Jessica _ I suggest you stick with what you have now if you want the results to be the same as you have now. You cannot expect a different product to behave in the same manner.

Of course things can stick to non-stick (stainless) pans. If they didn't there would be no need for teflon and and we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Save yourself some agro and get a glass ceramic top.

Food will stick to the grates just like it will stick to the coils you have now if you spill and they are hot. These are tools and require maintenance (cleaning) there's no way round it. Sometimes you can wipe with a paper towel and sometimes it's a scotch brite.

Only you can decide a products worth to you.

One heat source is no better than another for simmering - a BTU is a BTU. The control (low) you get is determined by the designer of the cooktop not the fuel.

Induction is more efficient by a long shot and is usually quicker to cook on in a given cooktop price range than gas or coil. This is not universally true though.

I currently have a 12 year old electric coil range. 12 years ago I did try out the smooth top electric and I did not like it. I will not put a coil range in my new house. It will have a cooktop and wall oven. So the choice is between 36" gas vs 30" induction with 15" gas combo.

I put a DCS gas range in 2 yrs ago. Almost all that has been needed for clean up is a wipe of the grates and I tilt them to wipe the stainless top. Very few times have I actually needed to take the grates off and it was to clean the stainless top better after a major boil over. No sticking on the cast iron grates.

I almost got that exact combination. Instead, I self-imported a 24" Gaggenau induction to go with my 15" Wolf. I love them!

Simmering on induction is great! Simmering on Wolf is great! No problems on either of those. The low on the small Wolf burner is good for simmering a large pot without even moving the knob to the simmer ring.

So, cleaning. The closed cooktop on the Wolf is as easy to clean as any other. If you clean your coils and under your coils, it's a similar process. The grate isn't light, but it's no heavier than the same sized grate on my old cooktop. If you get hard cooked on gunk you can soak it with a wet sponge resting on it until it softens. If you don't get a lot of gunk on it, you don't have to work so hard to clean it, unless your gas is particularly dirty and leaves gunk on the grate and pots. The great thing about induction is that you can clean as you cook because the glass just doesn't get all that hot.

Re pans, some clean better than others. I've never liked non-stick, so can't really compare. If you're concerned you can use enamelled cast iron, which also cleans right up, but, of course, it's heavy. Think of it as a more pleasurable way of lifting weights, which is good for your health. There are also some enamelled steel pots around, though not so many ordinary cookpots. I've seen tiny Le Creuset stockpots that could be used as saucepans. Next best to enamel for ease of cleaning is well seasoned cast iron, though you do have to be careful to maintain the seasoning. It isn't at all hard. Some stainless cleans easily, sometimes it gets sticky messes. Usually, soaking it in with hot water for a time makes anything come off. Plus, a lot of newer dishwashers claim to be able to scrub them.

Whether the money is worth it to you only you can decide. Whether it'll perform the way you want, ditto. I'm confused about which Kenmore you mean. I'm sure it's a perfectly fine appliance. You can't really compare the Wolf gas to Kenmore, however. If it's the Miele induction you're comparing, they're more similar. BTW, Miele actually has 17 power levels, though you have to chose the setting from the "programs".

What about the smooth top did you not like, because induction IS smooth top electric, technically.

If you need/want gas, then I would go all gas and save the money.

Actually it is the 36" KitchenAid Architect Series II KFGU766VSS, if I were to go with all gas. It has the central large burner. There is also a Bosch 36" with center large burner.

Pllog, which do you prefer to cook on, Induction or gas?

Is it the Meile induction which has 17 power settings?

We put in both: a DCS all gas range & a Gaggenau 15" single hob induction cooktop.

This induction cooktop is very powerful, & we use it for bringing big pots of water to boil quickly & to stirfry at high heat. It's also great for making sauces & cooking without any flame heat.

The gas burners are great for our oversize pans, especially when we need more than one burner for deglazing a roasting pan. The DCS has a simmer ring on every burner, & it works better than our induction cooktop for long simmers.

Both the DCS & the Gagg cooktop have been very easy to clean. We've been using them for over 3 years.

The smooth top range we bought 12 years ago actually was tougher to keep clean as spill overs needed to be scraped with a scraper. That is not an issue with induction as the cooktop does not get that heated. But if gas cooktops are not that big deal to keep clean then I'd go for it and save $. Anybody else with gas previously and gone to induction now. Is it worth the extra money?

