Induction stovetop

[Deb]

As a follow up to a previous thread I posted. Tell me about your induction stovetop. And the cookware you use on it.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I got one over the summer, when we remodeled our kitchen. I love it--it heats water amazingly fast! As in, if you stick your finger in the pot, you can feel the temperature rise.

That said, it has its quirks. Since mine is new, it's all digital, and the technique I've used to cook pasta for the past 45 years or so had to be altered. Hardly life-changing, but since it responds instantly, you can't, say, turn off the burner a couple minutes early and let the pasta "coast down" as my dad used to say. Once the water is boiling and I add the pasta, I have to ratchet down the temp--from P (Power heat) to 7 to 5 down to 3, every 30 seconds or so. It's not a big deal, just something I had to get used to. It has different sized burners, and one is adjustable sized, so it will fit whatever pan. The burners will not heat if there's no pan on them (and my stove beeps at me if I try).

As to pots--you need pots that are stainless or explicitly say they're for induction burners. Induction works by magnets, so if a magnet won't stick to it, it won't work. My Revereware, with the copper bottoms, don't work. My All-Clad does--you just have to check. I also have some Copper Chef that works fine.

 

[mnrose]

I LOVE induction. I have a single burner that I use now, but as soon as my current range decides to stop, I'm going with an all induction. It works fantastic. NOTHING sticks on the burners because they are not hot. Pans don't get crusty on the bottom. The stove top wipes clean, and looks beautiful all the time with zero effort. If you do spill something on it, you can just wipe it right off. No waiting for the burner to cool, for example. About 1/4 of our existing pots/pans work on the burner. Easy to test with a magnet (we use the magnet in DH's stud finder and that's an excellent predictor) to see if your existing pans work. Since we got the induction burner, every pan we purchase has to meet the criteria of working on the induction, or it doesn't come into the house. I figure by the time we replace our existing range with an induction range, we will have a complete set. We'll pawn off the old stuff on our kids. LOL.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I've a portable Max Burton that was purchased to be installed in the RV that only I dreamed of owning.

Am using it this Thanksgiving with a toaster convection oven and "nuker" to cook our dinner since it's time to replace the existing range.
Using the same ol' pots I've had for decades: Cuisinart, cast iron, and Le Creuset.

 

[Deb]

I'll need to replace all/most of my pots and pans unfortunately

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I love my induction stovetop!! My basic set of pans is Cuisinart brand. My nonstick pan is Le Creuset which is a little more pricy, but I use it all the time. My old cast iron skillet works well, but I think that is the only thing I didn't replace. We've had ours for 8 years now. It still looks great!

 

[mrodgers]

I also have a single burner and only have a cheap crappy set of pans that won't work and 2 cast iron pans I use exclusively.

I have a propane stove, ran out of propane and during the time I was trying to get someone to fill them (6 months after I moved in) my furnace went out and that's where I've been stuck for the last year and a half. I got the burner from someone.

It definitely doesn't trump gas. Propane or natural gas is far better than anything electric, but the induction is far better than the electric I was stuck with for 15 of almost 18 years of marriage. I despised electric. Now that I've been using the induction burner, if I had electric I would immediately be replacing with induction.

 

[AndreaDM]

Bumping this up as I am 99% sure this is what I am getting. The house we just moved into has a crappy flat top electric stove. At first I wanted to replace it with gas, but that involves running a gas line to the kitchen. I started reading on induction stoves and am almost convinced that is what I need. I cook every single day so I don't want to settle. Anyway, since this was over 2 years ago, I was hoping there would be more comments/opinions. Thanks!

 

[ronandannette]

Bumping this up as I am 99% sure this is what I am getting. The house we just moved into has a crappy flat top electric stove. At first I wanted to replace it with gas, but that involves running a gas line to the kitchen. I started reading on induction stoves and am almost convinced that is what I need. I cook every single day so I don't want to settle. Anyway, since this was over 2 years ago, I was hoping there would be more comments/opinions. Thanks!

Everyone I know who has one, loves it. I wish I’d chosen one every time I scrub my “crappy flat top electric stove” even though it’s a higher-end KitchenAid. The main benefit is ease of cleaning since the top itself doesn’t actually get hot. Other than needing magnetic pots, I’ve never once heard a down-side.

 

[AndreaDM]

Yeah, that's something I'd need to do, get new pots. I have a nice set of Cuisinart but tried to stick a magnet to them and nope! I'm looking at the Made In pots and pans, will probably just start with a few.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Funny you should bump this thread! Just yesterday, DS15 said to me, "I LOVE this cooktop!" My kids cook kind of a lot, so my induction burners get a workout. No regrets at all, and so easy to clean!

 

[AndreaDM]

Everyone I know who has one, loves it. I wish I’d chosen one every time I scrub my “crappy flat top electric stove” even though it’s a higher-end KitchenAid. The main benefit is ease of cleaning since the top itself doesn’t actually get hot. Other than needing magnetic pots, I’ve never once heard a down-side.

The one this house came with is an Amana, it looks like something you'd get in a basic apartment.

 

[Deb]

Before my recent move I had always had gas, but I was having a really tough time finding a house with a gas kitchen and everything else I was looking for. I really didn't want electric so I paid my builder to upgrade to induction. Love it. No regrets

 

[debster812]

We re-did our kitchen about 2 years ago, and DH (the cook in the family) researched FOREVER for what type of range he wanted. He decided on induction, and we LOVE it. Cooking speed, ease of clean up, etc. The only thing we were nervous about was scratching the surface with his vintage cast iron pan that he inherited from his grandmother. He found mats that go over the burner, but still conduct/induct heat, so it protects the surface.