I can't say yet, as we have not gotten our cabinets/countertops in. I will say I was looking at the 36" BlueStar range (22K BTU burner) and when the appliance store owner asked why I wanted something that powerful, I told him I wanted to cook/boil faster and he asked me if I had looked into induction. I am an avid baker so the oven on the BlueStar was going to be a concession. I started hours (literally) of research and decided on the Thermador induction cooktop (13" burner, 4600Watts). Yes, I have to get new pots (my Calphalon stainless will not work), but I am excited about getting the Demeyre and Le Creuset's I have always wanted. I will be checking back in and posting after I get some usage on the cooktop but after all I have read, I really think I will love it!!

OK. I decided I don't like mine (Windcrest). The controls are on the front and I keep setting them off/on accidentally because I do a lot of stuff on the cooktop besides cook. I liked how the Wolf had controls on the side but didn't realize it was worth the extra $1000. (Still not). Or the Gaggenau with just one control in the front and an extra $2000.

It performs well, though.

We have had our Kenmore induction cooktop for about three and 1/2 years and I like it a lot. I like the control, I like the speed, I like the energy efficiency.

Before I made the final decision, I bought a portable unit to try out. Also used it during the remodel.

I bought a portable Viking unit and adore it. I am going with induction cooking in my remodel.

I wish I had enough space for the induction wok. That would be awesome.

E4849--funny, the portable Viking unit is what sealed the deal for me, too. I bought a refurb just to try it out, and I still use it a lot just because I like the induction! When the remodel finally happens, I plan to go induction. Hearing that everyone else likes the way it cooks is very helpful and validating--I would sure hate to make a mistake on something this important!

Fori--I do a LOT on the top of my cooktop as well, and now I'm wondering if I'm going to hate having the controls on the front...I'm looking hard at the Miele. I have so little counterspace in my kitchen that I frequently use the stovetop as an extension of the counter. (I currently have a ceramic topped range). I'm hoping that in the remodel I might get enough counterspace that I won't have to use the stovetop anymore...but you've given me something to think about.
Thanks.

Hi cj
After reading your last post I did a test on the Miele cooktop by putting a dish over the 8"x8" control area. In 20 seconds or less it beeped several times and kept flashing "F" until I removed the dish. Same results when I placed a towel on the controls. Several months ago when the appliance guy stopped by to put bulbs in the hood/vent, he placed a protective cloth over the entire cooktop while he was working and every minute or so it would give a short beep. It's not a problem for me because I never use the cooktop to prep food or if I do set a plate on it, it's not on the control area. As you said, it may be something to keep in mind until you're sure you'll have sufficient counter space and won't need the cooktop for a work area.

I hate my Viking unit. I was an early adopter in 2005 and have had nothing but problems with the unit, the distrbutor and the company. What a waste of > $4000.

I did love cooking with induction when the thing worked. So I'm looking to replace my vastly overpriced boat anchor with a GE or Gaggenau since those are the two I've found that can be retrofitted into the cutout in the granite top.

We are gas cooks. Gas cast iron cooks.

Last September we stayed at a high-end rental for a family reunion. Had a smooth glass induction cooktop.

Hated the beast. Slow to come up to speed, heat lingered W-A-Y after the burner was turned off. Struck us an electric stove minus the responsiveness of the coils. Seemed to be driven by appearance and "easy clean-up," rather than true responsive function.

We remain BlueStar fans. You guys can all keep your induction units--to each his own--but give us our beloved cast iron bowl/grates and cooking with gas.

"Slow to come up to speed, heat lingered W-A-Y after the burner was turned off."

This sounds nothing like induction. This may be a ceramic electric cooktop. There is no heat to linger in induction cooking...and certainly not slow to come up to speed.

BlueStar is indeed wonderful. But induction, using the proper cookware (including most cast iron) will get a given quantity of water to a boil faster than a BlueStar, given the same BTUs, just due to its higher efficiency. That is why almost all home cooks in Europe use it, gas and electric costs are high there.

And induction won't heat up a kitchen like gas. There are things better done on a gas cooktop though, probably including stir fry and grilling.

I agree that what Castiron cook describes sounds a lot more like electric than induction, especially the not as responsive as electric coils. That's my experience of glass topped electric too, and every induction unit I've tried (about half a dozen) is instantly responsive. A Bluestar's cast iron bowl/grates get a lot hotter in use than the surface of induction too!

