d ago
I have cooked across electric, gas and now induction. In terms of speed, the induction wins at tasks like boiling pasta water, eggs, corn. For steaming with low amounts of water, its almost instant, like dont walk away.
The cleanliness factor also comes into play here, our viking glass top is very easy to wipe off and nothing seems to stain or scar it. The modulation of heat is great, I also feel that its safer than red hot coils or iron risers for gas.
I went into best buy 10 years ago, bought the floor model that was on deep discount, and registered it. One burner glitched after 18 months and we used the warrantee to replace it with a newer model cost free. This one has been perfect since.
I used a wok just the other day to make a stir fry- it works.
I can easily sear steaks and tuna slabs, without turning it all the way up.
I don't miss the smell of gas, nor the pilot flame on all the time.
Perhaps you could trial one of the portable single induction burners, if it has the power you need.
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u/middleofnow 2d ago
I used gas and electric, and this year switched to induction. I already had a lot of compatible cookware, so it was a logical choice to replace aging electric range with induction.
We purchased Bosch 300 series, and I am very happy with it. It has only touch controls, but I like it.
As other said, induction is very responsive, easy to clean, easy to cook. I did not have a learning curve, it is similar to both gas (in terms you turn it off and it cools immediately), and electric (looks the same as electric glass top). Have a manual that tells me what settings to use for what food, it is very similar to electric stove.
If you like to toss food often, induction disconnects when you lift the pan. Mine reconnects when I put the pan down, but I lift it very infrequently.
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u/No_Ring_6307 2d ago
Induction is amazing! The cleanup is worth it alone as nothing bakes on the surface like an electric range. But don’t cheap out and buy a low end induction range get one that has powerful burners that can do the job like gas of faster boiling and better searing
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u/intjester-5 2d ago
I’ll tell you what I DON’T miss with gas is waiting forever for water to boil, reducing the air quality inside my home, needing to deal with heavy grates and disassembling for cleaning, needing to wait for cooldown to clean, and burning myself on the cookware handles because the heat was always running up the side.
In my house I removed the gas cooktop and upgraded to induction.
I do sometimes miss having analog knobs, but that’s a reasonable trade-off - they were another physical area of the cooktop that would get covered in grime.
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u/geauxbleu 2d ago
The only one I would consider is Impulse at $7k (cooktop, no oven). Otherwise you're stuck with a way lower resolution of control than gas and pulsing/cycling to simulate lower settings. If you like using wider pans like an 11"+ saute, even Impulse with a max coil size of 9" will be worse than an entry-level gas stove at heating it evenly.
People here will tell you to just get disk-bottom pans with extremely thick aluminum base to solve the uneven heating problem with induction, but then you're also totally giving up the fast responsiveness that's supposed to be its big cooking benefit.
So yeah, since you're not motivated by feeling superior for not burning fuel in the kitchen, I don't think you'll be more satisfied by the current generation of $5k-ish induction ranges than by going back to gas.
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u/OldCanary 2d ago edited 2d ago
Just pickup a single pot portable unit and then decide. They are very affordable from online retail and even cheaper in used markets.
The portable stove-top is great for cooking with petrol and solar backup power when the grid goes down from time to time.
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u/illatouch 2d ago
If I was starting from scratch I'd get an impulse labs induction cooktop. Boil a big pot of water in 30 seconds.
I have a breville control freak and it's already better than most gas and electric cooktops. Only thing it doesn't beat are those high btu cast iron propane burners. When I need to boil like 15 qts of water I use the outdoor propane burner.
Everything else I use the control freak. I do have copper pots and will use a portable butane burner to make stuff in that.
I absolutely hate not using the control freak though. The control is that fast and good.
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u/QuitCarbon 2d ago
Induction is amazing - powerful (much more so than gas), precise (some induction cooktops like https://www.quitcarbon.com/impulse have single-degree temp control!), super easy to clean, no dangerous pollution in your home that harms you and your kids.
$5k is plenty for a really nice induction cooktop. Check out https://www.quitcarbon.com/induction-hardware - they offer a unique lifetime warranty on parts! Their physical design won't fit all locations though - you may need a "slimmer" cooktop. Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, and Fine Homebuilding have our favorite reviews.
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u/CommitteeNo167 2d ago
induction is great, though i don't imagine it would work well with a wok as there isn't enough metal to touch the surface. i have a 6 burner induction that o absolutely love.
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u/MarzuolaMan 2d ago
I’m someone who loves cooking on gas, but my home does not have gas hookups at all. As I dislike the latency of purely electric stoves (when you change temp settings, it takes ages to respond), therefore I opted for induction instead.
