Start here:
http://theinductionsite.com/

No cleanup instead wipe-up. Much faster more precise heat control than gas without the many btus of extra added to your space. The difference to ceramic is night and day. You could finally cook stuff.

You can't use those corning glass pots.

Yes, you could be just as happy with gas. You might need a bigger circuit for the induction, in addition to it being more expensive to begin with. You would also probably need some new pots. Pure iron or steel (enamelled or seasoned) works best, clad steel (layered with copper and/or aluminum) which is designed to work well on induction also works well (some of those come in non-stick). There are some stainless pots that don't work, or don't work well, because of the quality of the steel or the type of cladding. Glass, clay, copper, aluminum and all other types of pots that have no iron/steel don't work. Induction works by magnets exciting and heating the iron.

Also teeny weeny pots don't work except possibly on some of the zoneless/full surface models. Most requirements want at least 4-4.5", though 3" might work (the sensor has to "see" it). Maximum is usually 12-13". This is bottom diameter, not top. Additionally, long pans like fish baskets and double griddles only work on a small number of units, and you're warned not to use a pot with a ridge around the bottom because it can trap air which can become superheated and burn you or crack the glass. There are also odd noises, most of which come from clad pots, but some of which come from the unit. This bothers kids more than adults because of the high frequency and their young ears. If you have the hood on, you won't hear the clunks and clicks much.

Those are all the negatives I can think of to back up your frugality.

There are many reasons to get induction, especially if you don't have exceptionally high electricity costs: Safety--no flames. The surface gets really hot only right under a really hot pot. Cleanliness, because the rest of the cooktop stays in the range of cool to slightly warm, you can clean up any spill immediately, while you're cooking (and should get up salt or sugar right away because they can scratch, leading to a crack/break, and spilled liquid can kind of stick the pot on like suction). You can put waste paper under the pot while frying so you can clean up just by rolling the splatter up and tossing it. Frugality--your cooking will warm you a bit, but it won't have you sweating in the summer and setting off your a/c unless the thermostat is too close. Forgetfulness--if you abandon it, it'll turn itself off (if you're making spaghetti sauce all day, do adjust the temperature a little now and then if you can't turn this feature off). Boost--if you need to boil or otherwise bring a pot to high temperature fast, you can borrow power from other element(s) to throw at that one pot, usually for about 10 minutes.

If you like the heat and look of flames, get gas. If you want control, induction, so long as there are at least 17 power levels (0-9 in half steps), is as good or better.

Good reasons either way. Induction might be worth it. Gas works and probably costs less.

I have both. I love induction.

I'm still learning about these, but recently read that you can get iron plates that set on the induction surface and a non-ferrous pot can then be used. The plate will heat up and transfer that heat to the pot. I don't know if that is safe for corning-ware, but I'm sure the iron plates will have use and safety instructions.

That's true, but they don't work well. And you could just put your pot in a cast iron frying pan rather than getting the plate. What it does is turn your induction cooktop into a low efficiency radiant cooktop. It might be fine for one or two things once or twice a year, but not for regular, daily cooking.

I suggest saving the Corning Ware for baking. Yes, you can heat an iron plate and it will transfer some heat into the container sitting on it, but this heat transfer will be poor relative to heating a pan base directly. Imagine a cast iron pan with a Corning Ware pan sitting in it. The thermal contact between them will be degraded by the non-planarity of the Corning Ware base making much of the thermal contact zone an air gap.

You can heat an iron plate very hot and transfer more heat, but now you are risking the cooktop ceramic glass and the underlying electronics reliability, encouraging the hob safety circuit to shut it down, and essentially converting an induction hob to a electric coil burner.

Given the cost of induction cooktops, the cost of a set of Emeril or similar second-tier replacement cookware suitable for use with induction is very modest.

kas

I LOVE my induction cooktop and can't imagine choosing anything else. Posters above, and searches, will bring up all of the features, so I will just keep it simple... I'm a super happy induction customer, and I'm both frugal and not cooking fancy things these days. I do make a lot of pasta , though, and boiling water in minutes is fantastic! Also the cleanup is a breeze, and the cool cooktop is a welcome plus, and melting chocolate is fun, and...and...and... :)

I'm ultra happy with mine, but I'm not frugal or patient, and I do cook. Induction boils water FAST which makes the impatient side of me happy. The heat stays in the pan, so your kitchen stays cooler. Ah, frugal. Less need for AC or fans.

If a magnet won't stick to your current pan bottoms, they won't work with induction. I bought my set (frugally) on overstock.com. All my cast iron and enamel coated cast iron work fine.

I am moderately frugal, definitely no chef (a cook at best) and I love love love my induction cooktop. In fact if I were to move, the first thing I would change if induction weren't already existing would be the cooktop. Main plusses - instant responsiveness (boil to simmer in the click of a button) and easy clean. Other things I like about my particular model - individual hob timers, count-down timer, overall shutoff timer (if there are no pans on the hobs), direct-select power buttons (I can press 5-1/2 for example with just one press).

Since down the road I am going induction -- with a stopover with a smoothtop electric range until I can afford the former in my build -- I'm buying replacement skillets which are induction-approved as I need to replace old ones.

Apparently all my other cookware will work just fine in the oven. (Not the stock pot as it won't fit...;) ). I'll eventually want pots that are induction-ready, but just one or two.

sjhockeyfan, what brand did you get?

Artemis, don't go crazy on the pan buying, unless you're getting heirloom quality cast iron. You'll find that the pan sizes/shapes that you want to use most will change with the induction.

My cooktop is a Bosch, my pots and pans are a combination of Tramontina all-clad, Lodge cast iron, Le Creuset, Denmark (house brand of BB&B?) stock pots, one IKEA 365+ small pot, Kitchen Essentials non-stick pans and my favorite pan, which is a ceramic Zwilling.