Actually, induction is really popular in Asia because it's so great for stir fry! I think a lot of people there have the bowl shaped units that you can just set a normal wok in.

Demeyere makes an induction wok with little ball feet that look a bit like the Gaggenau adapter, and a funky Western handle. I don't know if the little feet really makes a difference with a flat induction element. Anyone seen it in action?

Phatcat, if you're reading, I suggest getting a demo of the Gaggenau. The knob is fantastic!!

I, too, saw that Demeyere wok with the ball feet. I don't understand how that would heat enough on an induction cooktop for stir fry. Anyone have experience with a flat-bottom (or round-bottom) wok on induction?

I really want the Viking slide-in induction range with the large knobs on the front. I loved the knob on the Viking portable unit. I hate the thought of having the control buttons on the cooking surface. I'm a messy cook and I just imagine all the beeping and splashes going on at the same time.

I have been using induction for about four weeks now. I am loving it.

Last night I made homemade mac and cheese. I made the roux in one pan and had the pasta bowling on another burner. The pasta boils so quickly that I had to have DH come over and drain it because I couldn't stop stirring my cheese sauce. The control is excellent.

If I had to pick one thing I don't like (actually two) it is:

- you still have size limitation as far as what pan can be used on what burner. Certain pans I have have to be used on the back burners because the front hobs are too big for them.

-- pans slide around on the cooktop unless you are holding the handles or the pans are very heavy or have a lot of food in them.

I've had a GE Monogram induction cooktop for almost 2 years and love it. The things to watch out for, in my opinion, are:
- burner layout
- whether you want a rim or not around the cooktop
- color of cooktop
- power of largest unit

Also, be aware that some induction cooktops could require an upgrade to your electrical service in the kitchen.

I slide my pans (incl cast iron) around and haven't scratched it yet. I have the silver cooktop so it would show a scratch if there were one.

We had a Fazar (older induction unit) that we replaced 2 years ago.. It was probably good in its day but the electrical stuff was starting to fail (coils,etc) and it was an energy hog with a max of 75K BTUs so it claimed. We disliked it for several reasons -- pulsing being the biggest annoyance -- you couldn't really simmer with it - it was like a microwave oven (cycle on, cycle off, cycle on,etc). The other of course was that we needed to fork over $500+ for a set of pots that would work on it (All Clad). Anyway, we switched over to gas with our recent remodel and are not looking back! We've now got solar electric installed and wanted to ditch our energy sucking appliances (next on tap when it fails -- the subzero installed by a prior owner) since electric is not going down -- just up!

Yeah, those older induction units simmered in a wierd way, long pulses. My Cooktek uses shorter pulses (milliseconds) in 1 - 2 second intervals for simmering. On my crappy Circulon pans you can hear it clicking some times. The result being that a simmer is a simmer, not boil/off/boil/off.

I will admit that our unit was >17 years old (yes, you're right on-spot -- boil,off,boil,off -- ugg!) and some prior owners had really forked up the $$ for that unit.. I'm hoping newer models behave better.. However, I'll stick with our nice Gas Bluestar.. I'm a very happy camper!

I bought the LG induction cooktop this summer but it did not get installed until last Wednesday. The large burner did not work and today and authorized service rep came out to fix it. He ended up not fixing it but he did manage to crack the glass top!?!

Other than THAT, the whole family is pretty excited about the unit. My boys are looking for excuses to cook food on it.

I did not really realize that there would be fan noise with induction and when I mentioned it to the service guy he said that my top was very quiet compared to others. I think he has mostly worked on Viking inductions and the old Jenn Air's because that's what he kept referencing.

Even working off the small burners I am still able to boil large pots pretty fast and since that was one of the priorities for me I am happy.

Lg has been pretty nice about everything so far but if I don't get my problem fixed I will write a post.

I hate it. It is NOT for someone who is constantly cooking. Too much time to clean it. I cannot wait until I can replace it. Already one of the "burners" does not work.

"Too much time to clean it."

A paper towel and a spritz of Windex takes too much time?

Honestly, she cannot possibly be referring to induction. Maybe she thinks it's induction, but it's really radiant electric?

