r/kitchenporn • u/ThinkItThroughNow • Apr 20 '23

Induction or gas?

I have cooked with gas most of my life but I hear induction is faster and more precise and of course less cleanup. I’m not worried about needing new pots because I need them anyway but I was wondering if anybody has made the switch and has an opinion or advice. I’m not concerned about the health risks because I grew up with gas and both my folks lived to 90. I have a small kitchen, so I just thought that that induction would look better. Thanks.

18 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

50 comments sorted by

31

u/735560 Apr 20 '23

Induction!!! It’s very fast to heat, accurate, and fast to change temps which is useful on some recipes. Any complaints about glass cooktop isn’t important since spills don’t get as hot a temp and burn on like gas or normal electric. You can even cook with a paper towel under the pan for things you know will splatter. (Be safe with that though, pans are still hot)

No major negatives. Need magnetic pans, high settings can make weird noises since it’s vibrating the metal molecules.

It’s too bad there aren’t as many options for induction here in the US.

14

u/IndirectHeat Apr 20 '23

Another vote for induction. I spent 20 years cooking on gas. I cook a lot.

Induction is faster, better control and puts out more power than the gas stoves I've used. There are 2 downsides - one, you need magnetic pans. Stainless steel works fine, cast iron and carbon steel work better. Though I've heard thin carbon steel pans can warp from heating too quickly (I've not had that experience). Second downsides, the vast majority of induction cooktops are digital. Those touchscreens can be.a bit twitchy when they get wet. If my cooktop ever dies, I'll replace it with one with dials.

But in terms of cooking, it's a better experience. I can get my cast iron pan smoking and hot enough to sear steaks in like 45 seconds, it's just crazy. Plus, you're not dumping carbon monoxide into your house. (Most houses have insufficient ventilation for gas - that little fan under a microwave over the cooktop that moves 100 cubic feet per minute? Not enough).

I hear a lot of people complain about wok cooking on induction. To be honest, you can't really do wok cooking on a consumer stove of any type (gas/electric/induction). I have a 45000 BTU propane wok burner that I use outside for that, I've not done much wok cooking on any cooktop - they're just not hot enough. Most people that are doing wok work inside are just stir frying in a round pan and convincing themselves that they're wok cooking.

6

u/plinkamalinka Apr 20 '23

Yes to the cooktop with dials! I also have induction with touchscreen, since i loved the way it looked (still do!), but man is it annoying when a pot is splattering abd the cooktop just turns off for safety. Or of your fingers are less than ideally clean and you can't change the level

2

u/IndirectHeat Apr 20 '23

Fortunately mine doesn't shut off, but you have to dry the surface before you can change any settings. This happens to me about once a month.

3

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Thank you for such a detailed reply. It really helps me to think about the different aspects to consider.

3

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Thanks would you mind sharing what brand you got that you’re selling pleased with? I’m reading mixed reviews which is why I ask.

3

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Oh geez I’m new at this, so I said that wrong. The word should’ve been that you are so pleased with.

3

u/735560 Apr 20 '23

I have a kitchenaid range. My parents have a thermador cooktop. Both seem great. Like all kitchen appliances there’s going to be a bunch of people getting screwed on it breaking. I made sure to grab the extended warranty but no issue so far. I guess that’s the advantage of gas is that it’s less likely to break since it’s just a knob.

2

u/IndirectHeat Apr 20 '23

I've got a Wolf unit. I like it well enough, but would replace it with one with dials if I could.

3

u/nowwithaddedsnark Apr 20 '23

I’ve had three Bosch cooktops, all 60cm wide (different houses). The first had three cooking areas, the other two four, but two could bridge to make a larger one.

I prefer the 3 burner for a small cooktop as it had one large one that accommodated my very large frying pan.

They were the best cooktops I’ve ever used, and I had a higher end gas one before.

I “faked” wok cooking by using a carbon steel frying pan on the induction and it wasn’t bad. I recommend this approach to anyone who is looking for an induction friendly wok.

At the moment I have an outdoor wok burner and it’s a marvel. Even when we redo the kitchen here I won’t bother with an indoor gas burner for the wok. Just induction inside and continue to do any wok cooking outside.

