Oh, good. I remember when I met certain milestones in my learning curve, like not pressing hard on the controls. There are still things that happen occ, but I don't want to read the manual again. I'm happy that you're pleased.

@a2gemini - One of my sisters has a Wolf gas range for the past 5 or 6 years. She has nothing but glowing remarks regarding their one customer service experience with Wolf this past year.

It took hubby and me all of six minutes to make friends with our Thermador induction cooktop. Coming from an ancient electric coil Jenn-Air, we have found our holy grail.

Being able to see the dog hair (a/k/a dietary fiber! lol ), cooking fall-out, and fingerprints/smudges are the only annoyance, so far. The brushed stainless top of the old JA hid a lot of sins. As my cataracts and eyesight get worse with age, I'll be saying 'eh, what dog hair? what fingerprints?' and I'll go thru less window cleaner.

Which type old tea kettle do you have, that works on the induction? (In case I run across any vintage tea kettles...)

Westsider - thanks
Cavimum - It is a no namer - It is cream colored but a magnent sticks -
Glad you are enjoying your thermador - It was one that I considered! Love your sense of humor!

I also say - if anyone claims that there is not any buzzing, better get your hearing checked!

a2gemini - I have had my hearing checked, a few months ago. I have hearing in the 97th percentile, considerably better than average which would be the 50th percentile. There is no buzzing. Sorry.

Cheryl

Buzzing is generally caused by the pans and not the cooktop with induction cooking.
Layered pans heat really well but they tend to buzz slightly.
Also make sure the bottom of the pans are flat by checking them with a straight edge ruler. If a pan is warped it can cause noise.

This post was edited by jakvis on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 15:35

cavimum, here is a link to a kettle that we use on a Gaggenau induction cooktop. We have a brand new European sleek kitchen and didn't want our old electric kettle hanging around the counter. One of our targets was energy reduction and the 'old fasioned kettle' solved both things.

Spent the last 2 weeks making friends with the cooktop and wouldn't trade it for the world. I'd always wished for a gas unit but it's not possible. I used other's gas units from time to time and loved them but they can't hold a candle(flame? :) to this induction unit. I heard all the hype but it's hard to conceive of the difference until you actually use it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fesco Kettle

I'm still considering induction (have put off purchase until after the holidays) and appreciate the reviews and feedback from owners.
I was at a luncheon today - 8 professional women - and asked if any had used induction or had a friend or family member who had it. Not one of them knew much about it and all said they wouldn't be interested in relearning how to cook with it. They looked at me like I had 2 heads when I said I was leaning toward an induction range.
It struck me that induction cooking is not likely to catch on in the U.S. until companies who offer induction cooktops and ranges do some serious, persuasive marketing.

It is amazing, isn't it?

A few months ago, I went back to the appliance store (where I bought my Electrolux induction range a year before) to look at GE's new induction range. The sales guy said they didn't have one. I asked why. He said, "we don't sell many of them."

Of course not. No one around here has heard of induction, and they can't be bothered to have a demonstration model in the store. Why would he expect to sell any at all? [I can't imagine buying a new kind of range without seeing one first.]

Seems like a short-sighted decision on the manufacturers' part, but maybe the cheapskates hope induction will catch on as people see us "early adopters" having so much fun.

You'll be very happy with induction, though. And your friends will change their minds when they see your new induction range in use. So maybe the cheapskates are right (God forbid their marketing campaign might sell a competitor's product).

@amck - I had never, ever in my life heard of induction cooktop until I read about it here, on this forum. Once I did some research, I knew that was what I wanted to replace our old elec. coil cooktop. Having to have a magnet-friendly a/k/a 'certain type of cookware' is an impediment. Some of my friends have heard of it and say "oh yes, you have to have special cookware for that." I correct them, in that it only requires a certain type of cookware, which I already had for the past eight years.