My nephew just bought the GE Profile PHB920SJSS induction range for his dad as a BD/Xmas present (nice kid, right?). I asked him how he liked it and he replied, "Well....it's a little complex! I have to use my smartphone to control it!"

I didn't cook on it for T-day, altho some of the other family members did.

A half hour ago I downloaded the GE manual just to scan through it. We're a geek family so I was surprised by his comment. But I can see where his reservations come from. He had a very simple old Westinghouse electric range, and jumping unexpectedly into induction there's a lot more "do's and don't's" with the GE unit. In fact, it seems a bit over-engineered in comparison to the other mfg's induction units people are discussing here.

Here's the manual, if anybody wants to take a look at it and tell me if it's making things sound more complicated than they really are. I did notice, when I was doing a search for the manual, that one site review said the Samsung induction range was much easier to use and 'friendly' than the GE Profile slide-in induction (the PHB920SJSS, however, is a freestanding model):

https://www.manualowl.com/m/General%20Electric/PHB920SJSS/Manual/455927?page=6

Interesting that the PHS920 and some other GE ranges now have a wi-fi connection for controlling the oven. FWIW, that feature is on page 13 of the manual rather than page 6.

So, is it your nephew or his father who was talking about the smartphone control? Is the problem that he finds the smartphone/wi-fi/bluetooth remote control easier than using the on-board control panel or does he think that the smartphone connection is the only way to do it?

Beyond that, the oven seems to me to be pretty much a standard GE oven, much like the one on the GE dual fuel range I bought back around the turn of the century. The complexity seemed to lie in figuring out how to use the various convection options and what to use them for.

What the PHS920 does not seem to have is wifi/bluetooth connectivity for programming controlling the induction burners. That feature --- called Paragon -- is available on the newest models of GE Profile and Monogram cooktops. Developed by FirstBuild, a GE spinoff, this is supposed to allow the use of very precise temperature control via a bluetooth probe as well as programming cooking from smart devices. FirstBuild took kickstarter contributions and is supposed to be shortly shipping a stand-alone version with a portable induction burner.

Consumer Reports gives the Kenmore Electrolux (KE) a very high rating....however, the comments by consumers on the CR web site are not favorable. The gist of the criticism is that the KE is built to last about 5 years, and then it will burn out. One person refers to the mainboard exceeding its limits and the built in PCB fuse frying. I don't know what that means. He accuses KE of engaging in cost cutting in the manufacture of the cooktop.

Our KE cooktop is 8 years old and seems to be dying. Sometimes it does not want to turn on. I am trying to figure out whether to go with KE again, or switch brands. Are there any out there built to last longer?

A PCB fuse is a very narrow strip of copper etched on the PCB (printed circuit board) through which the full current flows. It cheaply replaces a dedicated fuse, saving the manufacturer a couple of pennies, but indicates a crass contempt for the reliability and serviceability of the said equipment. If such a fuse blows, a new board is required. It can also degrade over time to the point that it sort-of makes contact - sometimes.

Closer inspection of the filter board on my failed 2007 Kenmore/Electrolux unit shows that each PCB fuse on the filter board is in parallel with an unpopulated fuse holder, so if that is the only failure on the board, then a fuse can be substituted. However, the fuse blew because the real failure is at the power board that drives the induction coils. I haven't had time to dig into that yet.

At least one newer Electrolux schematic shows flying leads from the filter board to fuse holders, so maybe they wised-up a tad.

kas

Kas, sorry to hear that your 2007 Kenmore failed. Do you think there was a reason? Please do report back here or in a new thread, preferably. Westsider

I think we can believe that there is always a reason. At this point I can only speculate that a component for the left front hob in the left coil generator circuit board failed due to running out of operational lifetime. (This was also the most used hob.) I am using the term 'board' loosely here, because a likely cause could be one of the power transistors (IGFETs), which are connected to the board but structurally mounted to a fan-blown heat sink. (See page 7 of

316439222_frigidaire_icon_designer_36_inch_induction_drop-in_cooktop_service_manual.pdf

on the Internet somewhere if you can find it with a search. This manual is close enough to the Kenmore to be useful, even though the hob layout shown on the cover is different.

See also: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2246536/36-induction-cooktop-with-bridge?n=96

I don't recall in what thread I might have brought up the topic in more detail.

