Do you have the capacity on your panel? Can you add breakers if not? Do you need to add additional in house or to house wiring? These all should be done by a competent electrician which adds $$ to your budget.

Do you have pots and pans that will work on induction or will you have to buy new everything?

Brands... we have a Bosch 36" cooktop so I can't say much on this question. Would definitely ask around about repair providers in your area. Lots of them are learning right now about induction...

There are not that many models of induction ranges out there. Kenmore has a freestanding and slide-in. Electrolux has a slide-in and has announced a freestanding available 'very soon'. GE has a free-standing, as does Samsung. Dacor has one that is double the price.

I expect to see one from LG before too long.

My current stove is on a 50-amp circuit (GE) so I guess I'm lucky. None of the induction stoves I've seen so far exceed this.

Why would you need extra capacity for a range, earth_pal? AFKAIK, the induction ranges are just like any other range in this respect--not like a separate cooktop/oven setup. Are there any that do require more service? Which?

I would pay special attention to the burner arrangements--some are not very useful on these first generation models.

WB, many induction ranges require a dedicated 50 amp circuit. Many older radiant electric ranges only use 40 amp circuits, therefore a new breaker and/or wiring may be necessary.

WritersBlock,
I wrote what I did because of our experience. The people who built our house (grr!) built it with all gas appliances and only a 200 amp panel. We had to add another 200 amp panel and even then we are close to max depending on what I have running at that time. From what others have said in various threads, many are switching from gas to electric/induction and could easily run into a similar situation.

Let me clarify my service comment then... Since induction is still pretty new, many of the repairpeople I have talked with recently have limited to no experience with it. I think that it is wise to know up front to ask if the repairperson has any experience repairing induction units.

I second your comment regarding burner arrangements. The one thing I don't like about our Bosch 36" model is the smallest burner is in the back and not as easy to stir eggs on as if it were upfront.

I have had a Samsung induction freestanding range for a little over a week. I got a floor model for a discount I could not pass up. I had been aiming for the Samsung becasue of the price. I had also considered Kenmore.

Most homes, if you have electric range already, should have a 40 amp dedicated circuit. It turns out we do.

My Emerilware works fine, but the Circulon non-stick I have does not. I will need to get some Infinite Circulon or another nonstick.

So far, so good! There is a bit of a learning curve to using it. Food cooks much faster than my old coiltop electric range.

Couple other things:

I don't seem to have a problem with the burner arrangement, at least not yet. My very largest pot and skillet fit on the front largest burner, but my medium fry pan can only go on the back right one.

I really like the convection oven! Wow.

Yes, good point about repair and in general. Most people I talk to IRL have no clue what is an induction range.

I, need a new stove, and I'am thinking about getting induction. What do I, need to know about it?

Punctuation?

mindstorm that is not helpful or supportive. I'll bet you knew that too. Control your urges, or your spirit.

Thanks, warmfridge and earth_pal, for clarifying that.

mindstorm. That was written poorly, no excuse. And were you, going to help me, with my question, about the induction? Have a nice day. sharaz

While I greatly prefer separates in cooking (ie. cooktop and separate oven), there are a number of 30" induction ranges. Kenmore, Electrolux, G-E, Frigidaire, Samsung, Viking, Diva de Provence (although I think they might have dropped out of residential items and now just make commercial units), etc.

A drawback of ranges is the lack of choice of burner configuartion on the top. With separates you have a plethora of options, both in configuration, power, and bells and whistles.

A number of people like the fairly inexpensive Samsung range at $1,999. The G-E Profile range is of similar pricing. The Viking ranges are very high priced at around $6,600. If you are at all concerned about service you can check out the Kenmore induction ranges and see if they have what you want or consider desirable. Similarly the G-E Profile looks nice and should be very easily seviced if ever necessary. Usually the only things that can go wrong are computer boards, pop-in burners (very easy to replace), and cracked or marred cooktops.

The ranges are much less expensive then separates. But you don't get the latest and best cooktop performance from such companies as Thermador, who has excellent induction cooktops.

Greg

When someone not new to GW posts a very generic request with almost zero in the way of details, does not go into the easily found issues of previously well worn threads, I usually check their posting history before deciding to research their issue or offer an opinion based on experience. If I decide to pass that is the end of it.