On the advice of posters here on the forum I called the appliance store where I'd been shopping to ask if I could see a demonstration model. (This isn't a big box/sell everything store - it deals solely in appliances and TV's) They said they had no demo models. Seemed so strange to me since they have a big back room equipped with counters and stools set up to demo their high end brands.
I don't know where I can go to see induction IRL. Online videos are the closest I've been able to get.

I've also found that the biggest turnoff for people who aren't familiar with induction is concern that using one would pose a health risk.

Jad - glad you don't have any buzzing - it is the pans that buzz and not the cooktop itself - and worse on layered pans especially when cold. When the fan is running it is harder to hear. What brand do you have?

I had never heard of induction until my SIL mentioned it - but I thought it was just another glass cooktop. I practiced for a year with a side burner and thought I was ready.

Moebus - thanks for the link to the kettle - I am also looking at NorPro - their basic one. The bigger one looks awesome but you have to pull out it's snout to stop the whistle and that looks problem prone! I was thinking of the LeCreuset Zen but heard they tend to rust...

I wonder if the electric tea kettles use induction to heat the water.

I have so many corded appliances and don't use the tea kettle daily that it should meet my needs.

a2 - I have a Thermador cooktop, and so far I've used stainless steel pans with sandwich disc bases, enamelled cast iron, bare cast iron, and carbon steel, nothing special. There is no buzzing unless I have the power on boost. Then the fan starts up and there is a distinct hum, softer than the vent fan. DH who has excellent hearing also says he can't hear any humming until the power is high.

Cavimum - I think you also have Thermador. Do you hear buzzing noises?

Cheryl

@jadeite - I once heard a barely discernable buzz for a minute or two, until the pan warmed up. There may have been some water on the bottom of the pan. Other than that one experience, our 8 year-old AllClads have been great. I now pay attention to the bottoms of my pots. If they're quite wet, the burner won't work.

@amck - if the only appliance store in town doesn't sell induction, it may not be a good choice for you. Who would service it or make a warranty call? These practicalities of life have to be taken into consideration, in order to make the best overall decision for one's home.

@a2gemini - I have considered an electric teakettle. The ones I have physically looked at appear to have a hidden electric element. My main reason for avoiding them is that the ones I have seen all have some sort of piece of silicone below the water line, whether it be a washer or whatever where something is attached. I do not do heated plastics, silicone, or non-stick anything, neither in my oven or cooking. (and after the OT grammar topic over in KITCHENS, I wonder how that sentence would pass muster. LOL!)

Le Creuset has a stainless steel 'classic' tea kettle that is induction friendly. But be wary. Not all their stainless kettles are induction friendly. Some have that disc glued on the bottom. The ones without are not induction friendly.

Cavimum, I didn't make my point clearly in my post. The appliance store does indeed sell induction ranges. In fact, 2 of the sales reps I've dealt with both own them. However, they do not have a model to demonstrate set up in their demonstration room. They have gas & DF Wolf & Vikings set up in that space.

@amck - I missed that, due to lack of coffee. Gah.

Thanks - Maybe I should have gone Thermador - it was a finalist..

I saw the LeCre without the the disk - I am also looking at NorPro and may still go with the LeCre

Just not sure I want another corded kitchen item right now for the number of times that I use it. The induction heats it PDQ also.

a2gemini - Wolf's customer service is probably a thousand times better than Thermador's. I hope I never have to find out.

I know what you mean about yet another corded kitchen item! I'm hoping I'll get an induction-friendly tea kettle for Xmas. It's on the wish list. Two more weeks and I'll know. The Sunbeam HotShot just does not have the same Zen as boiling water on the "stove."

Strange - my first attempt to reply vanished.

I hear you on the corded appliances; we are sacrificing a little greenness to go with an instant hot water system, which is quickest of all.

Cav- check out these
LeCreuset Zen and NorPro. I am hoping for one of them.

