Kitchen Reno….gas vs induction?

We are renovating our 1840s townhouse in Boston. As part of the kitchen work I’m think about gas vs induction stoves. I have used (and loved) gas for the last 35 years, but feeling a little climate guilty about it and considering induction. Have you guys used? Comparison? Thoughts on having to buy new cookware? Is there a recommended brand or pretty much the usual suspects also now make induction?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

We had all gas range in the old house and we now have gas range top combined with electric oven - we prefer what we have now. The only downside is lack of a really efficient broiler - electric works fine but gas would sear anything in a flash.

I love my gas cooktop and electric ovens. My broiler works fast, and I have to be careful not to put the rack up too high. I went with Dacor, and it has a convection feature, which I have never used.

We have a range with a gas cooktop and electric oven in our house and a two "burner" induction cooktop in our ADU. During the earlier portion of the Eternal Remodel, we stayed out in the ADU for a few months during which time I used the induction unit. I was impressed with it. As just about everyone notes, you can boil water extremely quickly with these things. I also found that it got plenty hot enough for searing meat quickly. It took me a little while to get a feel for the heat generated at each setting - obviously, you can't just look at it the way you can a gas flame. Also, our unit doesn't seem to be very linear between the 1 - 5 settings and the 6 - 10 settings. 1-5 seem to be very low and then they ramp up quickly aftrer that. Still, it was easy to get used to. After using it for a while, I could see it as a legitimate replacement for my beloved gas cooktop, if we were to ever get rid of our range.

[Jenise]

We are renovating our 1840s townhouse in Boston. As part of the kitchen work I’m think about gas vs induction stoves. I have used (and loved) gas for the last 35 years, but feeling a little climate guilty about it and considering induction. Have you guys used? Comparison? Thoughts on having to buy new cookware? Is there a recommended brand or pretty much the usual suspects also now make induction?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Devoted gas user here but when I replace my Viking I'm going induction. It's just cleaner. And one of the arguments for gas vs. electric was always that "gas stops cooking when you do". Well, that's also true of induction. And the heat's just as intense. So why would you NOT choose to have a stove that's one flat, easy to clean surface? Sign me up!

We are renovating our 1840s townhouse in Boston. As part of the kitchen work I’m think about gas vs induction stoves. I have used (and loved) gas for the last 35 years, but feeling a little climate guilty about it and considering induction. Have you guys used? Comparison? Thoughts on having to buy new cookware? Is there a recommended brand or pretty much the usual suspects also now make induction?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Devoted gas user here but when I replace my Viking I'm going induction. It's just cleaner. And one of the arguments for gas vs. electric was always that "gas stops cooking when you do". Well, that's also true of induction. And the heat's just as intense. So why would you NOT choose to have a stove that's one flat, easy to clean surface? Sign me up!

I guess one argument to not do it is you have to replace all of your dearly beloved old pans……but maybe that is just a one time tax

So why would you NOT choose to have a stove that's one flat, easy to clean surface? Sign me up!

You can't use a round-bottomed wok.

-Paul W.

So why would you NOT choose to have a stove that's one flat, easy to clean surface? Sign me up!

You can't use a round-bottomed wok.

-Paul W.

That is a potential issue. I also have a round-bottomed aluminum pan that I use when mixing pasta with sauce while reducing the pasta cooking water that's been added. That's something that just doesn't work as well with a flat-bottomed pan.

Well you can use a round bottomed wok but you need a base that sits over the element (looks like a sectioned cone) but I wouldn't like having tow hot components to deal with. I use a flat bottomed wok and have no issues.

I guess one argument to not do it is you have to replace all of your dearly beloved old pans……but maybe that is just a one time tax

We replaced our gas range with a Café dual oven (https://www.cafeappliances.com/appliance/CAFE-30-Smart-Slide-In-Front-Control-Induction-and-Convection-Double-Oven-Range-CHS950P2MS1). Having two separate ovens in one range means I can cook dishes at two different temperatures at the same time, or use one as a warming oven.

