No point in getting gas - since you already have electric, just get induction this time around. If you do a search on here, you'll find out how much people who have induction (me included) love it. You'll get the glass cooktop you like, induction which is at least as responsive as gas (I think even more so) and you won't have to add gas service.

Just seconding the recommendation to get induction. It's amazingly responsive and super easy to clean, much more so than a standard glass electric cooktop.

Oh my gosh sjhockeyfan is so right, induction is awesome! The difference in your old glass cooktop and induction is like a Model T Ford compared to a Rolls Royce. My new induction looks beautiful, cleans like a breeze, boils water in the blink of an eye, and is just plain fabulous. It won't make you Martha Stewart but you will be delighted with it.

Yes. Induction! I have cooked on all three and induction wins hands down for me.

Well, I agree that induction is great. So is gas. Electric under glass, not so much. The change to either gas or induction actually could make you a better cook because you have more control and better heat, but the biggest part of learning to cook is starting at the beginning, not undertaking things that are beyond what you know how to do, and being willing to fail.

It also helps, in my mother's words, if you know how to eat. When you start off, cook things with a known outcome. Taste your ingredients. Have the patience to follow all of the directions precisely. Don't substitute things. If the recipe calls for something you don't know how to do, watch a YouTube video on that method a bunch of times first. If you can, practice when it doesn't matter (no company coming), or when you have time to make mistakes.

If you just don't have time to learn to cook, you can start by learning to alter. For instance, if you make boxed pasta with jarred sauce, cut up some vegetables to add to it. Saute them first until they're tender, but still appealing. Crunchier is better for most people than more cooked. Then add them to the sauce. As you get good at that, you can add some canned diced and/or crushed tomatoes to the vegetables instead of adding your vegetables to the sauce, add pepper, and some salt if your can doesn't have a lot in it already, and some Italian Herb seasoning mix. You've just made sauce! Want it tomatoier? Add some tomato paste. How much? Taste it! Soon you'll be growing your own herbs and using them fresh. :)

Now that you can make sauce, you can make meatballs in sauce. Etc.

An induction cooktop probably costs more than a gas one, and you might need to buy new pots (though the inexpensive induction compatible ones get good reviews here), but if you have to run the gas line, it's probably a wash. It probably isn't in the kitchen if your house is less than fifty years old, though it's possible. If you have a raised foundation, and it's not a finished basement, you can probably see the lines under the house. There also might be some kind of record on file with the city planning department which says.

Do check the Appliances forum for lots of discussion of induction. It could make you a very happy cook, which could also make you a better one, and would be an easier replacement.

I'm not much of a cook, and I still love my induction cooktop! I have the Tramontina triply from Walmart. They work great. I would never spend the money on All Clad or Demeyere etc because I just don't care enough about cooking.

I certainly love my induction range. It does everything the others mentioned. A much easier clean up than the old ceramic cooktops too.

Induction is much easier to clean than gas.

Thanks for your quick responses. I just looked up induction cooktops, and wow, they are pricey! Do you think that if I wait for a while they will get cheaper?

I don't know. I bought a reasonably priced frigidaire range so I never researched the cooktop prices. I would ask in the appliances forum as they sometimes have rumors, etc about what is in the pipeline. Or they might even have a currently available suggestion for you.

I think being a good cook means you can work with just about anything and get satisfactory results. Don't know that it works the other way around -- necessarily. Better tools will make it easier to control you cooking, but you still need to have the skill set and after that a sense of timing, flavors, etc. If cooking is easier, you may get into trying more and learning more -- so where are you in that circle?

The way to see if you are already plumbed for gas is to look where the appliances connect -- typically at the wall, and see if there is a gas connection (a small nozzle with a shutoff valve -- should be capped if there is nothing connected to it. If there is no gase there, you have to look at the nearest location -- probably your water heater or laundry room. Then you want to look at the attic or crawl space, if you can, and see where the gas line runs -- how close to the kitchen it comes. It could just be a matter of tapping up from under the floor or dropping a line from the ceiling. Those are easy to do if remodeling and may not take much more if you aren't. If the lines aren't close, it might be more than you want to get into.

If you go induction, you might need to upgrade the electrical circuit.

Either chose could require some new cookware. Gas sometimes requires better heat distribution and induction requires magnetic bottoms -- and flat bottoms.

I might be an odd one out on this forum because of the induction range thumping that seems to be going around.

I'm a huge gas cooking person. I looked at induction as a possibility but ruled it out mainly due to the fact that you need certain types of pots and pans to cook on them. I also feel like I'm just a traditionalist sometimes.

I'm not saying induction isn't the proper choice for your kitchen, but gas is a great cooking device. All three of my ranges are gas, and I just upgraded one from an old electric and have never been happier. It's really a matter of picking the right top. Some gas ranges aren't great, some are amazing, it just depends what is in your budget.
But whatever heating element you pick isn't going to "make you a better cook". The only way to advance your culinary skills is to keep on practicing and learning. You could have a 10 thousand dollar range, or an 800 dollar range, and it wouldn't make a difference in the ability of the chef. If you burn scrambled eggs, you're going to burn scrambled eggs on any cooktop. It's pretty easy to advance in cooking skills just watching youtube videos and reading cookbooks on how to make the items you most love.