Peter- I am also in the market for a grill pan also vs a panini press. Same reason.

amck - I never saw an induction cooktop in action before I bought mine. And I never even saw my Kitchenaid induction cooktop IRL until it arrived at my house. I also was completely unable to find a demo of a working hood I could listen to anywhere, and Kobe, which I ended up buying, has no dealers in my city so I bought it based on the picture online. OK, so maybe I'm on the lunatic fringe of trusting appliance buyers (lunatic being the operative word). And it would have been better if I could have seen the Kitchenaid in action so I would have known that it clicked. But I hope that not being able to see how induction works won't keep you from getting one, because induction is fantastic.

@Ginny20 - Like you, I never saw an induction cooktop in action before I bought ours, either. I have also bought a lot of cars that I owned & loved for years, without test-driving them.

I always test drove the cars I bought. I test drove induction for about a year before splurging - I bought a basic side burner and it was relatively successful - realizing it wass very under powereed...

If you can find a demo location, I would recommend trying it out.

We have had our induction cooktop for a week (it's a Bosch) and my DH took to it instantly! We had never even seen an induction cooktop, much less demoed it, but took a leap of faith. DH brews beer and he had read that a lot of brewers use induction because it can keep a steady boil. He already made a batch this weekend and was thrilled that it could keep the boil at such an even temperature.

We did buy new cookware (Tramontina all clad) and there is absolutely no buzzing. I have been washing it in the sink rather than the dishwasher because I read somewhere that the transition from hot to cold is what warps the metal and this warpage is what causes the buzz.

If only I could find the perfect machinetta for espresso that is induction friendly....

" I have been washing it in the sink rather than the dishwasher because I read somewhere that the transition from hot to cold is what warps the metal and this warpage is what causes the buzz. "

Really? Seems to me that the fast transition from cold tap water (winter being colder) to boiling point on induction, or winter room temp of 68F to scalding hot for saut�ing, would be far greater than the transition to 135F in a dishwasher. But science was never my strong point, so what do I know.

Our new DW is soooo much better than the old one, that I've been tossing the All-Clad in there and it comes out clean. With no pre-rinsing. Wowzers! That never happened with the old DW and they all had to be washed by hand with BKF.

I think warping is caused when a hot pan is placed in cold water. Something about molecules. Since I have no idea whatsoever what happens inside a dw, I thought it would be better to just play it safe and wash them by hand. It gives me a chance to use my new single bowl sink and just do general futzing around in the kitchen. I am certain the novelty will wear off soon and I will be sticking them in the dw just like I always used to!

"I think warping is caused when a hot pan is placed in cold water."

@jerzeegirl - You're correct. I have always let hot pots & pans cool down before washing, even when washed by hand.

I once saw a cast iron skillet (not mine) break into two pieces. It had come from a campfire after fish was fried, and the guy took it right to the lake to wash it out. In Physics it's called "thermal shock."

jerseegitl: "We did buy new cookware (Tramontina all clad) and there is absolutely no buzzing. I have been washing it in the sink rather than the dishwasher because I read somewhere that the transition from hot to cold is what warps the metal and this warpage is what causes the buzz.

If only I could find the perfect machinetta for espresso that is induction friendly...."

The hottest water in the "sanitize" cycle of even the hottest NSF-certified dishwasher will not be hot enough to threaten warpage of any pot that can survive cooking on the cooktop. Some clad cookeare, however, is not perfectly sealed at all of the edges, so the makers recommend against putting them in the dishwasher lest water get between the layers. We have been throwing Demeyere stainless pots into our dishwasher for a dozen years, with no ill effects. What causes buzzing usually is the frequency of the oscillation of the induction inverter at a specific power level exciting a resonance within the pot. It is affected by the level of liquid in the pot as well, as that can change or dampen the resonant frequencies of the pot as a whole.

As for the moka pot (stovetop espresso or machinetta), Vev Vigano (Italian, of course) makes several models that are induction compatible, which you can find with an online search on induction AND "Vev Vigano". If you can reconcile with the blasphemy of a non-Italian moka pot that is induction compatible, you might want to look into the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Valira Atlantic moka pot