Jessica, sorry for the confusion. There's way too much pollen for reading! That explains a big reason why I couldn't figure out what you meant. Duh! :)

I started out wanting a Wolf rangetop. That was before I discovered induction. There are some things I really just want gas for, and I love being able to flame things. For everyday cooking I far prefer induction. The control is that much better, and since I've been using cast iron for decades, the pots heat a lot faster. I do like gas and induction both better than electric, but the old coils weren't at all bad to cook on.

With the induction, I do find that the power differences between the different elements is negligible because there's a similar mass difference with the different sized pot/contents. On my old, underpowered, gas cooktop, I hated the different power outputs of the different burners. I think because the two burner Wolf has different sized burners it reminds me better, but since I also use the induction more, there's less time to be annoyed. :) Of course, none of this is an issue if you're thinking of the wok burner, which I'm thinking you probably need considering the comparison.

Yes, Miele has 17 power levels. You can run it as 9 whole numbers, or enter the program code, per the book, and have half steps between them. This is the way most induction cooktops are (1, 1.5, 2, ... 8.5, 9). Miele just doesn't realize how much business they might be losing for not publicizing better that they do too. It's the same amount of power either way. My Gaggenau also has that. Some are listed with another number for quantity of power levels. If it's more than 17 they usually have a separate button for "low" and "high" and some even have a middle. These are for short cuts instead of tapping through the numbers. There are some that have 12 whole numbers instead of 9, and 15 levels might be 12 plus low, middle and high, or something like that. The only way to know for sure is to go on the manufacturer's website and read through all the literature. More power levels means more control.

I'm not trying to push you one way or the other. Budget is an important thing. My setup is actually way less expensive than what I'd originally planned on, and I'm happier with it than I would have been with more.

I can see why you like the KA gas. It looks like it fits all your needs plus being a lot easier on the budget. BTW, it's on big time sale at Universal-akb, and likely elsewhere.

Jessica, I received a set of Farberware pans as a wedding shower gift almost 34 years ago and am still cooking with them. They're stainless steel over an aluminum core. They've cleaned up great all these years. I have burned a few things in them (mostly in the large fry pan), but luckily I have had very few off those "tragedies." I wash all my pans by hand. I just use fairly hot water, dish soap (Dawn works best) and sometimes an SOS pad. If something is especially difficult, I just soak the pan with hot water and a sprinkling (maybe a TBsp or so) of powdered dishwasher soap. My pans aren't magnetic so I don't know if all nonstick pans are this easy to clean, but I've been very happy with mine and dread replacing them when we get an induction cooktop (when we finally do our remodel). HTH.

Jessica,
This thread in the Cooking Forum has a good discussion about cooking with stainless cookware. In October, my Miele was installed and I acquired some SS pieces to replace my old pans. It works well for almost everything but eggs. I have a non-stick skillet for eggs.

I also planned on a 30'' Miele induction and Wolf single gas burner for wok cooking. The expanse of counter/cabinet space, the larger hood and the larger, more powerful hob on the 36'' Miele, not to mention the difference in cost of the between the two set-ups were the reasons I went with the 36'' Miele only. While I don't use a pressure cooker, I have not one regret. I wonder if the cost of a new induction-compatible pressure cooker would be much less expensive than the added expense of the multiple units and larger hood. Just a thought.
HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: cooking in stainless steel cookware

I would almost never make a cooktop decision based on my current cookware, unless it cost thousands of dollars. There are great induction compatible pressure cookers from Fissler, the Swiss Kuhn Rikon, and Fagor. I have both Fissler and Kuhn Rikon models and they both work great on induction, although I prefer the Fissler. The Fissler is heavy and expensive, but it is worth every penny.

The only reason I would get an additional gas hob would be an ultr-high output model for wok cooking, or one for open grate grilling.

