Does anyone have an induction range?

[BloodFetish]

Mrs. BloodFetish and I are starting to eye new ranges. Currently we have an old Kenmore coil-top, white where the rest of our kitchen has gone stainless.

I'd like to get some feedback on any recent purchases of induction ranges. Unfortunately for us we have a galley-style kitchen that can't handle any slide-in or cooktop models, so we are pretty much limited to freestanding range units.

And if you do have induction technology, can you provide some feedback on using it versus glasstop?

Thanks in advance!

[photon]

I had no idea this existed. Mind = blown.

[ken0042]

You should see one in action Photon. It is freaky to see a pot of boiling water sitting on top of a paper towel.

My aunt has one; she said the only thing is they also had to change out a lot of their pots at the same time for them to work.

[tete]

Our neighbours have an induction range and wow, it looks amazing. Crazy how fast water boils and it's so neat that only the area under the pot gets hot. We're contemplating reno'ing our kitchen and I'm going to give it a good look when it comes to picking out new appliances.

[TorqueDog]

One day I aspire to have an induction range. Absolutely awesome technology.

Big initial expense though, since you have to get pots and pans that are designed to work with it.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by photon

I had no idea this existed. Mind = blown.

Humph.

I expected a detailed schematic breakdown.

[Mazrim]

Just read the product page on Future Shop's website, and wow...I had no idea this was around. Seriously awesome. I'd love one of these.

[afc wimbledon]

I am using an induction hot plate while my kitchen is being reno'd, once you get past the 'holy #### thats amazing' stage it has all the same problems of electric.
You cant see how hot it is therefore setting your simmer is a guess and I or it tends to burn stuff easily.

My new range, like my old, will be gas, I would never cook on anything else

[kermitology]

I'm putting one in my new house. You have a tonne more control over the heat generated versus other heating technologies. It's becoming a big thing with professional chefs because of the control that you have over the heat.

It's also, by far the most efficient heating method, and it won't heat up your kitchen like an electric or gas range will. It's over 70% more efficient than gas.

Test your pots and pans with a fridge magnet to see if they'll work. And if your shopping for pots.pans, bring a magnet ith you to ensure that they will work.

[Lobotroth]

I've only used induction once before so I can't really say if it's better than anything else. Personally I love using gas, it's the big reason I don't move out of my current apartment. One thing I know for sure is that anything is better than electric, I'd rather have a fire-pit in my kitchen than an electric range.

[squiggs96]

My company builds and sells residential condos. We are going to be offering them in all of our new projects as an upgrade because they are the number one requested item right now. Personally, I don't like them. I prefer a gas range and have that in my own house, but it's wild for all the people wanting them.

[Kipper is King]

The easiest way to tell if your pots and pans are compatible with induction is to try sticking a fridge magnet to them. If it sticks, it will work.

Friends of ours have a Samsung induction range. They looooove it! Man, does it ever heat up quickly. If they are making something messy like spaghetti sauce, they actually put a dish towel underneath the pot!

[SeeBass]

I would have to see this myself as I don't think it could sear better than flame.

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

I would have to see this myself as I don't think it could sear better than flame.

It heats up plenty well enough to sear. You just have to get used to not having the excitement of flames blazing!

[Kjesse]

I installed an induction cooktop about 2 years ago. I think I'd still prefer gas just because I like seeing a flame, but really, induction gets things hotter faster, and also allows better temperature control even at low temperatures.

Induction technology has been around a long time, its not new, but its only catching on in Canada and the US now. Its popular in Europe and Japan.

If you upgrade to induction from what you have you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner, it works much better than coil elements.

I have this model: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN1l1a_lp3o

And yes, it does boil water that quickly. It really gets up to temperature fast.

[SeeBass]

Yeah I agree with the flame not being there it would be a real change of mindset for me.
I always feel flame has more elagance and those flat tops as cheap.

[Kipper is King]

Bosch stuff is now made in Mexico. Personally, I would not touch them with a ten foot pole IMHO. When I worked at Futureshop in appliances, my manager would tell me that bosch stuff seemed to need repairs an awful lot. Just my two cents.

[Hack&Lube]

These are apparently big in Japan. My friend talks about them alot. You can stick your hand on a hot stove and not feel anything. Put anything metal on it, and it will get red hot.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

Bosch stuff is now made in Mexico. Personally, I would not touch them with a ten foot pole IMHO. When I worked at Futureshop in appliances, my manager would tell me that bosch stuff seemed to need repairs an awful lot. Just my two cents.

Had a Bosch dishwasher, washer and dryer for about 7 years. Never had a single issue. All three were top notch.

[Acid Rush]

We've been using induction since last year and it is far better than what we used to have before (used to have the coil cooktops). We upgraded to induction since it's safer and easier to clean. It only heats the pot/pan that you are using and not the cooktop itself that you can easily wipe it off immediately after cooking. It is more expensive than the usual cooktops and you need to buy specific pots and pans that are induction safe. There's a lot of these at Ikea and Winners. I bought most of my pots at The Bay though when they had a sale.

Anyway, for us (for the one who does most of the cooking), it is better.