NaRo, You should cross post this to the Appliances forum.
There's been a lot of discussion over there about induction.
Sorry to hear about the tree taking your house out.
That's a tough way to get a kitchen remodel :)

I have a single induction burner while we wait to hook up our stove. It is fairly loud which is ok if the tv is on or there is a lot of background noise. I'd only get induction if you can try it out and hear for yourself. I had second guessed going with propane because of our problems hooking up, but the noise of our burner bothers me, so I am fairly certain it is something I would not want x 4 or 5....

Let him roll his eyes. If you are the primary cook, then you get to make the primary decisions about what you cook on. He doesn't get to have any input, except on budget for said appliance. No "convincing" required. Tell him that's what it's going to be and if he wants you to keep out of his lawn mower purchase he'll shut up and accept it. If he cooks once in a blue moon and doesn't want to cook on the induction, buy him a hot plate and call it done.

I have a E'lux induction cooktop that I love. No problem as far as noise...except with one pan, if it's not very full. A different pan in the same spot is quiet. There can be a little noise on all the hobs when used on the highest setting. But I rarely notice that.

There has to be exhust from a convection oven...the air has to go somewhere. Mine is totally built in, so it comes out the front.

I am in love with our induction cooktop. There is no appreciable noise from our Bosch.

Ovens vent but induction cooktops and rangetops vent so so little. My double wall ovens, electric, vent warm air into the kitchen.

Love my induction too, no regrets. So easy to clean, so fast, what's not to love?

Thanks for the feedback-- I'm still learning my way around the forums. I'll look into the appliance forum, too. Because of the tree smashing the house, I'm having to learn about all kinds of things-- plumbing, shingles, appliances, etc.-- all at once, and it's good to be able to hear from people who have real-world experience with the zillions of options that are out there.

I am curious about the noise of induction cooking-- I'll have to check YouTube and see if I can find an example. Are we talking clicks, pops, ringing noises?

Hubby's actually a better cook than I am, and he's comfortable with a gas range and a Weber grill. But he works much longer hours, than I do, and I get too hungry to wait for him, so I end up cooking most nights.

Best,
N

There are a few different kinds of noise with induction. Fan noise is most noticeable in countertop units but sometimes you can hear it on a built-in. The fan cools the electronics, and is mostly quieter than the fans in a computer tower. Various units have different sounds from the magnets cycling which can include clicking, buzzing and thrumming. If you have ambient noise, such as from conversation, birds, city sounds, and especially your hood fan, you probably won't notice these sounds, though occasionally they do annoy people. The materials and method of installation also seems to affect the sounds and whether they are amplified or dampened.

The most annoying sounds come from cookware, and tend to be high pitched whines, so they're more likely to bug your kids than yourselves. Some adults (esp. post rock and roll) can't hear it at all. Some are as bothered as teenagers. What happens, as I understand it, is where there are different kinds of metal in one pot, they react at different rates and this disparity causes the whining. The way induction works, such as on your All Clad, is that the steel is excited by the magnetic field and heats up, then passes the heat to the copper and/or aluminum. There are also mostly aluminum pans with steel slugs on the bottom which passes the heat to the rest of the pan. These seem to be the worst offenders as far as noise is concerned. I think All Clad is supposed to be pretty good that way, but I don't know how thoroughly it's been kid ears tested. The least likely to whine are cast iron and carbon steel, which don't have other metals in them. Quality clad pans, like yours, work very well with induction, however.

I promise your husband will come around once he gets going with the induction unless he absolutely hates cooking without flames. Induction is very responsive and gives you a great amount of control. You have to be willing to adjust by the position/number rather than flame height however.

Do ask in the Appliances Forum about the range vent, though that's also something you should be able to find out by looking through the manuals online as well. That's very different from a wall oven.

