Induction Range

[Jeannie]

We just bought a house and are redoing the kitchen. I have gone down the rabbit hole of researching all kinds of slide in ranges - electric, gas, dual fuel, and induction. I'm leaning toward induction, but after reading reviews, I'm still uncertain as to which brand and model. What brand induction range do you have? What do you love or hate about it?

 

[Stratman50th]

We have a JenAir. Pretty much love everything about it as far as quality and functionality. The cook top is induction and the oven is convection. It was not cheap and I'm always worried about the glass top.
Since you've been researching you know you can't use aluminum, glass or any pots and pans that aren't affected by magnets since that's how it works. Some people are turned off by the fact that they might have to buy all new cookware. We already had pots and pans that worked so it wasn't an issue. The only thing that bothers me, and this is model specific not an issue with the brand- I wish our largest burner was bigger. Some have expansion rings that make the circumference of the burner larger. Ours doesn't. We do have a "bridge" that connects the front and back burner but it doesn't work as well for a large pot/pan. You can put a pot on there as big as you like. It's just that all the "action" is directly over the element.
Hope this helps.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I also have a range with an induction cooktop and convection oven. It's a Frigidaire, we got it when we remodeled the kitchen, ~5 years back.

I had several pans that worked, and several that didn't. The ones that don't work have been put in the attic and slowly donated to college kids (my own).

Mine heats water very, very fast. If you stick your finger in the pot, you can feel the heat increasing. OTOH, when you turn it down--the "power" setting spews like Vesuvius when it gets going--you have to go in stages a bit--if you turn it down to, say, 5, it'll stop boiling. So, you go from P to 8 to 6 to 4 to 2, over the space of a minute if, say, you're cooking spaghetti. I don't find this bothersome, but it's a quirk.

I find with the induction oven, I use the shortest cook time given. The only exception is cookies--I think it's because we use both racks for cookie sheets, so the air doesn't circulate as much. But, the cookies turn out fine. I haven't had any recipe that hasn't worked out fine, with the exception of operator error.

My top burners are different sizes, but they only heat up where a pan is on them, if that makes sense. They cool down very quickly if you take the pot off (longer if you leave it in place, which makes sense).

I don't much care for the digital thermostat, but I think I'm hosed there. It's probably a "me" problem--I have having to push the button a bunch of times (it defaults to 350--if you want 425, say, it goes up in 5 degree increments. It gets old!)

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

 

[MillauFr]

I bought a Bosch when I renovated my kitchen. I was going to get gas but the ventilation requirements were far more strict. I love the glass top. Super easy to clean. My old gas stove was always a mess with spills. Works great. Only thing I don't like is the amount of heating power isn't as intuitive. Sure they have numbers from 0 - 9. But seeing the height of the gas flames was more intuitive.

 

[tvguy]

We have a JenAir. Pretty much love everything about it as far as quality and functionality. The cook top is induction and the oven is convection. It was not cheap and I'm always worried about the glass top.
Since you've been researching you know you can't use aluminum, glass or any pots and pans that aren't affected by magnets since that's how it works. Some people are turned off by the fact that they might have to buy all new cookware. We already had pots and pans that worked so it wasn't an issue. The only thing that bothers me, and this is model specific not an issue with the brand- I wish our largest burner was bigger. Some have expansion rings that make the circumference of the burner larger. Ours doesn't. We do have a "bridge" that connects the front and back burner but it doesn't work as well for a large pot/pan. You can put a pot on there as big as you like. It's just that all the "action" is directly over the element.
Hope this helps.

You don't have to buy new pots and pans for an induction stove. You just buy a couple adapter plates and your aluminum, glass etc pots and pans work just fine.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Inductio...IHAqXobqJRozQI910WRF6QCzujTNqHLhoCQ2IQAvD_BwE

 

[amylevan]

Be forewarned, I had to replace our oven last winter and I wanted an induction stovetop. I couldn’t find one in stock anywhere, ordered the one I wanted from Home Depot and the 2 week delivery time I was given turned into a minimum of 3 months. I ended up canceling the order and going with a traditional cooktop.

I have no idea what the issue was, but I checked many retailers locally here in NE Pa to no avail.

 

[OhhBother]

We had a KitchenAid induction range in our last house. Bought a new house that has Wolf/Sub-Zero appliances, but the stovetop is electric. I'd trade the high-end stuff to have my induction range back. I loved how quickly water boiled. I'll have another one someday!

 

[Deb]

I've had a Frigidaire for a little over 3 years. I love it. Before that I had always cooked on gas, but I moved and was having trouble finding a gas kitchen in my new area.

 

[_19disnA]

I would look for appliances that are similar to the ones you already have. If you switch from gas to electric (for example) you will have to make changes in how you cook things. Convection ovens work for some foods but not others, it isn't just a simply matter of cooking at a lower temperature. Mostly it depends on what your budget is and how much cooking you like to do. Chasing whatever is new/trendy may not yield a better result when cooking/baking.

