I moved from a house we remodeled with gas to one with induction that needs remodeling. For cooking, both have about the same appeal (after you learn). For cleaning--and this is my family's weak spot--induction is better.

As we aren't likely to become neater, we will do induction again, even though fire is very fun. If I had a bigger kitchen, I'd do both.

Thanks Fori :-)

I agree that Gas has a certain charm that Induction lacks, but one of the reasons IÂm leaning toward Induction is the cleaning issue.

If I had a bigger kitchen, I'd do both.

I did see someone on here had Induction and Gas side-by-side. IÂm at a loss to understand this though. What would you need the Gas for? The only thing I can think of is charring peppers  something I have never done. My husband is loath to give Gas up completely though and was intrigued by the idea of both.

>What would you need the Gas for?

Oh golly, I don't have gas and don't even like it, but I do envy all the things you can do with it. You can start a Moroccan tagine in the clay on gas, for instance, for the braising before it goes into the oven. Can't do that on induction (or on plain old electric, which is what I have.) There are so many things you can do on gas that don't work with flameless sources but I guess it depends on how you cook.

Gas has FIRE! C'mon, what more needs to be said? =) A wok works better on gas, but you can still stirfry with proper cookware on induction. I think there are other things (marshmallows? blackouts?) where gas is superior, but nothing I cook. Induction does make candymaking dangerously easy, both in eliminating the need for a double boiler as well as cleanup.

Induction has been good in our small kitchen as a work surface, too. If it were gas, I'd lose about a quarter of my counter. The CLEAN part of counter, I might add...

You can start a Moroccan tagine in the clay on gas, for instance

I donÂt know what a Moroccan Tagine is  but IÂm sure I would like it. :-)

ItÂs my understanding that there is a learning curve with Induction. For example, couldnÂt I just put my 12" sauté pan on the induction surface and the clay of Tagine on that?

Part of me really wanted one of those big double oven gas ranges with the 6 burners that I see in many of the kitchens on this site. IÂm just not sure the kitchen will accommodate that.

I wonder what the cost difference would be? Induction + double wall ovens + all new cookware vs. Big double oven gas range... You think itÂs a toss up?

Um, writersblock, can you come over to my house and cook for me please? I don't even know what a Moroccan tangine is but it sounds wonderful!

To answer jeri's question, I had an electric smoothtop in my last kitchen (didn't like), and gas before that (liked a lot), and now that I have induction I don't ever want to be without it in a kitchen. My reasons are the same as fori -- works just as well if not better than gas and cleaning is easy-peasy!

If I had oodles of room and money, I would put in a powerful wok burner next to my induction cooktop all under a huge powerful hood, just for the 2 or 3 times a year when we lose power. I recently purchased a cast iron wok and it's worked so well for stir fry that I'm even happier with my cooktop.

The only learning curve I've experienced is remembering to use the flat of my finger instead of the tip to work the controls. Oh, and not to wander off when I'm boiling water because it's so fast.

Erika

>For example, couldnÂt I just put my 12" sauté pan on the induction surface and the clay of Tagine on that?

No, not really. It would be like trying to cook in a romertopf inside a saute pan, if that makes a more coherent image. (A tagine has a round clay bottom half with a funnel shaped top. The steam condenses and runs back down into the bottom as the meal cooks in the oven after the first browning is done on the stovetop.)

Here is a link that might be useful: tagine

I should say that I would certainly give up my tagine for induction if it were an option for me. :)

After seeing an induction demonstration one day, I really struggled when it came time to make appliance decisions. I have had a smooth top electric for years (hated it) and was really looking forward to gas in the new house.....and then I met Induction. VERY cool!! So I was really torn! But in the end, gas won. The biggest reason? I want to be able to cook when the power goes out, which in my rural area happens fairly often. One winter we had no power for almost a week. After being in this house for 6 months and cooling on that wonderful gas cooktop, I do not regret my decision for a second.

I think IÂm sold on Induction. I saw one this evening with a bridge element. I think it was a Wolf? Has anyone used an Induction with a bridge element? I do like using my long grill pan (a la Rachel Ray) Â and think the bridge element would be a plus.

Ccoombs  Where did you see an Induction Demo? I bet if my husband saw one he would be convinced.

I'm confused! I understand the speed and the fine control of induction esp vs electric. But I'm not getting the "easy to clean" rational. I see that some of you have had electric glass tops and are happy with the induction. I can't stand my electric smoothtop, not so much because of the cooking but because it is a pain to clean. Spatters get baked on and it just always looks messy unless I've just cleaned it. Tomorrow I'm about to make jam and I live in mortal fear whenever I'm making something sugary that a spill or boilover will pit the glass. Isn't it the same issue with the glass induction top?

The induction top does not get hot so in theory (for me, mines not installed yet) it wouldnt' bake on.

Gbsim  I have zero personal experience  but from reading  get thisÂ

You could cover your Induction stove top with a sheet of wax paper and put your pan directly on top. So if you are cooking something like jam that you know is a problem, isnÂt this an easy solution? You couldnÂt do this with gas or electric.

jeri, that bridge element is so nice! I wish I had one.

I don't think you could use wax paper because the wax would melt, because there is residual heat. I know that people do use paper towels and silicone mats. I don't use anything, although yesterday when I filled my pasta pot too full and it boiled over, it was so nice to be able to wrap my dishtowel around the bottom of the pot to soak up the water with no risk of it burning.

I think the reason that the glass top is so easy to clean/keep clean is because it's the cookware that heats up. There is residual heat on the burners but they don't get nearly as hot as the pans.

gbsim, I've never made jam, but since the induction top is made of glass, I'm thinking there could still be a risk of it pitting, not sure. I did spill sugar syrup which sat for a few minutes -- no damage and cleaned up easily. I haven't made candy yet, but I'd probably spread paper towels just to be safe. In my old kitchen I had an electric smoothtop that I also struggled with keeping clean. Barkeeper's Friend was my best friend.