My DH was suspicious too as I have always liked gas and in previous TKO phases was lusting after culinarian and wolf. However what convinced us both was the $100 single unit induction I bought on amazon to use as a temp kitchen while waiting for the remodel. That thing cooks fast, tea in a jiffy.. and keeps the room cool. I researched more online and in the appliance forum. We went to a couple different showrooms to do a trial cooking session. I highly recommend this.. You have to try before committing. I was thinking Miele but went with a gaggenau instead. I will say that I also got a single gas wok unit as we need flame for some of our cooking. But for everyday cooking it is fantastic. Just get good pots and pans.. test with a magnet to see what works. DH loves it now as cleanup is super easy..

I have a Miele induction cooktop and that thing is amazing! DH was not against it, only unfamiliar. Now, after using it for 6 months, he shows it off to anyone new who comes into the house. It's sooo fast, so responsive, and so so easy to clean. Truly the best cooking experiences I've ever had.

I guess the countertop model we have is not the best gauge of the noise level. I finds ours to be annoying at times. It is by Barton if that helps anyone in deciding what to buy.
The fan on it is very loud and continues well after it is turned off. When it finally goes off, it is a big relief.
Sadly, it is the only burner I have to cook on until we straighten out the propane situation. We will be at the one year mark without a stove in 4 days.... sigh....

My husband also rolled his eyes, made noises and really complained about the price.

Three days after having it installed, he told me that we will NEVER have anything else no matter where we live.

One time I mentioned people commenting on the noise it makes (does not bother me at all) he said it could whislte Dixie the whole while it was on and he'd still prefer it.

Ok - he is exagerating, but USING one was what made him a big convert.

As you mentioned, dinalo, the coutertop induction unit is NOT a good example of the noise, (or lack thereof), in my case, of built in induction units.

Here is a video I made with my very Sensitive Mic on my hi def
video cameara. Note the sounds from my breathing, the actual sound of the water boiling, all these sounds far noiser than any noise from the actual induction cooktop itself, including the cooling fan and the hob which is in boost, using the largest hob, and an Emeril ware pan.

The noise that you do hear is my over head hood, directly above the cooktop, if NOT convinced, I can redo the video without the hood fan on, I just didnt wanna "Steam up the cabinets"!

Good luck with Husband, OP!

Click the link below to see the Elux Icon Induction Cooktop boil 8 cups of water.

Gary

Here is a link that might be useful: Boiling water with induction

Mine (Bosch) was just installed. I have yet to put it to a full test since the rest of the kitchen not yet ready.

It's attractive. EASY to clean. Extra counter space.

But there *is* an electric / magnetic buzz that I hear. haven't yet tried to figure out why. Might be the electrician installed insufficient voltage as when same induces buzz with transformers?? Maybe the bottoms of my pans/pots aren't flat enough?

My parents have had one for over a year now. Step dad is an amazing cook and I've used theirs frequently. It's fabulous and doesn't buzz.

Can you find a friend with one installed and give your hubby a chance to cook and clean up a meal? I'll bet he'd be quickly convinced.

We have a GE 36" induction and love it; DH REALLY loves it! If the slight noise that we occasionally get depending on how high the setting is and which pan we're using were bothersome in any way, believe me, he'd constantly comment on it and be really irritated. As far as we're concerned, convection is all positives and no negatives (except for the cost).

Anne

dodge59 Gary, that was really nice of you to make the video. I watched the whole thing as I've wondered about induction cooktops, what they are like. I must say I was distracted by your gorgeous granite!!! Sheesh such beauty. But I digress, that was very interesting and informative. Thanks for taking the time!

I was sucked into the convection ovens when we built our house some 14 years ago now. I was a flight attendant for 10 years and loved working with the convection ovens on the plane. Heating up 30 meal completely frozen racks of entries in 30 minutes was quite an amazing feat back in the days when you got a choice of chicken or beef. But I can say honestly that I NEVER use it at home. It's a Kitchen Aid and it was the first year for them I often wonder if it even ever worked. It seemed to take longer on convection than regular. Had several repairmen here to no avail. So having gone through that I have been skeptical of new tech saying how fast it is but the induction seems to be telling the truth.