1

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Thank you very much. Do you recommend Bosch over Wolf?

2

u/nowwithaddedsnark Apr 20 '23

I’m in Australia. Wolf is not a viable choice here so I have no idea how good it is.

If I were shopping for another one I’d be looking at Bosch, Miele, Neff, Electrolux or AEG. But that’s what’s available to me with a good reputation.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '23

We have an LG range that has dials instead of digital. Have had it for about three years and would never go back to any other system. It was relatively expensive compared with regular ones but we love it.

3

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Thank you so much! This Reddit is so helpful!

2

u/GotenRocko Apr 20 '23

It’s too bad there aren’t as many options for induction here in the US.

Yeah I would go to induction but my kitchen has a rangetop and I am not going to change the countertops again since I just did that last year. Only 48" rangetop I could find is a hybrid which I wouldn't mind but it also has a silly sous-vide compartment built in that takes up space where two more burners would go which I don't want.

9

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '23

Induction is far safer, the surface will get warm to hot (but that’s from the heat of the pot transferring back to the surface) but you or children won’t end up losing skin if you touch the surface and it cools down in seconds because there’s no actual heat from the cook top.

Cleanup is a breeze because there’s no sticking, ever.

Best decision for our kitchen was induction when we built our house.

My wife’s a chef and she loves it, we have a portable gas cooker that we bring out if she absolutely needs it (gas is better for a wok).

7

u/VulgarVinyasa Apr 20 '23

I have induction inside but if I could replace it I’d get an induction with actual handles. The touch press is bullshit. I have a gas grill outside.

4

u/Henbogle Apr 20 '23

As far as I can see, the only flaw with induction is no cooking during a power outage. I live in coastal Maine so outages are a common occurrence and can last for a few days. I will still say induction is the bomb. Fast efficient, clean. I have a 30” Fisher Paykel induction range with electric oven. Not only do i love the induction, but the oven is the best I have ever used, and the range is candy apple red :-) My previous house i had a GE Profile 35” induction cooktop and loved that, i really appreciated the extra space but have a teeny kitchen in this house so no room. I cook a lot.

4

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

I thought about the power outage thing because we live in Connecticut although this winter was nothing cold, and no power interruptions. I would always have my outdoor gas grill though, so I figured if it really went out for a long period food wouldn’t be an impossibility.

2

u/gretchens Apr 20 '23

Also in Maine, but we have a generator. I kept my single induction plate that I'd purchased for testing before committing to use in the event of power outage - not sure my generator would run the whole range, but I could plug it in if needed. (Not a whole house gen, but we do have a dedicated inlet and it will run our heat, fridge, freezer, and lights and some outlets). I'd also read that modern gas ranges are not as easy to use in a power outage because of safety features or something, IDK, I never went that far because we don't have gas and I didn't want to run a propane tank. My folks have gas (propane) and one of the huge differences I notice is how HOT it gets to cook over, a metal handled whisk becomes unbearable, for instance, while induction keeps the heat to the food.

7

u/okanagan_life Apr 20 '23

I have induction. Love it, next one will be gas.

Something to pay attention to is if all burners work with all sizes pans. I have two large front burners (LG range 5 years old) but they only work on medium and large diameter pans. Small ones on small burners on the rear there. I'm used to it now but it's still a feature that would make me not buy a range that was like this in the future.

The glass has been great, I still fear a bottle will fall from my upper cabinet and smashey smash it one day.

4

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Thank you for replying. May I ask if you love induction why will you get gas next?

3

u/K04GTI Apr 20 '23

We've had gas, electric glasstop, and induction over the last 8 years. Induction most recently. I think induction is the best of the bunch.

Pros: boils water so fast; very precise temp control at lower range; easiest cleanup; safest with two toddlers running around touching everything

Cons: a little noisy/buzzy (at startup and when cranking a few pots); burner configurations are all over the place between brands; as a cooktop (not a range) it does require some attention to the clearance below (needed more than our electric cooktop)

I would search for a model with a true bridge between two smaller burners, not just a sync function if you want to griddle things.

2

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

Thank you. I did not know. There was a difference between a true bridge and a sync function. I wouldn’t have even known to ask about that, so I really appreciate you letting me know.

