That would be a terrible mistake to replace it with an electric smoothtop. Not all induction units make such noises.

I have the Elux, cheap pots and pans, (thou we love them),
"Emerilware", a cheeper version of All Clad.
Need proof????? Watch the water boiling contest beween Mojavean and mean. The Mic on my camera is very (I repeat)
VERY SENSITIVE!!!!, You can hear my big screen playing in the background, yet you hear no noise from the induction,
even on boost, which it was, for the contest. You may hear a humming but that is my hood for the cooktop.

I replaced a smooth cooktop (The fanciest one ever made and probably the most expensive too, (Caldera), but it was a Real "BOOGER" to clean, and I think something got on the touch controls that would not come off and
"Totalled the dern thing".

Unfortunately, the most expensive appliance is not always the best, and in fact many times , it is the worst---take a look at Miele ovens here, as an example.

Really sorry to hear about your problem, I have used other pans on my unit too, I think one is circulon and again no noise.

Hope you are able to resolve your problem, Best of Luck!!!!

Gary

Thanks Gary. Yeah, in my garage-kitchen I have a smoothtop range and the burned on stuff is a disaster...one of the reasons I "inducted." Not really a big gas fan either...hot handles, dirty pots and pans, and no fun to clean at all. I have a Emerilware on it's way so hopefully that will be fine. The noise varies greatly at what power level I use. I'm also guessing the "cycling" is the same on all induction models. For example, when I lower the power to keep my kettle just boiling, it's got a quick rhythm dancing around the simmer. I did get a deal on the older Gagg model. Couldn't shell out 4 grand. And was a bit wary of the only-touch control models...and the magna-knob is so groovy!

Please update once you get the new pots n pans for the induction and the noise issue.

I am planning on getting the Calphalon Tri Ply to use on induction and will be using it on a bosch unit.

Hope the Emerilware fixes the problem, the Elux does not click, I think it uses "Thermocycling", like my Caldera did.
Thermocycling, just "blips" the hob with whatever energy required to keep it at the setting you selected, rather than turning the hob on/off using a relay (really noisy) or maybe a "Solid state type device"--quieter but low temps would not be as consistent as the thing is still turned on/off.

Again this can be observed, by watching the simmering contest Mojavean and I had, He won that one, but I won the boiling contest, but I ran the simmer contest with the control set to "1" and it did 119F, I forgot that it has a setting that is even lower, "0", but I was glad to see Mojavean win (I think He did 112F with his Bluestar Simmer burner.)

We have seen other post , like yours about the clicking at low settings, I believe one was Kitcheaid, the other "May" have been Wolf, but not sure about that so don't take that one as "Gospel".

If you need the links for the Boiling and Simmer contests, just holler and I'll "Fetchem" for ya.

Gary

I have the Circulon pan, I think it is the same. Aluminum pan with a steel welded to the bottom. It's the dissimilar metals that make the noise. Mine tends to quiet down after it heats up for a bit. Is the pressure cooker the same? Aluminum with a slab of stainless steel on the bottom?

My AllClad is much quieter. I begin to hear it when I have my unit on High. A low hummmmm. Of course, the fan on my Cooktek could wake the dead.

The more different layers you have the worse it's going to be, because each layer is heating at a different rate...or something like that. I understand it when it is explained, but I'm no physicist.

There are three kinds of noises:

1) Cookware. Most of the annoying buzzes and pops are from this, and also the high pitched whine that mostly under 20 years old people can hear.

2) Clicking or cycling from the unit itself. Varies with the unit, and probably also the installation as the relationship to wood or other materials can either deaden or amplify this kind of thing.

3) Machine noise. The fan, and whatever else is ancillary to the actual cooking.

I hope I haven't led you astray here. My unit is the 24" inch one, with the knob, and it may be a bit different.

I mostly use Le Creuset, both cast iron and steel, one Demeyere skillet, and some De Buyer carbon steel crepe pans. When the kitchen was very quiet--no talking, no stereo or TV, no hood on--I did hear some faint clicking with my smallest, lightest pans. The blini pan, for instance. Maybe even my small saucier. I have pretty good hearing and find whines and buzzes objectionable, but I don't have any issues. I do nearly always use the hood though. It's pretty quiet for a strong hood, but that's relative. In absolute, it's certainly noisy enough to cover something.

Besides the layering of dissimilar metals, I think a culprit on whining might be lack of mass. That is, more likely on an emptier pot.

Don't panic! (It says so right on the cover of the Hitchhiker's Guide.) Wait until you get your Le Creuset out and use it under different circumstances.

More noise with an empty pot. Very true. Very little noise with the Le Creuset or some older Dansk enamel I had. I also bought some Berndes for the induction and it is terrific and reasonably priced. The control when cooking is worth some whining noises but there is a difference between pots.

