Kitchen induction range help

[braumeister]

We had a thread last year (HERE) about induction cooktops, but there weren't a lot of specific recommendations.

Even though it's only about 10 years old, I'm looking at replacing my Samsung electric kitchen range with induction. I've used a little 120V countertop induction unit several times and I love it. So now it's time to go for the real thing.

What I'd like to hear is any recommendations (for or against) specific brands. The two I see mentioned most often are LG and Bosch.

Can anyone who uses an induction range give me some words of wisdom? Cost is not really a consideration, since we've hardly touched our travel budget in the last year or so.

[f35phixer]

LOVE LOVE LOVE GE Profile PHS930 LOVE LOVE LOVE !!!!

Not cheap but! You will need induction compactible cookware, we got a $930 credit for like a 10 piece set.

Boils water FAST, then down to a simmer FASTER
Here is Southern MD, fried Oysters, Fish, Soft Crabs etc. is easy.
A COOL TRICK is to lay newspaper all over glass top, all splatter are on the paper easy clean up LOVE LOVE LOVE
We has cast iron dutch ovens and skillets, get a silicon mat and tehn pots on top !!!! So you limit possible scratching...
Another nice thing is not a lot of heat generation into kitchen...
Oh with that said, be careful opening oven door, heat does roll out, well insulated.

Buy ONE, you wont regret it. Oven side is fine, does the job, its what's up top that's amazing....

[Bamaman]

Check to see what the other brands of appliances are in your kitchen.

Mine are all designer Kitchenaid. Mid line stuff. What I'd hate to replace is that double convection wall ovens--over $4K.

If your brands don't match, go for the Bosch. We've had 2 of their dishwashers, and they're superior.

[Amethyst]

We have a GE Monogram cooktop. Got a set of Circulon non-stick pots and pans for induction (happened to be what was available on Amazon just then). $300.00.

Have only been using it since June. As F35phixer says, the functionality is great. I do miss being able to sear a steak on the cooktop and put the pan directly into the oven; can't do that with non-stick cookware.

Some sound effects are associated with induction cooking. The bigger the pot and the more contents, the more I tend to hear some minor buzzing and clicking. It doesn't bother me at all.

[Ronstar]

We have a GE Monogram and DW loves it.

[f35phixer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst We have a GE Monogram cooktop. Got a set of Circulon non-stick pots and pans for induction (happened to be what was available on Amazon just then). $300.00. Have only been using it since June. As F35phixer says, the functionality is great. I do miss being able to sear a steak on the cooktop and put the pan directly into the oven; can't do that with non-stick cookware. Some sound effects are associated with induction cooking. The bigger the pot and the more contents, the more I tend to hear some minor buzzing and clicking. It doesn't bother me at all.

yes there is noise too, i filter it out.

Don't you have Cast iron skillet, put that baby on high, sear it and then put in oven. Get a silicon matt !!!!

[ElizabethT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by f35phixer LOVE LOVE LOVE GE Profile PHS930 LOVE LOVE LOVE !!!! Not cheap but! You will need induction compactible cookware, we got a $930 credit for like a 10 piece set. Boils water FAST, then down to a simmer FASTER Here is Southern MD, fried Oysters, Fish, Soft Crabs etc. is easy. A COOL TRICK is to lay newspaper all over glass top, all splatter are on the paper easy clean up LOVE LOVE LOVE We has cast iron dutch ovens and skillets, get a silicon mat and tehn pots on top !!!! So you limit possible scratching... Another nice thing is not a lot of heat generation into kitchen... Oh with that said, be careful opening oven door, heat does roll out, well insulated. Buy ONE, you wont regret it. Oven side is fine, does the job, its what's up top that's amazing....

Well, thanks! I just learned a ton of things about how to utilize my induction stovetop, which came with the home we purchased four years ago!

To OP- we have a Bosch induction stovetop. It took me a bit to learn how to use the temp controls, but now that I have, I appreciate so much the whole surface heating aspect of induction cooking. No hot/cold spots, just nice and steady with entire pan receiving the same amount of heat.

The heat up takes longer, so I tend to turn on, place pan, then walk away for a bit before placing anything in the pan to cook.

[RobbieB]

I have a GE Profile, 4 induction burners with a small 1-300 watt element warmer. Also self cleaning oven with convection.

Just love it. Need to boil 2 gallons of water for pasta quick, put it on the 3500 watt big boy. Need to make some tea? The 8 inch 2500 watt sync units (using only 1 will boil a quart in 2 minutes. Gas used to better than electric until induction -

[OldShooter]

We have just gone through the same selection process. The main downselect criteria/random order were:

1) Knobs/mechanical controls are unacceptable. Hard to clean, grease gets underneath. Touch screen only. Backsplash mechanical controls are insane, as then you have to reach across hot water or food to reach them.

2) Extra trim strips also unacceptable grease magnets, especially at the edges where the join to the glass.

3) Power indication should be digital. Some cooktops had sort of bar graphs showing heat level. We considered that to be barely acceptable. We have served our time flame-peeping to see the gas heat level.

4) Location of "burners" must be clearly marked, ideally with circular markings on the glass as pans must be roughly centered to get maximum energy transfer.

5) We have no interest in "matching sets" of one brand. Our new kitchen will include LG fridge, Bosch DW, GE induction cooktop, microwave and wall oven, and Whirlpool trash masher. All selected without regard to "match."

6) Consumer Reports tests are worthwhile data and a subscription is well worth the few bucks it costs. Downloading instruction manuals is free and well worth the study time. Downloading installation manuals may be worthwhile if things are tight.