Electrolux/Frigidaire/Kenmore induction cooktops have some WWW notoriety due to their failure rates and high cost of board replacement. That said, I would also note that the perfectly adequate in my view, lowest priced, 36-inch Frigidaire model (~$1300 actual) bought with insurance is still only around $300 per year "rental" even if it fails during the sixth year of operation and is replaced. I don't know yet whether the insurance can be extended. If so, then the rental cost would drop further. Higher priced units, e.g., Thermador, that are deemed more desirable will have proportionately higher "rental" if they fail at the end of the same period, or perhaps the same rental if they last seven or eight years.

My Kenmore (originally costing 1800 year-2007 dollars) lasted about 7 years. Operational use would, of course, be much less, probably under 5000 hours, of which I think it is likely that less than 500 hours were at power boost counting all hobs. In all fairness, it is difficult to achieve a multi-thousand hour MTTF with high stress, fan-cooled electronics of this type, even when built to conform to various MIL specs.

There is also a choice to be made by the manufacturer between lifetime and spec chasing for competitiveness. As may be seen in my table in the gardenweb link above, the new lower priced Frigidaire has improved hob power relative to my original Kenmore. More power will always be at the expense of lifetime for a given set of components. The choice was taken to extend the hob powers using newer components. We wait with bated breath to see whether any margin was allocated to extending the lifetime.

You may thank Alfred P. Sloan of GM for the introduction of planned obsolescence as a formal design practice.

kas

It ran out of operational lifetime? Got tired and pooped out? holy moley, that's not nice. Again, sorry to hear.

Thanks. At this point, I am only speculating. However, the reliability performance of almost anything has the properties illustrated by the figure below. (Click to enlarge.)

I hate mine. it turns off all the time if there is a disturbance on the glass plate. I like to clean my stove as I cook . so I wipe around my pans and its starts beeping. then it turns off all the burners. If I cook under 6 it too to cook. I reheat tortillas and they get hard. I just can't get use to it

We really like ours. Easy to control temperature, easy to clean, kitchen stays cooler.

I have just converted from gas to induction hob - Bora Pure - and I have to admit I have some regrets already. The induction worktop surface is more delicate than gas ring hob. Busy kitchens with pots and pans potentially sliding on induction surface equals scratches!!! I prefer cooking with gas. Personally if you like to cook a lot and have a busy kitchen then stick with gas. I find the induction hob is not really for constant use, you need to be a bit precious with pot and pan handling: if you slide metal on surface it may scratch!! So for busy kitchens and cooking where there are plenty of pots and pans I would avoid it. I will return to gas.

I cook a lot and have pretty heavy pots and pans including some cast iron. No scratches in three years. However, mine is an actual cooktop, not a one burner hob.

We have been cooking on induction burners for several years now, and we definitely don’t baby our units - Viking single burner initially, Miele range now. No problems with sliding and/or scratches.

Grappling with this decision right now and grateful for all of your responses...esp to cj47...thanks for coming back 11 years later to say how you felt about your decision to switch.

I moved to a new house, beautiful area, perfect location. It had an induction hob and I had always cooked on gas. I had heard good things about induction hobs was not worried.

Two months later, I hate them. They heat too fast or too slow. I've taken 25 minutes to boil an egg, and yet had a pan lid explode while boiling plain water. I had curry in a pot, I brought it to a quick boil on P, to it down to 7 and walked off and left it unattended. On return, it was boiling like crazy with a letter A. The pan was ruined and had to be thrown away.

I want my gas hob back, it is so much better 😩

Never walk away from a pan on a higher value hob power setting unless you know from experience that this will be a stable setting for that pan on that hob with the same contents over indefinite time scales.

The most mediocre induction cooktop can transfer more power into a suitable pan than most gas burners. The heat is conducted into the food to heat it, used to convert water to steam or grease to aerosols, convected away into the air, and radiated to the room. This heat movement will balance with the heat input at some temperature. So either continuously observe until sufficient experience is achieved, or use lower settings until sufficient experience is achieved. Covering a pan returns the convected and converted steam, thereby calling for a several levels lower heat setting.

