New Induction cooktop

[V1VRV2]

I know this is not really BBQ related, but just finished a major kitchen remodeling here. We don't have gas available in our neighborhood so we got the GE Cafe series 36" induction cooktop. I've only had it for a couple of weeks but I love this cooktop. Instantaneous temperature changes, control from melting butter to blazing sear in seconds plus boils huge pot of water in 4 minutes. If you've ever considered it I highly recommend.

[MisterChrister]

Awesome range!

[ShadowDriver]

Had one in the UK... house here in NM has one too!

Really like the design on yours... much nicer than those I've used.

Like the idea that it's a bit safer for kids (or clumsy husbands, like myself).

[V1VRV2]

This one came with a griddle. The two burners on the left can be synced together for the griddle. Works great. That middle burner is huge!

[Swine Spectator]

I bought a portable induction burner for things like Thanksgiving and Christmas when I need extra capacity. It is pretty dern cool.

[Bob C Cue]

Very cool and great looking remodel from what I can see!

[V1VRV2]

Not quite through with it. Waiting on backsplash to be installed. I have a gas cooktop at my fishing camp, I love cooking and I honestly like this cooktop better. Very precise temperature control, as stated before rolling boil on huge pot of water in 4 minutes. I cooked 2 different pasta dishes tonight just to put it through everything at once and it performed flawlessly.

[cowgirl]

Very nice! Love the looks of your counter top and back cupboards too. :thumb:

[Dweverett]

Very nice. I love the responsiveness of gas but I don't have any where near the power that you just described

[WHS88]

Love the induction ranges. Especially if you have the right pots and pans and don't like picking them up off the burner to much. Your setup looks great!

[Plumbcrazyone]

I just finished a remodel at my house too. We went with the Jenn Air 36" induction cook top and absolutely love it.

[bbqwizard]

We will be in a similar situation soon and plan to do as you did. As a chef, I prefer gas, but induction is the "gas" of the electrical option. Thanks for the post. Glad you're enjoying it.

[Norm]

Sweet!

Nice choice in counter top too!

[localyocal]

We love our induction cook top. My wife wanted it when we built our new home. I think ours is a Bosch. Anyway, it makes her feel safer with our 3 year old running around and it cooks fast. You'll love it.

[Ron_L]

Very nice! Our range is pushing 20 years old and I'm thinking about replacing it. We currently have gas but I am looking at an induction range.

[Jason TQ]

When we recently moved we got gas again and I do love it. I have one of the portable induction burners and really like it as well. Man they can boil some water fast :-D. I would not mind a full induction stove at all.

[TedW]

When we built and moved in, only propane was/is available. I went with a higher end GE induction range. I love the dry electric oven vs. humid gas.

Anyway, I don't miss the gas cooktop at all. I'd never buy one again in fact. And I don't have any fuel lines or tanks as a result.

[Gato Gordo]

We recently remodeled our kitchen and replaced the gas cooktop with induction. It is so much better than the gas we will never go back. While it does heat quickly, I really like that I can put it at simmer and it actually simmers without boiling over.

[TedW]

You can cook on a paper towel to keep the cooktop clean. It's crazy cool

[THoey1963]

If I had my choice, I would love to have a gas stove, but we don't live in a community set up for gas, so stuck with electric. We replaced our stove a couple years back with one of those glass top electric ranges, but I don't think it was considered induction. The wife, well, she's a great cook, but tends to boil over or spill a little almost every time she cooks. Clean up on that was a pain. We ended up trading it back out for a basic coil burner.

[TedW]

The glass top you describe would be a sort of standard electric heating element under the glass. So the element is hotter'n heck and so is the glass.

Induction coils heat your cookware, not the oven top. Very efficient, as no heat is going out from under the pan, heating the air. I had to buy all new (magnetic) stainless cookware, as older stainless cookware was non-magnetic and does not function on induction tops.

Cast iron is GREAT on induction, being sooo magnetic and massive.

[Jorge]

Since we don't have NG we went with induction when our cooktop recently died. Love it! We had to dispose of a few prized and trusty pots or pans we'd had for years.

Gas can be adjusted more precisely than what we have with induction. Gas can probably heat water as fast, or faster, than what we have. We don't have gas, so I don't care:) It's head and shoulders better than what we had with our previous cooktop.