I'm glad you're reaching out and researching what may be best for you in the future. I think the general opinion is that cooking on a coiled electric range is just a huge PITA. I'm a pretty decent cook and always had overheating issues with my old electric coil range.

Good luck!

Induction is overpriced and underrepresented in the US.
Ikea has a $1K 30" cooktop. One to choose from. On the Ikea UK site there are seven different choices all less. A regular appliance site over there like pricerunneruk has 375 to choose from.

What happens to induction if the grid goes down? Gas still works and some can be coverted to propane if that's an option.

OP is used to electric and likes her extra working space. I think induction would be a good choice for music teacher. Gas makes noise and heats the kitchen. The noise is steady but louder when blasting a pot of water.
Induction makes noise but is harder to hear when the fan is running.

MusicTeacher- induction is more than plain electric but will help decrease utility costs as you don't heat the room- only the pan. OK - stretching a bit as gas/electric would help heat the kitchen in the winter.

I have induction and it is fun to use and I don't cook myself when I use it. A lot of GW like their Bosch units.Fridgedaire also makes Electrolux and should be similar. Not sure of the costs.

Any ferrous pan(magnet sticks) should work. As for power loss, you have been dealing with this already. In the summer, I use the grill and in the winter- too cold to stay home anyway (upper Midwest)

I didn't go with elux as I saw an old ceramic electric cooktop that was a mess- what I didn't realize is induction cooktop doesn't get as hot, so keeping it clean is a breeze. I would recommend purchasing a silicone mat to knead your bread.

There is a learning curve- but worth it in the end

If you can go to a demo center to test induction, it is worth it. Your ears are probably more sensitive than most (although I am bothered by fluorescent lights but love my induction- sounds and all)

Have fun!

jgopp, you aren't alone. If I had a larger kitchen, I might have considered an induction module, but didn't want to rule out most of my pans and have a cooktop I was told could be permanently damaged if you dripped sugar on it. Now I don't know if it was only sugar or sugary things but I remembered sugar being an issue because we do canning and I occasionally make candy and syrups or jams will get dripped. And I had had gas before and liked it. Never been that happy with electric in any of the forms I'd had. When Ike blew through here, we were one of the families that could still boil water to make coffee or cook indoors (subject to not requiring the vent) for the days the electricity was out. I also know that gas burners will last for decades and I haven't seen that kind of longevity out of most electronics. I've never considered gas noisy and if induction has a high pitched hum or a buzz, that would drive me crazy.

musicteacher, I do believe you would love induction. I would sacrifice somewhere else before giving up that opportunity. I have the basic 30" Bosch (which even the big box stores sell) and could not be more pleased. There are almost always rebates that help a little on pricing and sometimes the Sears Outlet will have great buys. I would rather go back my old to oak-trimmed laminate countertops than cook on gas or conventional electric. It cooks amazingly and then it takes me 2 minutes to clean my cooktop after even the messiest meal.

I know that for some people gas is necessary and it cooks just fine -- far better than conventional electric -- but I deeply dislike using it and feel that, especially if you live with small children, anyone with impaired cognition (me, someday) or unruly pets, there is a huge safety upside in using induction. You can drop a dishtowel on the hob and nothing will happen. I fried fish on newspaper the other day. No cleanup, really. With gas, and even conventional electric, you get cooked on food, etc., to clean. I found cleaning gas grates a horrid, horrid chore.

Induction will save electricity, as a2g so wisely points out. And a big upside for me is that it requires far less oomph in terms of a range hood as there is no excess heat to vent, only smell and grease. I hate the racket of a range hood. You may have to upgrade your electrical circuit a tad to handle the power pull on induction. There is a huge amount of info over on GW's Appliance Forum and many experts who can guide you. Gas will always have some fans, and for some good reasons, but in general people are moving to induction. It has been common in Europe for years. The US has been slow to adapt.

But will it make you a better cook? Not really, nor will gas. I know a few of chefs and gourmet cooks who, for various reasons, cook on conventional electric at home.

I like gas, and power outages are common here nearly year round I swear, so it was a no brainer. A generator runs my fridge, and my gas just works (propane).

What does "induction range thumping" mean? I have never heard that expression before.

I currently have a radiant cooktop like you. It's in a island on a slab foundation, so running gas to it would be extremely disruptive and costly.

I just bought the new Bosch 800 series 30" from Lowes for 1458 before tax. Also got 6x reward points towards Southwest flights, which was serendipitous with an upcoming summer vacation!

I don't have it yet, but got the Ikea 365+ cookware and it's much nicer to use on my current radiant. More even heating and I don't have to bend to see if the bases are within the circles. Their shape allows you to tell where they are on the cooktop much better than the Revereware we have. I also have some All-clad and a Cuisinart skillet that's induction ready. Homegoods is a great place to find pieces.

We're in a very hot and humid area. The less heat being thrown into the kitchen, the less grumpy I get from sweating! I've thought about getting a propane camp stove for power outages (we get hurricanes) but we can also grill year round here.

