We are considering switching to induction and looking at Wolf, Miele and Thermador. Haven't made a decision yet as we still need to test the Wolf and Miele

I have had both. And electric elements and a smooth top --- ewwww. I think - there are pros and cons for each and one must weigh each.

My real preference would be both and I am so surprised there aren't more offering that option. I loved the induction for the cleaning, for the cleaning, for the cleaning, for the response to heat changes, and for the safety of not catching myself on fire. I love gas because I love smashing iron skillets around and there is just something primal about fire to me. And, I missed both those things when I had induction. That is about it really. I am an "active" cook HA. (some might say clumsy...) I always feared I would break the glass induction top. We recently redid a kitchen and could have had either because the electric had to be upgraded regardless - we went with gas. But, if the space allowed, I would have put in a 2 hob induction next to it.

Good luck with your decision.

Second nightowl's recommendation of getting both. Currently I have two gas hobs, and one bridge induction. Gas hobs are used mostly for round bottom wok. I can use my induction hob for round bottom wok as well, with suitable wok ring. Pretty much if I am not using a wok, I would opt for induction hob. It is fast, clean, very controllable. It is much faster than gas bringing liquid to boiling point.

When doing next kitchen, I will opt for induction wok hob now that I know it would work well for wok cooking.

Both! I put induction inside and a big gas wok burner outside

I'm planning on a 4 burner induction with a modular gas hob.

I just got induction for the first time after having gas forever. I like how it does not generate so much heat from the flame and how precisely you can set it and how responsive it is to changing the settings. I don't really care how fast you can boil water or how easy it is to clean. The only thing I don't like so far is that you can't slide or move a pan around for fear of scratching. I've already got scratches and I don't recall doing anything that would have caused it. And the thought did cross my mind that if you banged a heavy Le Creuset lid or pot on it, it could be fatal. I have a range so can't comment on any specific cooktops.

Lisadews --

Will your husband read earlier threads? We have discussed this specific subject at great length with as much (maybe more) info and opinions than anybody might care to read on the subject. If you have not already seen these threads, you might want to refer him to this one, this one and this one.

Adding to smm5525's response to your question "who makes really good induction cooktops?" there also is

* GE

* Bosch (whose parent company, BSH, also owns Thermador as well as Gaggenau)

* Electrolux/Frigidaire (which also makes the induction cooktops sold by Sears under its Kenmore brand),

Reports here have been decidely mixed on Whirlpool induction products. Those include the Maytag, Amana, KitchenAid and Jenn Air brands. WP also makes induction cooktops for Ikea .

What kind of cook are you? I cook to live, rather than live to cook (I like good food, but I don't particularly enjoy cooking itself). I have induction and would never go back. For me, the ease of cleaning, the hob timers, the precise temperature changes are all huge positives. The only negative is not being able to char peppers (which I maybe did 4 times in my life on gas). I am not a pot-banger/flinger, if you are a gas range might be a better option. (PS, I do like how fast it boils water!)

sjhockeyfan, if you're a pot flinger, would putting a silicone mat underneath help?

I used a silicon mat - just wasnt the same for me. ymmv.

It would probably help avoid scratches, but there's always the risk of breakage I guess.

I'm going with induction when I build my new house next year although I've never owned or even used one before (other and a quick showroom demo). In fact, the only thing I've ever owned has been old fashioned coiled electric so anything will be an improvement.

I can appreciated the ability of bang pots and pans around on the stove, I really can. In fact there is a part of me that wants to go in that direction. But I'm building the house with easy care and maintenance as one of the primary design criteria so the easy clean-up of induction wins out for me. But, I plan on having a gas line installed also so a later date if I (or a future owner) wants to go with an LP cooktop the plumbing will be in.

re electronic problems - agree gas probable beats induction there.

re spill overs - it isnt just spill overs, which happen to me way more than once a year. It is the ease of cleaning grease spatters, flying broccoli, and drips that has induction beating gas every time.