Greg

I bought a portable induction cooktop  Waring professional with 1400 watts power and 7 settings and magnetic stainless steel cookware. The cooktop does heat up fast but then it cycles. I am not able to simmer on the lowest setting. I cooked rice, it cooked too fast and stuck onto the bottom of my stainless steel pan even on the lowest setting. I canÂt keep warm at the lowest setting like I do with my electric coil range. I fried lamb chops and it heated quiet fast however it started cycling at the high setting and would go from very hot to less hot then back to very hot. It did not have even heating. I am hoping this is the case because this is a portable unit and this does not happen on the bigger induction cooktops. I fried eggs in a stainless steel frying pan and it stuck to the bottom. I just bought the Circulon infinite nonstick cookware to see how that works. At the high setting the cooktop does get noisy.

Please do tell me that the bigger induction cooktops do not cycle like the portable induction. Are you able to cook rice without burning the bottom at the lower settings? Also are you able to keep food warm at the lowest setting.

I love the ease of cleaning. I do lot of Indian food cooking that requires frying onions till brown and then frying spices and tomatoes which causes a lot of splattering of grease. So my cooktops get quite messy. I love how easy this is to clean, but I need to be able to cook well on it. My current electric cooktop is a pain to clean and am afraid that gas will be even more painful and hence am attracted to induction.

I was actually thinking of getting the 2 burners wolf gas module with 30" Miele indution. I do need gas not only for pressure cooker (Indian type which whistles - 2 whistles and I turn off the heat and it cooks inside with the steam) also for glass corning ware which I use for some recipes in combination with microwave. Hence I need gas.

I think induction is easier to clean hands down. Now grease will splatter on top of the stove no matter what but at least you don't have to take all the burners apart to clean. No comparison. I have not been brave enough to put newspaper under my skillet when I cook bacon -- I'd love to try it though because what I find a pain to clean is the control panel on my Kenmore induction slide-in -- it always looks smeared.

The other day I was at my mother's and my niece wanted a hot dog. I put it in a pan of water on my mother's Kenmore gas stove. It was a amazing how long it took to come to a boil and how spoiled I've become with the speed of induction.

As for cooking rice, on my old electric smoothtop, I'd bring the water/rice to a boil, turn it down and cover it -- inevitably, it would boil over and cause a mess. On my induction range I have it down pat but it did take some practice. The first couple of times I did not turn it down enough and rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. It NEVER boiled over though.

Jessica-

This is a peculiarity of your portable induction unit. It has zero bearing on standard large induction cooktops. I have 2 induction cooktops and neither cycle. As a matter of fact they excel at low temperature constant heating.

If you don't mind spending considerable money on the highest quality fry pans (both regular and non-stick), I would get the Fissler Ultimate skillet set. It is perfect for induction cooking and includes an 11" diameter Crispy Steelux frypan for high heat cooking (perfect for steaks and fast low-fat frying at high temperatures), an 11" diameter non-stick (Protect-all)Steelux frypan (by far the best I have ever used), a great stainless splatter shield that can clip onto the frypans if you desire, and a plastic spatula. MSRP $329.

The non-stick pan is perfect for cooking eggs and other low to medium heat cooking.

Greg

What induction cooktops do you have?

I have a cooktek that can operate at very low power. but many of the countertop units don't have as many levels so don't work as well at low power.

I have some of the Circulon pans. I find them to be noisier than the Allclad I have.

I also have no problem putting a papertowel underneath a pan when frying bacon. High heat for long periods can lead to scorching, but I don't usually need High heat for much, and not for very long.

Jessica-

I have just bought the new Thermador 5 burner induction unit with all the bells and whistles. It is the most powerful unit on the market and has a center burner capable of having a 4,600 watt output, which about 1,000 more watts than any other cooktop.

Performance
Largest (13") and most powerful (4600W) round heating element on the market
Sensor Dome - retractable sensor meaures the heat of the pot and keeps the temperature consistent
CookSmart® - 9 pre-programmed cooking modes
Speed Heating - Induction cooktops heat 50% faster than traditional gas cooktops
Industry exclusive triple zone - accomodates multiple size pans with 3 diameter sizes
PowerBoost allows the maximum power level to be exceeded in the shortest period of time

Convenience
Two Timers - Auto Shut Off Timer available for all elements enables user to set desired cooking times. Separate kitchen timer also available.
Keep Warm function allows meals to remain ready to serve

Safety:

Pan Recognition - Element will not turn on if other small objects are placed on the cooking zone
Anti-Overflow System - exclusive feature prevents spills by automatically shutting off and sounding alarm when liquids are detected on surface
2-step digital control panel indicates when elements are hot or very hot
Child safety lock

There are less expensive induction units that are also good such as Miele. But the price differential isn't huge.