The downside is that we have two Le Creuset outlets near us, and my wife has discovered how well it works with the new cooktop. It's probably the last cookware we'll ever buy, but even at outlet prices it adds up in a hurry!

Still searching for the right griddle, for our needs.

[McSpazatron]

Wow, these sound cool. Never really looked into them that much. So how much abuse can the actual glass top take? I like to slide around my steel and iron pans when cooking, and generally like to bang things around (some call me clumsy, but it's really to add drama to the cooking process :wink:). I can imagine smashing one of these cooktops to pieces.

Also, isnt this the same tech used in electric foundry furnaces? I'd love to be able to melt steel in a little cooktop crucible. Because that would be cool.

The only thing is that my heart seems to be kinda sensitive to electric fields. Ive noticed that even an electric blanket can make my ticker skip a beat. I wonder if one of these cooktops set to high would kill me outright?

[Histrix]

Love the induction ranges. Especially if you have the right pots and pans and don't like picking them up off the burner to much. Your setup looks great!

I'm a "tosser & flipper" so I don't play well with glass cooktops.

I have a portable induction burner I use outside for frying. Not a lot of "tossing & flipping" a few quarts of hot oil so it has survived. :)

[Histrix]

...We had to dispose of a few prized and trusty pots or pans we'd had for years...

Yoou can still use nonferrous pots on an induction cooktop. You just have to use one of those steel disc thingies that sets on the burner/cooktop. That is what gets heated and transfers the heat to your copper or aluminum pan.

You do lose some of the advantages of an induction burner but you are still able to keep those prized copper pans.

[TedW]

Yoou can still use nonferrous pots on an induction cooktop. You just have to use one of those steel disc thingies that sets on the burner/cooktop. That is what gets heated and transfers the heat to your copper or aluminum pan.

While true enough, I've found it to be really a PITA. Much better to take the plunge and get the right pan for the situation.

[Plumbcrazyone]

134038One of the reasons we went with induction was for the precise control of the heat. We have also found that it is way more effiecent then gas. You can bring a12 qt pot of cold water to a boil in about 3-4 minutes. The Jenn Air unit We went with has other cool features like sensor boil, power boost, a bridge between the smaller elements on both sides for griddles and a massive duel coil for the center burner. Each burner has its own timer, simmer, melt and keep warm one touch control that is also pretty cool. Super easy to clean with no knobs or crevisis for food and gunk to build up on. The down side is we we had to buy a new pot and pan set but hey why not if you just got a new kitchen right? So here is a little trick I would like to share. We have a16" cast iron fry pan that we love using for special dishes and have been kind of afraid to use it on out new cooktop for fear of scratching the ceramic finish right! While surfing eBay I found these "as seen on TV BBQ grill matts for about $3.00. The seller was from china so I was nautically skeptical since if they stiffed me I would have trouble getting a refund. The price was cheap and I had seen these at the State Fair for $20 for a two pack. So wth bought 5 for $18. I put it down on my cooktop and can use my cast iron with out worries of scratching the surface, no problem with shaking and flipping on threes at all. I think the Matt is made out of fiberglass and coated with tephlon so I am not sure if I would actually use it on my grill like it is intended but maybe I will just to see low it works? Anyhow I will cut it her since I am finishing on a BBQ note. Lol.

[Histrix]

While true enough, I've found it to be really a PITA. Much better to take the plunge and get the right pan for the situation.

Understood. However, I have some fabulous copper sauce pans I can't do without.

[Plumbcrazyone]

Wow, these sound cool. Never really looked into them that much. So how much abuse can the actual glass top take? I like to slide around my steel and iron pans when cooking, and generally like to bang things around (some call me clumsy, but it's really to add drama to the cooking process :wink:). I can imagine smashing one of these cooktops to pieces.

Also, isnt this the same tech used in electric foundry furnaces? I'd love to be able to melt steel in a little cooktop crucible. Because that would be cool.

The only thing is that my heart seems to be kinda sensitive to electric fields. Ive noticed that even an electric blanket can make my ticker skip a beat. I wonder if one of these cooktops set to high would kill me outright?