Greg. I, wish I, could do the separates, but my kitchen, is all finished. Maybe next time. Thank you, all for the great advise. sharaz

Can you please recommend the best induction cookware to use. I saw a brand (and can't now find) that a had special disk on the bottom for either added reaction or simply heavier SS used.
I ordered a GE Profile based upon the GW reviews and they were very helpful.It has not yet arrived. I want a set that will NOT stain (turn color) easily. Also, I wonder if washing in the dishwasher will turn them blue. Thanks for any help.

I started considering induction over a year ago. At that time there were less choices on a range setup so I decided to go with seperate units. If the range choices we have now were available back then, I would most likely have ended up with a range.

I don't think there has been any single brand out that that people have universaly said to stay away from, so you may want to look at several to see what types of features you are getting in the OVEN part for your money. The main difference in the cooktop is going to be layout of burners and controls. Some of the ranges come with one oven and storage, oven and warming drawer and even two ovens. I don't know about different features but I won't buy an oven without convection and love having the proofing cycle on mine. I have made bread three weekends in a row and all have risen perfectly.

With induction, things heat up way faster than other types of electric heat - you learn fast not to walk away, and you don't need to let the pan heat up long at all before adding stuff to it. It is neat being able to turn a boiling pot down and see instant results from a change in heat level.

Since you kitchen is done, your main issue will be finding something that fits and that you have adequate power for. We had enough power run for a range, but when we decided to go with seperate units, we had to run a second 40 amp 220 circut.

Cathy

shamrockgal, there are many, many threads here about induction cookware, like this one, for instance. Search "cookware" (without the quotes) in the search box at the bottom of the page and you'll find a lot more.

Thanks for all the information, Cathy. I have an electric convection oven without the warming drawer or proofing feature. I wanted no knobs on the cook top, therefore, opted for the GE although I'm not thrilled with the large burner being in back center. I also have a brand new Cuisinart toaster/convection oven with all the bells and whistles and have decided to learn how to use it to spare the large double electric oven for ONE baked potato. I bought the induction cook top because I badly injured my back and can't stand for long periods of time watching paint dry (waiting for the water to boil) or for a heavy skillet to come up to temp. I know this induction top will save my back tremendously. The most recommend cookware I've searched for has been Dermeyer at megabucks. There must be some thing in between!!
Peg

Read the thread. Many people really like the tramontina from walmart, for example.

I've got 3 old pans I bought at Kmart 40 years ago for $9.99 that work perfectly fine with my induction unit. I also have some AlClad and Circulon stuff.

You don't have to spend a lot of money. Just find something magnetic. Aluminum and ceramic are out. Steel and castiron are in.

as too cookware, Dh and I just wanted to buy something cheap so we could get to cooking, and figured if we didn't like it we'd look at spending more later on.

We bought a set of T-fal pans, about $150 for the set and so far they are working fine. This one has a copper core and has a pattern on the bottom so you can see some of the copper. Kind of a drag for cleaning, but it works fine on the induction cooktop, and we have not had an issue with cleaning the inside of the pans.

We bought several non-stick frying pans, non of which costs much, I think we have three different brands.

Once we've got the cabinets installed and save up money for the countertop, we'll think about if upgrading our pans is needed. I just don't know if a $200 stockpot would heat 2 gallons of milk any better than a $50 one does.

One of the main points for DH and I is the handles. DH does a lot of cooking and is very particular about how the pot "feels" when he picks it up by the handle (and he still does this a lot with the induction cooktop, it just blinks at him until he puts it back in place). There have been several highly recommended brands that he didn't want because he didn't like the balance when he picked the pot up.

Cathy

Some basic cookware for induction cooktops are one or two different sized Lodge cast iron fry pans. They work great on induction. Another might be one or two sizes of Le Creuset stew and roast pots.

The best of the high end pots and pans for induction I have used are made by Fissler of Germany. They are extremely popular in Europe among individuals and restaurants and last forever. They have a great fry pan set consisting of an 11" diameter non=-stick for lower temperature cooking, an 11" fry pan for high heat cooking with a special bottom the works great for searing, the best splatter shield in the business, and a spatula: MSRP for all 4 pieces is $329.

They also have great set of Pro-style and more modern Intensa pots and pans that are amazingly good.

They aren't cheap, but they will last forever and the pan bottoms will always stay perfectly flat and never warp due to the ingenius construction.

Greg