It really comes down to personal preference for your cooking style and what other appliances you have. Having both is a great idea but in practice most people don't have the space in their kitchen to make that work (need either a large or multiple vent hoods) covering 39" to 45" using Wolf or Miele 15" and 24"/30" components. If you BBQ meals outdoors regularly or prepare vegetables/fish in a steam oven you may find the cooktop is being used less and a small induction hob may be all you need. If you cook with high temperature oils (stir fry or deep fry) frequently I'd still want gas.

For me, on the cleaning, it is almost as easy to wipe up the enameled surface (of the gas range) than the glass of the induction. I have sealed burners on the gas range so I don't find it too difficult to clean. (Next time might go for open burners for more even heating..)

I prefer cooking with gas for several reasons. First, there's just the pleasure factor - even the most enthusiastic induction person has to admit that a gas flame provides a feedback and fun and gratification that induction does not. Second, I have experienced the induction "buzzing". There are several theories about this - perhaps it's the cookware, perhaps it's the particular cooktop, or the wiring to the cooktop, or the electric service to your house. Or, some people can hear it and some people cannot, or some people can hear it and it doesn't bother them.

Another thing I dislike about induction is that the second you raise the pan off the induction cooktop the heat is gone. This is a problem when you saute and lift the pan and toss the ingredients in the pan. Heat is completely absent until you make contact with the cooktop again. Bothers some people and not others.

You may or may not have cookware that is induction-compatible. If it is not, you will have to get rid of your cookware and buy new induction-capable cookware.

As to the cleaning - which is one of the things that people say is great about induction. It could have just been mine (a Thermador), but I actually found the cooktop surface not that easy to clean. It was a streak issue. The streaks were so hard to get rid of, and were very visible. I felt like I had to clean it "just so", with certain specific steps. And then if there was one spatter I had to wipe, the streaks were back. Again, maybe it was an isolated case, but wanted to let you know my experience.

Pretty much everything in a kitchen--every choice--has pros and cons. So this is just one more that depends on individual needs and preferences.

Another consideration is do you have pots and pans that are compatible with induction? I have a ton of nonstick and All Clad Copper Core that won't work with induction. That means i would have to replace $2k worth of pots and pans if i go with induction

For deep frying with oil, you actually want induction because it's response to changes in temp is instantaneous. Bosch actually has a fry feature on their induction cooktops called auto chef or something like that. If I remember correctly, it maintains a certain temp when frying. I use a wok on induction with an Induction wok ring and it is great. Equally as good as the dedicated wok burner.

I do agree that for some people, using induction will require them to change their style. When you lift a pan off a gas cooktop, most of the heat is lost anyway. You are just using the residual heat from the pan. When I am cooking, my concentration is focused on what is happening in the pan. For some users, there are induction cooktops that have knobs. People prefer knobs for a tactile response. After a few days with my induction cooktop, the need for a tactile feedback was no longer needed. I knew which numbers I wanted to cook an item at. I do hear buzzing but not from my cooktop. A friend has a GE induction and I hear the buzzing from that. I had a portable Mr. Burton and that buzzed on certain cookware.

One other way to try out induction that has been recommended on the forum in the past, is to get a portable unit and try it out. No where near the power of the installed units unless you get a 240v portable but it will give you an opportunity to try a unit for yourself with the way that you cook.

There is nothing wrong with selecting gas and I don't want my post to come off that way but I like to make informed decisions. Compare, analyze and select the option that works best for you.

Good luck!

Jaybar,

Is yours the newer or older All Clad copper core? The newer All Clad Copper core is induction ready.

homepro01- My All Clad is older, however i have one newer pain that I haven't tried. Thanks for the heads up

Which brands have the buzzing sound? That would drive me crazy!

Smm5525,

The buzzing sound is not loud but I have very sensitive hearing. It is not brand specific. It is related to a few factors: the composition of the pans, the particular wiring to the unit, etc. One pan may buzz on your cooktop and other pans don't. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule. Although my Miele does not buzz, someone else may have a Miele at they hear a buzz on when they use certain hardware.