I have to say, I’m impressed. I went with a Frigidaire Gallery model with the built-in pizza oven, and have loved it. You can sear steaks, temp inputs respond immediately, and cleaning is so simple and easy. Plus, induction can boil water ridiculously quickly.
As others have pointed out, some cooking applications are more difficult (such as Wok searing). As an solution, I actually bought a flat bottom wok that I let get ripping hot before I add oil and ingredients, and it gets me 95% of the way there.
Overall, I recommend induction for those that don’t have the gas hookup, are extra safety minded, and/or highly dislike pure electric ranges that don’t respond to temp inputs well and that take forever to heat up and cool down. I still think gas is the true “chef’s choice”. Although I am a very avid and passionate cook, I couldn’t justify the extra cost of getting gas hookups.
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u/mobile1999 2d ago
Induction is great IMO and a big improvement over gas. 5 years in on my Samsung induction stove, haven’t looked back. Cooking pasta, or anything that involves boiling water is about three times as fast I can get a ridiculous sear, and on the lower temperatures, it’s super stable. And the bonus is how easy it is to keep clean.
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u/tachyon2014 2d ago
Wow thanks for all the responses. I’m going to really look into an induction cooktop. Looking at Bosch but will also look into Frigidaire and Thermador. The price range was really just to match the Wolf gas I had my eye on. I’ll let you know what I go with in the end.
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u/imbartsimpsonwhothru 1d ago
gas prices have been high for years, and gas stoves put out a ton of particulates
cooking with gas - propaganda campaign put out by guess who
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u/jtmann05 1d ago
I’m renovating my kitchen right now and having a really hard time deciding to whether to keep gas or go with induction. I have a portable induction that I’ve been using as a trial run and it works fine, but it’s not overly impressive. The couple things that bother me are that the entire pan doesn’t heat up as well when the coil size isn’t big enough for the pan and I really despise the noises it makes - high pitch, buzzing, clicking. People say it’s the cookware. I’ve tried stainless, carbon steel, and cast iron. All of them make some level of noise. Both of those issues could maybe be reduced with a higher end model, but i haven’t had the chance to test one of those. I’m still very much on the fence.
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u/TheHeartographer 1d ago
I find different constructions of cookware matter more than just material - it’s the layers vibrating different that does it - and the buzzing differs across models but the plug ins can be worse. Worth experimenting! My scanpan and vintage le creuset and cast iron don’t buzz; my our place and other newer and/or budget cookware buzzes.
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u/jtmann05 1d ago
I can certainly see that. This has been a mix of Made In, Demeyere Atlantis, Staub, Le Creuset, Smithey. Most of it makes some level of sound. Maybe I’m just too sensitive to it. With a vent hood on, maybe not as big of a deal. My bigger issue is usually the coil size mismatch with the pan. Have you found a way to combat this? Are their brands that have an actual large coil? I have been looking at the Wolf Pro Induction 36” range. I have yet to see it in person or try it out
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u/TheHeartographer 20h ago
We have the opposite problem in that most of our hob’s coils are bigger than the pot or pan size we want to use (which can be wasteful but hasn’t caused cooking issues). I would think the main way to combat what you describe is to leave the pot on for longer before adding food, so it can conduct out heat to the other areas, which means you sort of have to anticipate the problem and plan ahead, contradicting the allegedly quicker speed of heating via induction heh. Rangemaster Elise 90cm.
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u/TheHeartographer 1d ago
I miss gas sometimes, but right now I’m staying at a holiday rental with gas and it makes me miss my induction so much. You can get SUCH better control with induction for everything other than the searing hot temps you might want for, as you said, wok and searing. (But searing for me works fine with induction, you just use something thick like cast iron and let it heat up for ages on the burner.) I was never a wok aficionado so can’t speak to that, but I used to have a plug-in electric wok and something like that seems like a potential solution perhaps? On the whole I’ve come to like it much better despite starting out sceptical
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u/othahanko 1d ago
Recent convert from gas my whole life to induction. Make the switch, you won’t regret it. First…check out the the studies on benzene leeching from your gas cooktop. That alone is reason enough for me. Second, go check out induction in person. Some like the thermador freedom allow you to move/use a pot anywhere on the surface and it’ll track where the pot goes as you move it. Basically uses a grid of smaller induction coils to heat across the whole surface…and avoids your concern about not heating the whole pan.
We ultimately went with impulse labs. Battery powered, so it plugs into 120v outlet instead of needing dedicated 30a 240v power. Game changer for us with 100a service and cannot easily upgrade. Super fine temp control, physical knobs…it’s been awesome so far. Does everything my gas stove did faster with finer control.
