Induction ranges - real world experiences.

pezzy84

pezzy84

Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
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Location
Atlanta, GA
So getting together a plan of action for a kitchen reno that is starting in ~30 days. Initially I was settled on the standard glass top range with heating element underneath (don't have gas service in my complex) as I thought it was the only choice, well after my mom sung the praises of her NuWave portable induction plate after a recent visit I then noticed that AJ Madison had an "induction" filter when it came to ranges. Who knew?

So induction is more expensive - for packages I am looking at it would be swapping in a Frigidaire Gallery series induction range with the rest (fridge, micro and dishwasher) being their lower tier basic Frigidaire. ~$400 more to go that route. If I step up to the full Gallery package it is about $710 more so range is most of the upgrade cost.

Pros:
-Heat control that rivals gas
-Boils water much faster than gas
-No ultra hot surface to burn food/liquids onto. I had a traditional heated glasstop previously and that thing was a beast to keep clean.
-Lower electric usage?

Cons:
-Special cookware needed - outside 2 frying pans I am not sure about the rest of my cookware is induction friendly.
-Cost increase

So what say you BITOG'ers? My mom is pushing for the induction and she said she would do it in a heartbeat if it was her kitchen, she abhors her standard glass cooktop and wishes she could just get an old school coil burner style range.
 
Induction is the shiz-nit! 100% no question it is vastly better than anything else, even gas. We've had one since last summer and it's worth the extra price alone for the fact that a pot of water boils much quicker. Sure, you have to buy some new pots and pans if the old ones are non-ferrous. It's also nice how the temp goes down nearly instantly when turned down or off.

Some pots and pans are induction friendly, but only the bottom is magnetic. Have to test all of them on the bottom with a magnet, as the sides might not work, but the bottom does.
 
Here are a few other threads on this topic (or at least honorable mentions):

Induction Range?

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bobistheoilguy.com

Best Electric Range

Looking at buying a new electric smooth top range soon. What brand do you feel is best? What should I stay away from? Wife wants black stainless.Going to be possibly be looking at side by side fridge in same finish too. l know my wife lol Thank you
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Dual Fuel Ranges vs Smooth Top Electric

Wife really wants a gas cook top. We have a Whirlpool smooth top electric range currently. I am kicking around getting a dual fuel range which means its a combo of gas cook top but electric convection oven. Do gas cook tops these days cook better than smooth top electric or have the gas burners...
bobistheoilguy.com
 
You just need cookware which will hold a magnate (Iron, Steel). Obviously aluminum is out unless is clad with steel.

Cons.
Can be a little noisy,
Knob-less controls (I prefer knobs over buttons)
Expensive/Difficult to repair.
 
I've been using the Frigidaire Gallery Induction range now for about 4 years. It's been outstanding! You will never regret your purchase or the extra money it will cost. It is safer, cleaner, faster, and cheaper to operate that anything else out there. It's also easier to clean, since nothing gets burnt on to the smooth cooktop.
I will say this about the Frigidaire that I got from Home Depot, this is the cheaper model, even though it is the Gallery series. The one single "flaw" is that the "burners" (induction units) are not sized to my exact needs. There is one large burner, two mediums ones, and a small one. The small one is almost useless because it will concentrate the heat in a small area of the pan. That means that you have to be careful with burning stuff in that pan.
On a recent trip to a local appliance store, the wife and I looked at the newest model Frigidaire induction ranges. Nice, light grey/white cooktop. Very nice looking. Even had a matching microwave/range hood. The burners were sized MUCH better. Two large and two medium, just perfect!
All of my stainless pots and pans work with the range, just the aluminum stuff has been relegated to the outdoor grill (gas side burner).
Not sure how old you are, but the safety factor is fantastic!
You can't get burnt on the cooktop. My wife has left a burner on a couple of times, no issues at all. Automatically senses if a pot is on the top or not, and if not it shuts itself off.
Just do it!
 
BTW, cast iron works great with induction!
Also, the cooktop will not add excess heat to your house in the summer, just the pans themselves are heated, not the surrounding air.
It will not add CO or CO2 to the house, nor do you need to fear a gas leak ever!
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
 
JohnnyG said:
BTW, cast iron works great with induction!
Also, the cooktop will not add excess heat to your house in the summer, just the pans themselves are heated, not the surrounding air.
It will not add CO or CO2 to the house, nor do you need to fear a gas leak ever!
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
Click to expand...
Cast iron has to be used very carefully if not designed for smooth top ranges. They can scratch up the surface pretty good.
 
Cast iron has to be used very carefully if not designed for smooth top ranges. They can scratch up the surface pretty good.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but mine hasn't. one of my skillets was made in 1920, so it's pretty smooth on the bottom! Anyway, if you are the least bit concerned, put a sheet of parchment paper, or a towel down first, then put the pan on top of that. It will cook just fine!
 