Edit: Take a look at how many amps you have for your current top. If the one you get needs a higher circuit, you're wiring may need to be replaced before installing the circuit it needs. If your new one is lower, then you can switch out to the correct breaker.
I needed a 30 amp cooktop unless I wanted to hire an electrician to install new wiring. Bosch JUST came out with the top that fits my current breaker.

This post was edited by alex9179 on Mon, Jun 2, 14 at 9:54

I have both a gas range and induction cooktop in my kitchen. If you haven't cooked on gas before and have nothing to compare it to, then get an induction cooktop. It is easy to clean and has the responsiveness of gas. Just research the brands well.

Well said. Think about just one thing, cleaning the gas stovetop.

Clean in all the nooks and crannies of the grates. Lift the grates. Sometimes soak the grates in the sink. Scrub the grates. Clean, scrape, wipe whatever is under the grates. Steel wool, sometimes. How long does that take?

Do you hesitate to fry or otherwise cook something messy?

Induction-spray with non ammonia Windex. Wipe. Done.

I have gas in a vacation house. Induction in my regular house. Had an old coil electric-phooey.

Re SUGAR, as Lascatx pointed out, it's not sugar itself that's the problem. It's crystals. Salt is just as bad, as are any other kinds of crystals. BUT, only when you scrape the glass with them. And that's not going to be any different than any other glass-ceramic cooktop.

Since induction doesn't get the surrounding cooktop very hot (just the part touching the pot, which gets its heat from the pot), you can clean up anything at any time while cooking. If you spill sugar or salt the cooktop along with your pot, just grab a sponge or paper towel or whatever and wipe it up.

What happens if you don't wipe up the crystals is you can put a pot down on them, then slide it, causing pressure, and pressing the crystals into the glass can make tiny scratches. I used to wonder what the big deal about scratches was: It's that the scratches can then turn into score lines, like when the glass man draws a line with his wheel. The glass is still whole, but continued knocking can make a fissure where the scratch extends down through it. The fissure becomes a line along which it can break.

Clean up the crystals instead of putting your pots down on them and sliding them around, and there's no problem at all. Except if it's liquid sugar from candymaking. Then, wait until it's not hot enough to burn you before you clean it up. Sugar burns are nasty. The liquid sugar won't hurt your cooktop unless you go pushing it around with your pot trying to find recrystalized bits to scratch with.

I have both gas and induction, too. Both have good points. A simple gas cooktop will also last longer than induction, though down the road you might have to have the igniters serviced. Do get a model that allows you to light it with a match if the electricity or igniters fail. OTOH, you might think induction is worth the extra money, especially if you have to run a gas line (which could even be there, capped, without a bib showing).

I've cooked with gas, electric coil, smoothtop electric, and now induction. I would say that induction is my favorite of all.

Gas - cleaning issues. Not that you can't clean it...it just takes longer. And I'm lazy.

Electric coil - Cleaning AND control negatives. Did I mention that I'm lazy? And apparently, I have control issues as well.

Smoothtop electric - Control negatives. Cleaning much easier than the prior two. Electricity out, so is your cooking. Can act as additional counter space.

Induction - Great control and super easy to clean. Can act as additional counter space. As others mentioned, potential negatives: can scratch the top (but if you've been using a smoothtop already, you know about this). Electricity outages. Need magnetic cooking vessels (for me, I had this mostly covered well before moving to induction). May have some "clicks" when it's being used, but these are typically covered by the exhaust fan being used at the same time.

Again, I've been very pleased with our induction cooktop so far. If I had it to purchase over again, I would. Although, ours has stainless steel "bars" at the front and back, which makes it slightly more difficult to clean...I would definitely look for a cooktop without those this time.

I think from reading your OP that you would really like an induction cooktop. And since you are used to the smooth electric top you would feel right at home with it. Someone might convince you to get gas and then I'm afraid you would feel uncomfortable about using it. That definately would not encourage you to cook more or experiment with new recipes.

I could go on an on about induction. I have had a gas range, a regular electric cooktop and now induction. By far induction is my favorite because of the amazing speed and control, low simmer, no flame to make you sweat standing there, it's more energy efficient, easier to clean, gives you the extra flat surface for prepping, can't catch a dishtowel on fire, don't need as powerful of a vent, doesn't heat the room up so much, and you don't have to run a gas line. If you get induction you are going to be amazed how fast you can bring a big pot of cold water to a rolliing boil.

I live on the Gulf and have been through many hurricanes and power outages. In that situation I've got bigger problem, and I don't care at all about cooking inside. We just grill outdoors in that situation, if we are even here.

Early on in our remodel we were considering running a gas line and worked that into the bid. It was going to cost about $1200 to get a gas line where we needed it.

Then I decided to go induction because of research and getting to cook on one at someone's house. My 36" Bosch 800 induction cooktop was a little less than 2K, and it was the most expensive one they make. There are many brands at different price points. You will probably spend less getting induction because you won't have to add the gas line.

Get induction -- you will be so glad you did!