7) Location of largest "burner" was important to DW. She wanted it in the front not in the back as that's the one she expects to use the most.

8) DW does not feel that a 36" top gives her anything as she never cooks with more than about 3 pans. So ... 30" for us.

We ended up selecting this cooktop: https://www.geappliances.com/applian...op-PHP9030DJBB

One little mystery remains: Some cooktops say that if one burner is on "High" a second burner it is paired with cannot also be on "High." Some mfg. say this directly, others obfuscate, and some do not mention it. We decided to just roll the dice, as appliance salespeople's 1/8" depth of knowledge just can't handle questions like this.

The best software in the world is the stuff you just bought but have not installed yet. We have now ordered the best cooktop in the world.

[TrvlBug]

We went from gas to induction 5 years ago when we remodeled. Cooktop only and I love it. Got the Bosch which I don't love. We had a problem with the first one and working with Bosch to repair or replace was a nightmare. The second one works fine.

I have the 36" with 2 normal sized burners on each side and the huge one in the middle. The one thing I do NOT like is that the 2 side burners are always paired and you have to unpair them when using just one burner. It's not funny on Sundays when I make eggs, then pancakes using a griddle and needing the paired burners...I'm usually on autopilot and realize I've unpaired the burners when the egg does not fry .

[savory]

We have had our Frigidaire Professional model for 3 years. It is our first induction as we wanted gas for our remodel but could not get a gas line at a reasonable cost. We don't regret not having gas. The settings are accurate and fast.

Ours is a 30" countertop model with indexed knobs providing temperature measurement in 1/2 amounts (7,7.5, etc). We have always had enough room for cooking and we cook at home on average 5 days per week for dinner. Breakfast probably 4. It is easy, fast to heat and I find it easy to clean. So, far no problems with what I consider frequent use.

Our cast iron pans work great. We needed to buy a couple of pots. Some of our older pots worked.

Oldshooter makes some good points. I especially like that the burners are marked for pan placement. And the largest burner is closest to the front of the stove and to the outside. The smallest one is in the middle. Since the pan being used relates to the burner, the placement of the burners on this stove top is where I think they should be.

SIL selected this after a lot of research. He is a hobby chef who cooks some amazing food. Our experience after 3 years encourages me to recommended it.

[Amethyst]

Hmmm, I find the opposite to be true. On High, things heat up so fast, I have to stick around to avoid them boiling over. A saucepan of oatmeal is bubbling madly in 60 seconds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElizabethT The heat up takes longer, so I tend to turn on, place pan, then walk away for a bit before placing anything in the pan to cook.

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Hmmm, I find the opposite to be true. On High, things heat up so fast, I have to stick around to avoid them boiling over. A saucepan of oatmeal is bubbling madly in 60 seconds.

This is my experience too. Well when DW eats oatmeal. I'm not a big fan.

[Amethyst]

I'm with you on this. We ended up with Sub Zero fridge and ice machine, and Monogram "matching set" of ovens, cooktop, range hood and dishwasher, mainly because of incentives. I kind of wanted a Bosch dishwasher, but it was hard to turn down a "free" one with the Monogram set, which also included a deep discount on the hood.

Our design mandated a drawer microwave; all, I'm told, are made by Sharp. So there wasn't a lot of choice there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldShooter 5) We have no interest in "matching sets" of one brand. Our new kitchen will include LG fridge, Bosch DW, GE induction cooktop, microwave and wall oven, and Whirlpool trash masher. All selected without regard to "match."

[Amethyst]

I add all kinds of goodies, fresh fruit, chopped nuts, honey, cinnamon, yogurt...

Quote:

Originally Posted by savory This is my experience too. Well when DW eats oatmeal. I'm not a big fan.

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst I add all kinds of goodies, fresh fruit, chopped nuts, honey, cinnamon, yogurt...

DW did grab my interests when she recently put in some banana pieces we dehydrated. She said they simply melted and added a great flavor. Eating oatmeal still might happen.

[cathy63]

Has anybody seen the latest invisible induction cooktops? https://www.infinitysurfaces.it/invisacook/

I am very intrigued by this idea. Similar to what f35phixer said about putting newspaper or silicone mats between the elements and pans, this is just putting the countertop in between. So when you're not cooking, you have a regular counter surface. When you are, the pan gets hot, but the counter underneath it stays cool. I haven't figured out how you know where to put the pans when you do want to cook though.

[perinova]

if you live close to an Ikea store you can consider their 30" induction cooktop. It has worked very well for us and it was a much cheaper alternative to Frigidaire.

Somehow they seem to run out of stock though (check online first that they have it locally to save yourself a trip).

edit: It is actually manufactured by Electrolux.

[ElizabethT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst Hmmm, I find the opposite to be true. On High, things heat up so fast, I have to stick around to avoid them boiling over. A saucepan of oatmeal is bubbling madly in 60 seconds.

Hmm, interesting. I rarely start at high, which is level 10 on my stove. I do a lot of midrange level 5 & 6 cooking, and find it takes a good couple of minutes for my pans to get hot enough to start sizzling their contents. (I have Duxtop cookware.) That was my biggest learning curve, and the one thing I don't like.

[TrvlBug]

WRT to preheating, it was suggested by the person running the distribution "kitchen" that one should preheat on #6 (out of 10). And yes, it does get a bit frustrating at times and I've been known to rush it along at times. Love, love, love the 'Speed Boost' that heats water almost instantly.