Ca_Mom.. It is definitely not the induction.. As Plllog explianed, it is most likely your cookware.. Try it with some high-iron content cookware and the noise should go away.. I took most of my usual cookware to test at Purcell Murray and figured that the iron content really matters.. Test all cookware with a magnet.. infact if the magnet is not too strong but still sticks well (indicating higher iron content in the cookware), it works well. I did prune my cookware and gave it away to family and friends who have gas. Lodge cast iron works well. Le creuset works well. Some all-clad, IKEA stuff works well. Lodge abnd IKEA are cheap.

Lalitha

@p111og: Clad/Tri Ply tech uses sandwiched material... will these sort of pots make a lot of noise? Do you have expierence on your hob with Clad/Tri Ply pots/pans? I am looking forward to the Calphalon clad/tri ply pots/pans.

Jmith, The only clad pan I have is the Demeyere skillet. It's seven ply, steel, aluminum and copper. It's heavy like All-Clad (but no rivets on the inside!). I mostly use it for browning meat, esp. ground, not because it's better at browning (some people think you can't brown on enamel, which is silly--you can brown on anything over 300 degrees) but because I can use a fork. :) I have never heard whining or anything, but I'm probably not young enough for that.

I should say that I've been cooking almost exclusively with Le Creuset for about 15 years, starting with electric coil, then gas, now induction, as well as so-so electric, really bad gas, and excellent electric ovens. It just works for me. With induction I really don't need the benefits of the cast iron, which modulates the heat from poor equipment, but it's what I have and it works. And cast iron is known--probably because of the iron content and mass--not to have a whining issue. The enamel, btw, is basically glass, and invisible to the induction process.

The only time I've heard whining on my own stove was with my finjan, which is crappy stainless steel that a magnet won't stick to, and which is barely big enough to be recognized (something like 4.5"). Mr. Induction won't even give it the time of day. On the Gaggenau, it heats, but with lots of whining and popping, and if I'm going to make mud coffee I have the gas... And talking about lack of mass!

I've also heard the whining in demos with what looked like cheap non-stick.

I don't know if cheap is a factor, really, though, as Lalitha pointed out, it needs the iron content, and perhaps some of the cheap stuff has more aluminum. If you check back threads you'll find the names of some very inexpensive cookware that people are satisfied with on induction. I'm guessing, however, that better quality steel (viz the finjan which is crap) does a better job. Also, Demeyere is one of the first cookware manufacturers to make clad stainless specifically for use with induction. I don't know if the success is because of that, or overall quality. I love the bright finish and the no rivets of my skillet. The balance sucks!

Aggregating what people have said over the years, it does seem that clad pans do have the most issues. It still depends on the induction unit in question and the specific harmonics (or whatever the engineers say it is) that it creates (the whine is from the heat spreading from the steel to warm the other layers which all react and expand at different speeds, or something like that), the particular pan, the heat setting, and the amount of mass in the pan. Also, whether the people around are capable of hearing it. We had one member who was over 30 and said she could hear it as well as one presumes a 12 year old would. Most people that age can't really hear it, like those "annoy your teenager" apps that led to the teens only ringtones that they use to get calls in school.

None of this is about the noises that come from the unit itself, though I don't find them any more disconcerting than the noise of a gas flame. Both are faint sounds that you won't hear with the hood on unless you have a very remote blower with a good inline silencer and really don't have any fan noise at all.

@p111og: thanks for the de-brief re: clad cookware. So unless somewhere here had a bosch induction with the pots i was using the best bet would be to buy and try one pan and see if it makes noise and go from there.

Your point in your previous post caught my eye about multiple materials making noises, which is exactly what clad/try ply is sandwich of a material. Funny enough the clad pots i have read heat up quickly and more efficiently than normal plated pots.

Since i am starting from scratch for pots n pans i have a bit of luxury in a way to pick whatever works best...

I did find an old thread rating the calphalon tri ply at B- with induction but nothing else got higher than a B.

Thanks everyone...especially Plllog's great details. I did dig out a couple of Le Creuset skillets and they are much better. Right now I'm keeping water on the boil as I make coffee and my Le C kettle clicks and cycles very quietly at 6 and below but I'm fine at 6 1/2. Haven't unpacked my dutch ovens yet...maybe today.

Lalitha, sounds like it could be worth a (dreaded) trip to Ikea to test out some of their clad.

Jbrothersmom, thanks for the encouragement. And I'll check out the Berndes also.

Gary, I've seen that video a couple of times...It's great!

We're at that freak-out stage of the remodel when things are different and I feel sick to my stomach about how everything is or isn't working out. I need to remember how I hated the clicking on gas stoves when on a low simmer. And actually, my Gagg often isn't as loud as my new KA fridge (grrr.) Also, Jsbrother, I haven't been testing with a full pan/pot and haven't had my fan on.

I think I'll be okay with my Le Cs. Must find (quickly) a pasta/stock pot that's not too buzzy and 1 and 2 quart saucepans. I'm hoping my Emerilware that's in transit will be fine. It looks like the "strain" lid and pour spout might be good extra features.

I'll update my results for those considering the move to induction.

I've never had problems with tri-ply All-Clad.