Greg

Thanks for the info on Thermador. I will look it up.
Has anyone used the Burton Induction Cooktop Interface Stove Top Cooking Disk that allows you to use any cookware? It may not be as efficient but would it be ok for occasional use with glass cookware?

Everyone says it doesn't really work and isn't worth the money, but I don't have personal experience.

Couldn't you just make a bain marie with a frying pan full of water and heat your glass cookware in that? I'd think there would be better heat transfer without having to buy an extra gizmo. (I don't know--I only put my glass in the oven or MW.)

I don't have similar things I make (didn't know you could fry onions in glass either) so am really guessing, but could you start the onions in a cast iron casserole, transfer some to a microwave dish and do the curry paste, then return it to the pot you started in to finish?

For the other things, you would just have to be aware which ones you want to reheat on the stove and do those in induction able pots, and save your corning for the microwave.

It's true you might have to rethink how to do a lot of things you're really used to with induction. That, in itself, might be enough to make you choose gas.

Hi Jessica,

We also cook Indian food most of the time, and building a new home. The builder only offers KitchenAid, Jenn Air, Viking and Wolf appliances. We are thinking of going with Induction all the way with unframed 36" Wolf Induction cooktop. Did you get the Induction cooktop? Which one did you get? What is your experience with Indian food?

Thanks,
Nikita

Hi Jessica,

I just found your original posting and also wondering where you are now in your process? I am also considering installing both induction and gas hobs after a less than totally satisfactory experience with a countertop induction unit. I liked a lot about the induction unit, much better than the smooth-top electric in the rental house in which we are living while our new home has been in planning and now construction phases. But when the oven failed and the landlord asked if I wanted it replaced with a gas stove, I said "YES", and haven't used the induction countertop again.

The responses you got have helped a lot with some of the problems I encountered (granularity of control, cycling), but I'm still not convinced about the problems I had with my cast iron pans, my go-to pans for much of my stove-top cooking. These well-seasoned jewels cooked unevenly and things stuck badly; they even lost their seasoning. I have since learned that I may have heated them too quickly or maybe it was the characteristics of the countertop unit but I am leary of totally relying on construction.

Our new house is planned as all-electric (highly energy-efficient and with PV solar). There is no gas on the property although it is nearby in the street. Running a gas line just for my one gas burner seems a little extravagant.

So decision time is here. I'm leaning much as you were in your original posting - 30" induction and single gas burner (looking at the Miele 12" or 15" combiset unit), with a 48" hood. This is more than I really need; I rarely use more than 3 burners at a time but really want to be sure I have a large (I don't mean to hi-jack your posting but could use some of the info you may have gained and the decision you made. Also comments from anyone else on possibilities for induction cooktops with less than 4 burners but with at least one large one.

Since Diva left the market, I think 30" is the smallest in the U.S. until you get down to modular dominoes (12-15"). Gaggenau has a large element on a domino but it's disgustingly expensive and uses a lot of cabinet space. They sell a lot of 24" models in Europe, not just the one I got.

Jessica,

Could I suggest, if you really like your coils to cook on (I don't blame you, by the way, I prefer gas, but if I need electric it will be coils) you may want to look into a coil cooktop with wall oven instead of a coil range. All of the major manufacturers still make them, they are very reasonably priced, and look really good in stainless. I saw a Maytag 36 inch unit with 5 burners which looked quite nice. I find the idea of induction appealing, but I love my cookware and would not want to change it, and most induction uses buttons instead of knobs, and I much prefer to twist a knob to adjust than press a touchpad button over and over...

That said, I have had coil electrics, open and sealed burner gas, and smoothtop. The smoothtop was difficult to clean, it was totally horrible to cook on. Coils seem to take more cleaning than my gas stoves have, but are relatively similar.

Josh

Is someone experiencing power recycle on Wolf Induction cooktop? On Consumer Reports forum someone had complained that the person cannot fry the egg as the cooktop switches to power recycle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Consumer Reports Forum Link