Thanks again!
gr8day

It's as quick as gas on the response time, but since the top never heats up, it's very easy to clean. I went to a GE demo when they first came out with their induction tops where the rep placed dollar bills all over the cooktop and then put a pot on top and boiled pasta. He then took off the dollars and replaced it with paper towels. He pan fried some home fries and when he was done spattering grease about, he lifted the pan off, wadded up the paper towels and didn't have to clean a thing. Great demo!

Yep, I did that this morning live wire oak.
I fixed myself bacon, fried egges and fried potatoes.
First I covered the whole induction cooktop with paper towels, then I cooked my breakfast, You can guess what my cleanup was?.

DON"T ever do this unattended thou, if you had a burner on a high setting and you let a pot boil dry, "Said pot" could get hot enough to set off the paper, so always be careful, even with induction.

Gary

We've had the 5-burner Miele induction cooktop for about a year. It's wonderful. We were looking at gas, but our cooktop is in a rather narrow island, so we were a bit afraid of an open flame. We are thrilled with our induction. It's quiet, fast, and cleanup is a snap! Just a quick spray of vinegar and water (50/50) and a good wipe down. The cooktop still looks like it's brand new. It's also great to be able the use the cooktop as more counter space.

Bosch cooktop owner here. Grew up with electric, learned how to cook on gas when I moved out, but I have never enjoyed cooking more than I do now with induction. The ease of clean-up cannot be overestimated. And induction is just FUN to use! I also have slight humming with certain pots, but it is not loud, certainly not heard when the exhaust fan is on, and my husband cannot even hear it at all. It is my favorite appliance and all my friends are waiting for their ranges/cooktops to die so that they can make the switch to induction.

I just got my E-lux induction range the Friday before Thanksgiving. I love it! I have Emeril (made by All-clad) and some cast iron, and a couple non-stick skillets that I can't remember the name of (bought at TJ Max and they were made in Italy) anyhow, there is a slight high-pitched buzz only when the burner is on power-boost. At least that's the only time I have noticed it. When I turn it down to High, I don't hear it. As far as a fan - never notice it. Only hear the fan when the conduction oven is on.

I splattered it up this morning frying bacon/eggs - never occurred to me to cover with paper towels first - great idea!

Also I want to mention that on Thanksgiving - I had almost 15 lbs of potatoes cut up in cold water in my largest stock pot - took less than 10 min (maybe not much more than 5 min) for it to come to rolling boil. Probably would've taken 20+ min on my old coil burners.

"Let him roll his eyes. If you are the primary cook, then you get to make the primary decisions about what you cook on. He doesn't get to have any input, except on budget for said appliance. No "convincing" required. Tell him that's what it's going to be and if he wants you to keep out of his lawn mower purchase he'll shut up and accept it. If he cooks once in a blue moon and doesn't want to cook on the induction, buy him a hot plate and call it done."

Wow. If my husband or I ever spoke to each other so obnoxiously I'm sure we'd no longer be married. Nowhere did the OP say she is the primary cook, so there is a good bit of sexism there as well. (And the lawn mowers in my garage were picked out by ME for MY use - not dh's)

Regarding range choice - I love our Capital range, but dh and I have agreed that our next range will be induction. Thanks to a childhood accident, dh has an inordinate fear of fire. In spite of the fact that I do most of the cooking, I will take his opinion into consideration. I would never tell him to "shut up and accept it"!

I've had my Miele 5 burner induction for about a year. I'm on the "oh my gosh I can't believe how much I love this thing" bandwagon.

Does it ever buzz or hum? Yes, with certain cookware or when I have more than 3 pans going, a little resonance starts up. I can hear it but it's nothing serious and it's a pot thing, not the unit itself. My teenagers don't mind it. At it's loudest, it's just audible, not intrusive at all and it doesn't bother me. As someone stated in another thread--I like the way it cooks and cleans up so much that it could whistle dixie and I wouldn't mind. ;-p

As for covering the thing with paper towels when doing something messy, I thought it was such a cool idea and I have done it exactly once. It's so easy to clean up that it seems like a waste of paper towels, honestly. Spritz, wipe, done. :-) The rest has been said, and I'll second it all. It's great.

Cj