Amazon (and probably many others) sells stainless steel plates with a handle for use with induction cooktops. The induction coil heats the plate, and the plate heats the aluminum/ceramic/whatever cookware, so you can continue to use your old pots, pans and ceramic/glass casserole dishes. See https://www.amazon.com/s?k=induction+plate+adapter&crid=V9VBODTITAOF&sprefix=induction+plate%2Caps%2C114&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-pd-dpltr-ranker_2_15. That said, for convenience, I did buy some new stainless steel pots and pans. Cast iron cookware works fine with induction, so they don't need replacing.

One annoyance, that I've never seen mentioned, is that (at least on this model) if a pot or pan is a lot smaller than the induction coil, it won't be detected and won't be heated. On the other hand, if you remove a pot from the cooktop and forget to turn the burner off, it stops automatically after a few seconds, so you don't waste gas/electricity heating an empty burner.

PS - another advantage of having gas elements on the stove top is that you can easily use them to heat a knife when you want to cut something (like a foie gras terrine, for example.

[Jenise]

PS - another advantage of having gas elements on the stove top is that you can easily use them to heat a knife when you want to cut something (like a foie gras terrine, for example.

This is true. I would also miss scorching chiles and tortillas direct on the hob.

I blister red peppers over the gas hob. I sincerely doubt that I can induce the skin to come off by itself.

A flat-bottomed wok is not an option for me. I suppose a wok ring might work. But the real killer for me is that induction heating doesn't work with copperware. All of my pots and pans are heavy gauge copper.

-Paul W.

PS - another advantage of having gas elements on the stove top is that you can easily use them to heat a knife when you want to cut something (like a foie gras terrine, for example.

This is true. I would also miss scorching chiles and tortillas direct on the hob.

Good point. You can always invest in a hand-held blowtorch, I suppose, and use a drying rack as a substitute for the hob.

I've had gas, electric, ceramic (i.e. electric) and now have induction.

I wasn't even thinking induction when I went to replace my broken ceramic hob, but the salesman put a pan of water on an induction hob, turned it on and almost instantly I could see bubbles form on the bottom of the pan. To heat anything on electric took ages, it's instant with induction.

It's a fast as gas yet as easily cleanable as ceramic.

Downside, you can't get gas flames up the side of a wok, but I don't do much wok cooking and I've bought a flat based wok that seems to work well.

Not having to turn the rings off when you take a pan away is great. It only uses power when there's a pan on the hob. I've not experienced any problems using my smallest pans on the largest hob, and as it works by magnetism only the base of the pan is heated.

[Jenise]

If I'm not mistaken, last time I was in an appliance store I saw ranges or stove tops that had a mix of gas and induction.

[Jenise]

So I was shopping the showroom of a bath and kitchen shop a few days ago because I'm going to replace all our toilets, and asked about induction combinations. Thermador makes one. While there I asked if Wolf was still the most elite brand. The salesman said no, Thermador is now tops (in part because of brand support which I can relate to since same for my Viking up here is zilch). This may be a regional preference more than a fact nationwide. He also mentioned, and showed me pictures of, a sleek and stylish up-and-comer brand from Italy called Fulgor (awful name, isn't it?), I think it was that they are about to add to their line-up.

He also mentioned, and showed me pictures of, a sleek and stylish up-and-comer brand from Italy called Fulgor (awful name, isn't it?), I think it was that they are about to add to their line-up.

Count your blessings that they aren't promoting products by the Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla... you know what appears on their products: https://www.smeg.com/us

There was a Smalterie Metallurgiche Emiliane Guastalla refrigerator for soft drinks in the common area of the hotel I stayed at to conduct viewing of the recent total solar eclipse. As a Red Dwarf fan I almost died laughing the first time I saw it.

-Paul W.