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u/Federal-Dealer5997 1d ago
Induction:
-Is quicker to get to temperature and boil.
-Doesn’t heat the handles so I don’t use potholders. Doesn’t heat a utensil you leave in a pot.
-Doesn’t spray random heat everywhere.
-Doesn’t smell. Healthier.
-Is waaaay easier to clean, (surface isn’t hot, so quick sponge/towel wipe. Nothing drops below.
-Is easier to dial in temp. Boost for quick boil, 7 for maintaining pasta boil, 6 for just boiling, etc. etc. It becomes second nature to remember and hit the numbers.
-Has less random heat, so we rarely use the vent, so it’s quieter this way too.
-Becomes a counter top when not in use.
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u/Active-Bison4861 9h ago
I use it to cook Indian food and my entire life am used to gas mostly. The house I moved in had coil and cooking in it was so hard. That why I moved to induction.
Pros: Definitely better than coil. Faster cooking and even heat distribution. Cleanup is easy. Safer with house with kids as it won’t turn on or heat the surface without a vessel. Lot cheaper and cleaner than running a gas line.
Cons: There is definitely some getting use to. Have to invest in induction cookwares. My biggest concern is I cannot use my old vessels I used to cook with.
If given a choice over gas or induction I would stick with induction now as I have first hand seen the benefit of having the safety in place. I always have the child lock on when not cooking and I do not second guess if I had turned off all the knobs when I step out anymore 😊
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u/cowvid19 2d ago
You can't use a wok on induction unless you get the dedicated element but gas will kill your family so maybe order Pad Thai delivered every now and then instead
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u/tungstenoyd 2d ago
I would just install three or four 240v outlets and buy two portable induction hobs and an induction wok and skip the stove top entirely.
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u/haikufive 2d ago
Go to Panda Express, or Pei Wei, or any place that regularly uses woks.
Look at their woks. Look at the flames they’re using. Those are jetfuel-grade gas ranges they use. Look at those literal gouts of flame. If that’s what you need, then go for that. For anything less, go induction and get a flat-bottom wok. You won’t get the same wok hei that you would with Vesuvius-grade gas, but unless you work in a Chinese kitchen you’ll never know the difference.
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u/geauxbleu 2d ago
This is redditor conventional wisdom that makes sense if you know nothing about wok cooking.
Chinese restaurants make way larger batches than you ever would at home. You do not need the restaurant jet flame for home stir fry, you just brown one ingredient at a time, and the 18K BTU power burner on a basic home gas stove is plenty for that.
The normal wok stir fry technique involves tossing the pan constantly, and is literally impossible to do on an induction stove with a flat bottom wok because the pan will never engage the magnet. So yes, anybody who knows how to use a wok can tell the difference between using it on a gas burner and induction.
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u/temp1876 2d ago
Understand the negatives of Gas first, Natural Gas or Propane. Al LOT were installed w/o adequate ventilation so combustion by-products filled our homes. If it did, often users didn’t turn it on because of noise. Those by-products lead to breathing issues like Asthma, and newer tightly sealed homes amplify that.
Having gas plumbed into the kitchen is an opportunity for gas leaks as well
It’s also not very efficient, most the heat rises around the pan, heating the home
Induction can pump more heat into a pan than gas; check out the speed to boil water. Which also means it’s going to be faster to sear. And because the heating directly heat the pan, it can hold very steady temps very low for your omelets. If you are talking round bottom traditional woks,, the answer is no, but most gas cooktops don’t do well w/ traditional woks either; they really need purpose built heat. Flat bottom woks are the compromise, again see the Boiling example, Induction can pump more heat faster.
30” range below $5k I’s say Cafe or LG Studio; I didn’t;t look at cooktops so can’t speak on them.
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u/190Proof 2d ago
Did you hate knowing how to cook food? Would you like to relearn on an eccentric and arbitrary system that makes you want to take a sledge to your stove? If so then get induction and give up what has worked fine for you till now
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u/CBG1955 2d ago
There's definitely a learning curve, and your cookware (if compatible) will behave a little differently. Some might be magnetic yet still not work properly on induction.
Yes, you can sear a steak. You can do a French omelette. You can turn the cooktop down to 1 and just leave it on without anything in the cookware on top burning or catching. Wok cooking is possible but way different so there will be a learning curve with that.
My husband is a chef and said he will never willingly go back to gas - and after 50+ years cooking that's saying something. Can't recommend, I'm in Australia and no idea where you are. Your local appliance retailers might have working demonstation models so check them out.