25 minutes of egg boiling should produce the ultimate Easter dueling egg. Let me suggest you consider what I do, as an example. I put my two eggs in the pan I always use, set the hob I always use for egg boiling on power boost, and set a timer for 2 min. For my egg temperature and routinely selected water depth, boiling will commence at 2 minutes so even if my back is turned I get a warning from the alarm. As boiling commences I progressively turn the hob down to the stable setting, 5 or 5.5 depending on observed boiling action, mostly a function of line voltage at the time. The timer will have been reset to 11 minutes, after which I can cool and peel the now hard-boiled eggs. Other timings will produce softer or harder eggs as desired.

Much more precision is possible with induction, quicker time to boiling is possible with induction, and very low power levels difficult to achieve with gas are available.

Most induction pans have thick bases, so higher initial heating can overcome their thermal time constant, but then the setting MUST be lowered to balance input heat flow vs. output heat flow at the desired cooking temperature.

I love mine, its a 5 burner Bosch. I’ve used lots of high-end gas ranges - the induction is faster to come to a boil and more precise when you want to simmer. Its takes a little time to understand how each burner will act with each pot so you can set it to the right number for simmer.

I bought some rounds of silicon to slip under pots. Keeps the scratches away. Sometimes i use a larger square if silicon which then means less cleanup. Even a square of parchment paper will work

Robert Perring -- It depends on the type. To me a hob is a one burner cheaply made item. As you might expect it will do all the things you say. I've found the Wolf 36" induction cooktop I have works as good as any gas without the extra heat and fumes.

Robert Perring -- mind providing the brand and model of your "hob"?

jwvideo, it's an AEG.

Jerry: Incidentally, I didn't walk away with the pan boiling. I turned it down as I would a gas hob. Then I walked away. Unlike a gas hob it didn't remain low. On return it was boiling hard with the letter A on the control. My pan was ruined.

Robert Perring -- For what it's worth, I've never had it go higher than it was set. I've had mine since the 2017 remodel. I'd be ticked off too if it did something like that.

AEG, eh? Are you in Canada or was this, perhaps, a gray-market import? Do you have the manual or user guide?

I'm asking because I've been using induction for decades and never seen the behaviors you describe. To be sure, I have heard of some instances like those you've seen. These (sometimes) turned out to be the result of user error (induced by unclear or confusing manuals or by failing to read the manual),. Sometimes they were from cookware that was supposed to be suitable but wasonly marginally magnetic. (Might account for taking 25 minutes to get water to boil.) Some were reportedly caused by transformers going bad in aging power grids resulting in widely fluctuating mains voltages. Some might have been from bad wiring in the kitchen. Mostly, wacky "hob" behavior gets blamed on failing electronics in the unit itself. Just because the unit is new and/or high end or reputable does not mean the electronics can't fail prematurely.

Another thing occurs to me. Been a while since I've seen an AEG induction cooktop in person but I'm sort of recalling that they used to refer to their entire cooktop units as "a hob." That maybe accounts for the confusion over vocabulary? (I think they do more of that in the UK; is that where you are?) Anyway, I'm also recalling that AEG induction cooktops offered automated cooking-assist modes with names like 'senseboil" and "sense fry" plus some other automated functions whose names I can't recall. Does your unit have those? Devices with minds of their own can go insane without failing altogether.

Sometimes you can bring them back to sanity. Doubtless you've already tried turning off the breaker for the "hob" circuit for an hour to see if the unit then resets itself. Does the manual say anything about a service menu or a way to reset the unit to default or factory configurations without the automated stuff?

Jwvideo, I'm in the UK. I have no doubt the error is mine, but it is so much different from anything I experienced andtotally out of control. . I hate it and want my gas hob back. Certainly when I do again, an induction hob will be a deal breaker.

Incidentally, it is brand new.

Robert Perring, I am sorry you are having so many issues. I am the exact opposite - gas would be a deal breaker for me. I have never liked it from the time I had to cook with it in school in England.

@jwvideo wrote, in part, the following comment that should live as an maxim for the ages: "Devices with minds of their own can go insane without failing altogether."

Thanks.

..."Incidentally, it is brand new."<<<

So still under warranty?

Jwvideo, I know where going with that thought. I've moved into an area with no gas. I'm just going to have to suck it up. Everything else is perfect. Shame about the induction hob. Everyone seemed so positive about it. I will learn to tolerate