 

[Deb]

I would look for appliances that are similar to the ones you already have. If you switch from gas to electric (for example) you will have to make changes in how you cook things. Convection ovens work for some foods but not others, it isn't just a simply matter of cooking at a lower temperature. Mostly it depends on what your budget is and how much cooking you like to do. Chasing whatever is new/trendy may not yield a better result when cooking/baking.

My Frigidaire has both standard bake and convection ability. As far as switching from gas to induction, I didn't find it difficult.

 

[Jeannie]

We have a JenAir. Pretty much love everything about it as far as quality and functionality. The cook top is induction and the oven is convection. It was not cheap and I'm always worried about the glass top.
Since you've been researching you know you can't use aluminum, glass or any pots and pans that aren't affected by magnets since that's how it works. Some people are turned off by the fact that they might have to buy all new cookware. We already had pots and pans that worked so it wasn't an issue. The only thing that bothers me, and this is model specific not an issue with the brand- I wish our largest burner was bigger. Some have expansion rings that make the circumference of the burner larger. Ours doesn't. We do have a "bridge" that connects the front and back burner but it doesn't work as well for a large pot/pan. You can put a pot on there as big as you like. It's just that all the "action" is directly over the element.

We put in a JennAir electric glass cooktop when we redid the kitchen in our last house. Other than one tiny scratch, it looked as good on the day we sold the house as the day it was installed almost 20 years prior!

I'm finding that there are differences in how that 'bridge' works on different brands. Thanks for your input!

 

[Jeannie]

I also have a range with an induction cooktop and convection oven. It's a Frigidaire, we got it when we remodeled the kitchen, ~5 years back.

It's good to know you've been using it for that long! It seems Frigidaire is a good choice at its pricepoint

Mine heats water very, very fast. If you stick your finger in the pot, you can feel the heat increasing. OTOH, when you turn it down--the "power" setting spews like Vesuvius when it gets going--you have to go in stages a bit--if you turn it down to, say, 5, it'll stop boiling. So, you go from P to 8 to 6 to 4 to 2, over the space of a minute if, say, you're cooking spaghetti. I don't find this bothersome, but it's a quirk.

Good to know! I think I'll need to practice with some boiling water before I actually try to cook something!
Thanks for your input!

 

[Jeannie]

I bought a Bosch when I renovated my kitchen. I was going to get gas but the ventilation requirements were far more strict. I love the glass top. Super easy to clean. My old gas stove was always a mess with spills. Works great. Only thing I don't like is the amount of heating power isn't as intuitive. Sure they have numbers from 0 - 9. But seeing the height of the gas flames was more intuitive.

Can I ask which Bosch model you have and for how long? I'm leaning toward the Bosch Benchmark.

 

[Jeannie]

Be forewarned, I had to replace our oven last winter and I wanted an induction stovetop. I couldn’t find one in stock anywhere, ordered the one I wanted from Home Depot and the 2 week delivery time I was given turned into a minimum of 3 months. I ended up canceling the order and going with a traditional cooktop.

I have no idea what the issue was, but I checked many retailers locally here in NE Pa to no avail.

Yikes!!! I'm planning on ordering this week. We are having a lot of remodeling and construction done on this house, so I don't think we'll need the range until late October / early November. Hopefully that's enough time!

 

[Jeannie]

I would look for appliances that are similar to the ones you already have. If you switch from gas to electric (for example) you will have to make changes in how you cook things. Convection ovens work for some foods but not others, it isn't just a simply matter of cooking at a lower temperature. Mostly it depends on what your budget is and how much cooking you like to do. Chasing whatever is new/trendy may not yield a better result when cooking/baking

I cooked with gas for 20 years, switched to smooth glass topped electric for another 20, and now have a dual fuel range in the house we just bought. I have no problem adjusting between gas and electric cooktops, but can now confirm that I much prefer the ease in cleaning a glass cooktop!

The ovens in the ranges, at least that I'm considering, are not strictly convection, so that is a non issue. The KitchenAid oven in my former house had convection capabilities, but I just tended to stick with tried and true! I'll probably experiment more now...

Budget is always important, and a fully electric range would be the most economical, but I like what induction offers and it fits within what I'm willing to spend. I cook every day and bake often. I've never been one to chase what's new or trendy. The cabinets I ordered are wood, not painted white/gray/blue/green, and I'm ordering granite, not quartz. Overall I'm looking for functional good looks and quality. I don't want to say "I wish I had bought..." down the road.

 

[MillauFr]

Can I ask which Bosch model you have and for how long? I'm leaning toward the Bosch Benchmark.

We got this one...

Bosch 800 Series 30 Inch Wide 4.6 Cu. Ft. Slide In Induction Range​

Model:HII8056U​