JohnnyG said:
I've been using the Frigidaire Gallery Induction range now for about 4 years. It's been outstanding! You will never regret your purchase or the extra money it will cost. It is safer, cleaner, faster, and cheaper to operate that anything else out there. It's also easier to clean, since nothing gets burnt on to the smooth cooktop.
I will say this about the Frigidaire that I got from Home Depot, this is the cheaper model, even though it is the Gallery series. The one single "flaw" is that the "burners" (induction units) are not sized to my exact needs. There is one large burner, two mediums ones, and a small one. The small one is almost useless because it will concentrate the heat in a small area of the pan. That means that you have to be careful with burning stuff in that pan.
On a recent trip to a local appliance store, the wife and I looked at the newest model Frigidaire induction ranges. Nice, light grey/white cooktop. Very nice looking. Even had a matching microwave/range hood. The burners were sized MUCH better. Two large and two medium, just perfect!
All of my stainless pots and pans work with the range, just the aluminum stuff has been relegated to the outdoor grill (gas side burner).
Not sure how old you are, but the safety factor is fantastic!
You can't get burnt on the cooktop. My wife has left a burner on a couple of times, no issues at all. Automatically senses if a pot is on the top or not, and if not it shuts itself off.
Just do it!
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was looking for - thank you much for the input! Looking at the cheapest Frigidaire Gallery slide in they have now it appears the burners are adaptive to size so all 4 can adapt to any size pan.
 
Quattro Pete said:
You can get them with knobs, assuming OP is getting a whole stove and not just the top plate...

Click to expand...
They're like unicorns. My mother just bought one and returned it for gas. I was looking for one myself but opted for the cheaper $750 ish gas range. At least repairs are cheap/easy on a problematic gas range.
 
Wife cannot handle heavy pots, so induction is an automatic no for us. I like gas, and induction will be more efficient than electric resistance heating but not better than gas since we use nonstick aluminum pans.
 
I've seen plates that you can use on an induction top which supposedly will allow you to use otherwise non-induction-friendly pots.

I have a gas stove so I have no experience with those, but perhaps someone with experience can give real-world data. Then again, this could be a good reason to buy all new cookware... ;)
 
What they really need to make for these is a ferrous pan, not real heavy like cast iron, but with a non-stick coating inside like the aluminum. Something like a WOK would be ideal, with a different shape of course. Maybe a tad heavier steel.
The closest I've found to this is made in France by Cruet I think. It's still cast iron, but thin, and the coating is porcelain, not teflon.
Only problem is the price. $$$
 
opus1 said:
I've seen plates that you can use on an induction top which supposedly will allow you to use otherwise non-induction-friendly pots.

I have a gas stove so I have no experience with those, but perhaps someone with experience can give real-world data. Then again, this could be a good reason to buy all new cookware... ;)
Click to expand...
Those plates have a inherent flaw; they get too hot and can't transfer the heat fast enough to the pot or pan on top since they are sandwiched between the element and the cookware. They can only be used for just keeping things warm, not really cooking stuff.
 
MrPlow said:
Those plates have a inherent flaw; they get too hot and can't transfer the heat fast enough to the pot or pan on top since they are sandwiched between the element and the cookware. They can only be used for just keeping things warm, not really cooking stuff.
Click to expand...
That's a good thing to know. Thanks.
 
JohnnyG said:
What they really need to make for these is a ferrous pan, not real heavy like cast iron, but with a non-stick coating inside like the aluminum. Something like a WOK would be ideal, with a different shape of course. Maybe a tad heavier steel.
The closest I've found to this is made in France by Cruet I think. It's still cast iron, but thin, and the coating is porcelain, not teflon.
Only problem is the price. $$$
Click to expand...
This is the thing. You are paying a lot to work around limits of induction and weight. You need to have enough strength to not warp and be light. Maybe you need to add some rare earth food grade metal in there as well. Then once the coating wears out you need to toss that expensive metal base away with it.

Or you can just use gas and anodized aluminum with teflon coating, or even cheaper non anodized aluminum and just ignore the warp, because gas don't care too much about the warp.
 
From personal experience I would go induction in a heart beat. My cook top is split, induction on one side and regular on the other side. The non induction side is very hard to keep clean, meaning when things spill or boil over the non induction side burns what you are cooking on the glass. After 5 years, the induction side still looks new.
Yes, you have to have induction pots and pans, but who wouldent want new pots and pans with a new range. Personally, I wish all my burners were induction and not just one side. But, I picked up my cooktop as a display model from a local kitchen cabinet company brand new for 200 bucks, so I cant complain.
 
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