Jmith, everything heats up fast with induction!

plllog writes: "Aggregating what people have said over the years, it does seem that clad pans do have the most issues. It still depends on the induction unit in question and the specific harmonics (or whatever the engineers say it is) that it creates (the whine is from the heat spreading from the steel to warm the other layers which all react and expand at different speeds, or something like that), the particular pan, the heat setting, and the amount of mass in the pan."

We have been cooking on an induction cooktop (two different makers) for a dozen years, and the only buzzing pot we have had was a Demeyere Apollo (the 1.7 qt saucepan with the seven-ply bottom), which has buzzed on both hobs -- but not all the time. It is not a big deal for us.

We have two other Demeyere Apollo pans that never have buzzed, so it is not brand or construction that is determinative. When the buzzing pan is in its buzzing mode, it buzzes from the moment it goes on the burner cold until we remove it hot, so it is not the temperature or the transition through temperatures that is determinative. The induction process oscillates a magnetic field, and I am pretty sure that the cause of the buzz is the excitation of a bell mode in the pot from a harmonic resonance of the inverter's oscillation frequency.

Our most responsive induction-ready pot is a Mauviel unit that clads mild steel (or iron) with stainless, but Mauviel apparently does not make that line (Induc'inox) any more. A Matfer Bourgeat "black steel" frypan is also a winner (and was a real bargain to purchase). As ca_mom has discovered, the Kuhn-Rikon Duromatic (we have two of them) pots and pans work very well with induction.

Less expensive, or "cheap" cookware can buzz, click, hum or tick on an induction cooktop. I now use about 95% Le Creuset, and my Miele 36" cooktop is virtually silent. Everything cooks SO fast, SO evenly..and Le Creuset is a breeze to clean (and it is Dishwasher safe, and comes out clean, shiny and smooth).

@larsi: Le Creuset enamel ware or their SS ?

@p111og: Looking forward to the Induction top :)

jmith
if you are thinking of buying, start by getting Ikea 365+ series pots and pans.
They are great.
Ikea is good about returns too.

Le Creuset enamel, cast iron mostly, enamelled steel for stockpots and kettles. Very high quality of iron casting, easy clean enamel, beautifully conceived and executed shapes, and happy colors (well...Dune and Linen are desaturated, and white and Black Onyx are neutral, but most of the colors are happy, though I'm not sure Ocean and Spinach are attractive with food...)

I'm sure the Le Creuset SS is tri-ply, similar to other SS.

Le Creuset outlets usually have sales twice a year, including now, in October. Plus, they've been known to ship. ;)

Just FYI.

Cast iron is particularly good when you have an uneven heat source. It's a relatively poor conductor, and evens it out. I have it and love it, so still use it with my top quality Gaggenau appliances, but it's no longer necessary. Also, with a really big cast iron pot it takes a relatively long time ('bout equal to gas) on the setting you're going to be cooking at for the sides to heat up. Pumping up the setting might reduce that time but I can't do it with an empty pot. I think there are warnings against this, anyway, but it's also too heavily ingrained from a lifetime to try it.

Try out lots of different pans where they're having events. They'll usually have an induction hotplate right there in the store. That won't necessarily be like using your own stove, in terms of noises, but if you like the way it handles, try buying a small piece. If you get it from a department store, you should also be able to return it if it makes bad noises when you get it home.

@dividro1 & p111og: thanks for the suggestions will give the calphalon tri ply a go and give ikea ones a go too.

I am glad my le creuset grill pan would work as that is a very important pan in my kitchen :)

@jsmith...

Le Cresuset Signature and Classic Enamel Cast Iron. I have probably 6-7 pieces (red, flame and and 2 deep purple/blue Staub enamel cast iron, also French).

Yeah, the colours are SO happy and look great hanging from our big, black iron center island hanging pot rack!!

Cooking with enamel cast iron on the induction cooker is FAST, quiet, so responsive and I like knowing that I am cooking on pots and pans NOT made in China, and NOT made with questionable non-stick materials. I always buy cookware made in the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan.... It might be so un-PC of me, but I trust nothing made in China!!

I was telling my husband about this thread. We've had our induction cooktop for almost a year.

He said it could screech like a cat in heat, and he'd still never go back to radiant electric. Yes, his is exaggerating, but he does love induction cooking.

I don't really notice the noise much, though I have a few pans that cause more noise than others.

Too funny Macybaby! I'm having inconsistencies with cookware that should be fairly quiet (clicking with new All Clad and Emerilware....kept receipts) so I scheduled a service call. (5 year warranty...yay!) The guy I spoke with said the noises I described seemed not right. We'll see. Not sure my contractors installed the darn thing correctly. I had to put the heat shield on the correct way myself after the cooktop was in. New-fangled appliances will confuse many people I guess. I'll update after Mr. Gaggenau comes tomorrow. Thanks so much everyone!

@larsi: thanks... yes thats why i am looking at the calphalon US made. I don't think canada makes any pots/pans locally maybe a canadian company that makes em in china but nothing locally.

Calphalon some are still made in US i think not 100%.