>I'm thinking there could still be a risk of it pitting, not sure.

Yes, ceran is ceran and if you don't get stuff like sugar off it, it pits regardless of what melted it in the first place.

Right! Not wax paper  butcher paper! I read this somewhere  IÂll have to take better notes.

But I do love the idea of wrapping a towel around the pot and not worrying about it catching fire. I truly am sold. Now I just have to convince my DH

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Have I told you all how happy I am to be here? This is a really fun place to hang out. :-)

Ok, here's what my user manual says:

"Do not allow solid or liquid sugar, pieces of plastic or foil to fall on the burners when they are hot. If these residues are allowed to cool on the ceramic surface pitting or even cracking may occur."

Oh, I'm the odd one out here, though I'm not alone. I've had my induction in for about 6 months now and I hate it as much as the day it was installed. Give me gas any day. Won't go into the reasons as a quick search of this forum and the appliances forum will bring you to my past posts on the issue.

Good luck w/your DH Jeri! I didn't win this one w/my DH and it was plain old electric vs induction! I did win a concession from him to have our cooktop outlet wired to support induction for someday...

(He thought it was "too new" even when I told him it was old news in Europe...plus it was a couple of thousand dollars more & we'd have to buy new cookware since ours will not work w/induction.)

If money were not object, I would get both. : )

I had gas for 7 years and then went on to induction in this new home; I would never go back to gas. I had a wolf cooktop with grill and griddle and 4 burners, now I have the 36 inch miele induction, cleaning is a breeze, I wipe as I go so I've never had to deal with a sticky mess, yet....

I am an induction convert and I make jam every spring/summer.

If your pot is big enough you shouldn't have any splattering but if you do just clean it up as you go with a sponge and some warm water or cook on brown paper bags.

Frying and sauteing can be a huge mess. I just open out a brown paper bag from the groceries, put it under the pan and cook away. When I'm done, I roll the bag up and toss it in the recycling and the cooktop is as clean as when I started.

And you should of seen my friends face the first time she saw me to that. LOL I think she wants one now too just for how easy it is too clean

I am moving away from my kitchen with its De Detriech cooktop. The "new" house had a 6 burner Viking range. I had it removed, and I'm installing another De Detriech cooktop and another wonderful Fisher Paykel oven. No way would I go back to gas voluntarily. It isn't just the easy clean-up that appeals to me. Cooking without wasting energy is important. Cooking without heating up my kitchen is important. And I love the individual timers on zones that turn off heat before things overcook. I could go on and on. I LOVE induction!

loves2cook, that's a great idea! I'm definitely going to try that the next time I make tempura!

>toss it in the recycling

I'm curious about this. Where I live the oil splatters would make it not recyclable--that's not a problem where you are?

Jeri, I'm not sure if mine was the kitchen you saw that has both gas and induction. We have a four burner gas stove with a grill in the middle, plus a two hob induction.

The rationale was this. I always thought I wanted gas, especially after living with a subpar electric coil range for 18 years. I discovered induction on GW, and, like many have mentioned here, was really intrigued by it, especially the fine control. DH was pretty set on gas and so was I (especially since I was completely sold on a Blue Star), so since I didn't know anyone who had first had experience with induction, and we had the room to do both, we did.

I have to say I LOVE having both. The induction makes the best oatmeal, boils water (for tea, pasta, etc) extremely fast, and simmers at a very low heat beautifully, which I love for soups, stews, etc. But I also love having the power of gas, and although we havenÂt used the grill frequently, itÂs a very nice feature to have. Plus, with our set up, itÂs very easy for us both to be cooking at the same time and not get in each otherÂs way.

If I had to do it over, I'd do the same thing again.

BTW, I often use a tea towel when I'm making pasta in case of spills and so far haven't really had to buy new pans specifically for the induction, as most of our existing pans work. I will have to try the paper bag trick!

Eliz

I was impressed with induction too, except that I had to have gas to make rotis(Indian flatbreads), roast eggplant and peppers and for general kadai(Indian wok) cooking. Ideally, as fori said, it would be nice to have both. But, we don't/could'nt splurge, so bought the 30" gas cooktop, that we absolutely adore.

For my upcoming kitchen redo, I had initially planned to have both induction and gas, but had to cut out gas due to budget considerations. I wanted gas for the same reason that Kamla mentions above - to make phulka (roti that is partially roasted on a pan, then finished on an open flame; it puffs up nicely and the inside of the flatbread is cooked on its own steam). However, currently I make phulka on my electric stove by placing a steel grid over the electric coil (as shown here). It works perfectly, so I am wondering if I can replicate the same trick by using a cast-iron grid (like this one) on an induction element. All that is needed for the phulka is direct high heat. Cannot wait to try it!

hi smallkitchen, i hope you will post an update once you have tried it. I have one of those steel grids as well but I am switching to induction. I don't make chapatis too often but in my new kitchen I plan to cook more so it will be useful to know how you work around that. Thanks

Induction is simply awesome..and no more cooking with Teflon nonstick poison:)

I still use nonstick pans (for certain things) on my [awesome] induction cooktop. Not Teflon, but definitely non-stick surface. I think it matters more what you're cooking in it than the fact that the source of heat is induction, or gas, or other electric.

Induction is amazing. I love being able to boil water in seconds flat. And it's so easy to clean the cooktop. If I want to grill peppers or the power is out or something--I have a gas grill outside. I'd be really sad if we moved somewhere and it had gas in the kitchen.