I don't know if it is true or not but I have been told that people with pace makers should not get close to an induction cooktop that is in use. Apparently it could wig it out. Do your home work before you buy one.

[Plumbcrazyone]

Very nice! Our range is pushing 20 years old and I'm thinking about replacing it. We currently have gas but I am looking at an induction range.

Ron,
You can get range that has a convection oven with an induction cooktop but they don't make an induction oven per say. Samsung has a really nice one that looks like a built in but it is actually a slide in. We almost pulled the trigger on it but decided to go with a built in oven and a stand alone cooktop. They were very expensive but wth how many times do you get to remodel your kitchen right? It was totally worth it for us.

[OferL]

Haven't used gas for 11 years.
I believe you made a good choice V1VRV2.

[mike243]

Looks great,bought 1 of the hot plate induction for the camper and it works so well I use it in the house also,I love gas and bought a whirlpool 5 burner stove 2 years ago.If I didnt love to cook with my cast iron I would have went with a flat top due to cleaning being easier.I would keep some kind of extended warranty on 1 as the repair can be high when they break

[Brewdino]

Just installed a Bosch induction slide in range with convection oven, this thing rocks.
I have natural gas in the house and after a shi## experience with a glass top range was ready for gas until i bought a as seen on TV induction hot plate, the thing worked great, but once you go to a full size range/cooktop you will be amazed at the power and accuracy.
Never looking back

[Plumbcrazyone]

134039Available power at your panel needs careful consideration. 0ur new induction cooktop required a 50 A 220v cicut. plus a 30 A circuit for the built in oven.

[unzippy]

I don't know if it is true or not but I have been told that people with pace makers should not get close to an induction cooktop that is in use. Apparently it could wig it out. Do your home work before you buy one.

Don't lie down on it and you will be fine:wink:

http://europace.oxfordjournals.org/content/8/5/377

[Teleking]

If I had my choice, I would love to have a gas stove, but we don't live in a community set up for gas, so stuck with electric. We replaced our stove a couple years back with one of those glass top electric ranges, but I don't think it was considered induction. The wife, well, she's a great cook, but tends to boil over or spill a little almost every time she cooks. Clean up on that was a pain. We ended up trading it back out for a basic coil burner.

I'm intrigued at the no gas available comments. I just assumed that propane was a universal option in the US. With electricity charges up here I converted the water heater, dryer, and stove with convection oven to propane. Sorry to hear modern cooking options are not available where you people live.

[J.W.Land]

I'm intrigued at the no gas available comments. I just assumed that propane was a universal option in the US. With electricity charges up here I converted the water heater, dryer, and stove with convection oven to propane. Sorry to hear modern cooking options are not available where you people live.

We live in a neighborhood without natural gas but propane is an option. That said, we have deed restrictions and propane tanks must be buried so many just go total electric. We have had an induction stove for about five years and it is far superior to electric or radiant which is what we had previously.

Two years ago I opted to get a whole house 22kw standby generator installed and a 250 gallon propane tank, buried of course. I will probably have a tankless water heater and gas dryer installed as the current electric one expire.

BTW, electric power is cheap here in Texas

[Teleking]

We live in a neighborhood without natural gas but propane is an option. That said, we have deed restrictions and propane tanks must be buried so many just go total electric. We have had an induction stove for about five years and it is far superior to electric or radiant which is what we had previously.

Two years ago I opted to get a whole house 22kw standby generator installed and a 250 gallon propane tank, buried of course. I will probably have a tankless water heater and gas dryer installed as the current electric one expire.

BTW, electric power is cheap here in Texas

Fair enough. Tankless hot water heater was my first investment and will never look back. Kept the electric as back up and worked out well. Used electric twice waiting on parts in 15 years. If electric is cost effective, run it. Not an option here in the bottle neck. All the wind power generated gets sold down south. Heating the house is 98% wood. I only burn oil in a pinch = really freakin cold stretch.

Run with what you got

[TedW]

I went geothermal and electric. I could have used propane but chose not. Was a good decision for me, but not for everyone.

[Plumbcrazyone]

We have natural gas at our house for our furnace, water heater and fireplace. could have went with it for our kitchen but chose not to. Electricity out here is not expensive. I believe we pay about .08 per KWH.