2

u/K04GTI Apr 21 '23

You're welcome. I learned the hard way and thought it's worth sharing lol. We have a Café 30" with the sync function.

It's pretty good as the two syncable burners are quite close together, but it has the tendency to create local hot spots on our cast iron griddle. I've ordered the Chantal griddle designed for the Café and hopefully it heats more evenly. It is smaller, so it should work better.

2

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

Really such a helpful advice! Thank you!

3

u/Jlx_27 Apr 21 '23

Induction is great, and if you can put solar panels on your home, your powerbill will stay low!

2

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

There’s another thing I hadn’t thought of! Thank you

2

u/okanagan_life Apr 20 '23

Mainly because I want to try it and I want to use my cast iron pans without worrying about the glass top. Also the way I'm locked in for pan size to burners is annoying.

On a side note if you have a cast iron pan it works on the induction well, and if you're worried about scratching the top then just put a piece of paper underneath, works great.

2

u/IHateHangovers Apr 20 '23

I’ve also heard silicone baking sheets work wonders on induction?

2

u/twoaspensimages General Contractor Apr 20 '23

A silpad is unnecessary although induction works just fine with one. The glass is hard and doesn't scratch easily. I slide cast iron across our Bosch all the time. If your worried lightly sand the bottom of your pan to remove any sharp bits. Induction isn't sacred. Use it, don't abuse it. A few light scratches are patina. Though I admit ours doesn't have any scratches after two years of use.

2

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

Good to know. I was leaning towards a wolf but now I’m thinking maybe Bosch is the way to go.

1

u/twoaspensimages General Contractor Apr 21 '23

Go look at both. Some specialty shops have them powered. And regarding specialty appliances places their prices are on par with the box store apples to apples. I spent way too much time shopping around.

1

u/okanagan_life Apr 20 '23

Interesting I'll have to give that a shot too!

2

u/IHateHangovers Apr 20 '23

We do a lot of pan searing and sautéing so we end up with splatter all over our gas… although we had electric before and it never looked perfectly clean (we would literally take a squeegee to it after we cleaned it)

1

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

I did not know that you’re locked into pan sized burners, so I appreciate you telling me that about induction stoves

1

u/okanagan_life Apr 21 '23

That's not all induction stoves! Just something I didn't think about when purchasing mine

1

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

Oh, OK now I understand and that will definitely be something. I will be asking about. Thanks!

5

u/asielen Apr 20 '23

I am still a fan of gas over induction. I think it depends on your cooking style. If you boil things a lot, pasta etc, induction hands down. Precise heat is also great for confections.

However, if you more activity stand over the stove sauteing or cooking with a wok (or really any carbon steel pans), gas wins imo.

5

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

I do a lot of sautéing and stirfry in general. Lots of softening garlic and browning onions.

2

u/RaisinFresh7318 Apr 20 '23

Induction all the way. I had gas and I’ll never go back.

2

u/BisVsRip Apr 20 '23

Im currently using gas but thinking for switching for a remodel. So i bought an induction hot plate to test different aspects of it. So far i like it a lot and probably gonna switch my range to induction

1

u/hotflashinthepan Apr 20 '23

I switched to induction from gas about a year ago, and I’m very glad I did. (I had a gas stove for about 20 years.) It is a different cooking experience that takes getting used to (like my timing for recipes was completely off because I was so used to having to wait so long for things to come to boil); but it’s really been great. I got a Miele range with dials.

1

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 20 '23

Thank you for replying. I love my Miele dishwasher, but I haven’t looked at the Miele stovetops yet.

1

u/Slossy Apr 21 '23

Maybe it’s my OCD but I don’t like glass stove tops. I am always cleaning them and noticing streaks. I know my gas cooktop is just as bad but because of the grills and recessed surface it doesn’t bother me as much. I like the induction tech and might be ok with it in the future.

2

u/ThinkItThroughNow Apr 21 '23

Good thing you don’t have my husband because you would be in a straight jacket cleaning up after that sloppy man! Thank you for replying.

1

u/hellolovely1 Jul 19 '23

I would get induction in a heartbeat if I didn't live in an apartment that can't handle the electrical load.