I have ultra sensitive hearing and buzzing is super unbearable for me. I'll have to pay attention during demos for that. Thanks!

(After all, how often do spillovers happen for most people--once a year at most??)

It's not just spillovers. I do a lot of saute cooking and the oil flies out everywhere. Or I'll make sauce (gravy for those of Italian descent) and as I take a spoon to "taste" invariably I'll spill some of that on the cooktop.

I'm a slob when I cook so I am so looking forward to induction in my new house. Especially with having suffered with electric for the past 4 years!

But even before that, having to constantly clean the gas grates, and down between the hobs. No thanks!

But having said that, everyone has their own comfort level. I'd rather have gas than my electric cooktops anyway, but definitely induction over gas.

If you cook with high temperature oils (stir fry or deep fry) frequently I'd still want gas.

Why? All the more reason to have induction because cleanup is so much easier and the controls are more precise.

I'm responding to ekscrunchy's post above on "lots of trouble with a Bertazzoni" and finding " It does not
feel as responsive to me as gas."

I think ekscrunchy's experience with the Berta brings to mind a point that has been made before (see the links I posted above and forgive me for repeating it here yet again.)

We cannot buy induction or gas stoves in the abstract.

We have to buy real stoves. Every real stove is a mix of engineering compromises, design choices and tradeoffs. Some mixes work better for for some folks than others. The complaints about the Berta's implementation of induction have less to do with induction in the abstract than with the company's particular (and maybe peculiar) implementation of it.

I think eskrunchy is perfectly correct about Berta not feeling as responsive as gas. With only ten heat settings for its burners -- as far as I can tell --- I can see how that wold be the case. While I have no doubt that the Berta jumps up and down between settings as quickly as other induction and gas appliances, that's only half of what I think of responsiveness. The other half is being able to make smaller adjustments to get the right amount of heat for what you want to cook at the moment. Near as I can tell from the user guides, Bertazzoni chose controllers with only nine heat settings for its burners (ten if you add in the boost function.)

Many of us think ten settings is not fine enough. Many other brands of induction ranges and cooktops have 19 or more steps which will make induction feel a lot more responsive that you would have suspected from your experience with the Berta. I'm talking about Bosch, GE, Electrolux-Frigidaire, Wolf and other brands previously mentioned.

Something else to consider in evaluating your choices.

FWIW, I currently own a nearly electronics-free pro-style gas stove and a small induction cooktop on the side. I'm one of those people who doesn't care about scratches. For reasons I cannot otherwise explain, after four years of regular use -- including regular use of large bare cast-iron pans --- I have lots of scratches on the stainless top of the stove but none on the induction cooktop's surface. Go figure.

A further FWIW, I think the stainless top of my gas stove mostly cleans as easily as the tops of my induction appliances. I do have to remove the heavy grates to get at the stovetop. Some people would find that hateful, onerous and/or seriously annoying. My previous stove was a GE dual fuel (gas on top) which required serious work and large quantities of scouring powders to keep clean.

It really depends on how you cook. I got gas because it's what I'm used to, and I'm wary of having to adapt my cooking style. I grill (outdoors - year round in California) or roast meat and almost never cook it on the cooktop. I use the cooktop for making pasta, rice, soups and sauces. When I really think about it I probably should have gotten induction.

I've had my Kenmore induction for 5 years. I love it. It heats so precisely even my young teenager can use it. After dinner it gets a wipe down with a wet cloth and dry with a towel -- done.

Until my house is built, I have a portable induction burner sitting on top of a perfectly good gas range!!!! I am in love with induction.

I love: that I don't have to worry about the cats (yes, they are allowed on the counter :), that I can put the timer on and not worry about burning anything, I love the ease of cleanup, but most of all, I LOVE not using pot holders. No one ever mentions that, but for me, the most I ever use are my sleeves over my hands. FWIW, I never hear a buzzing with my Le Creuset, but I do with my metal pans. (I'm using a wonky portable burner though and assume it will be better when I get the real deal.

I do think a gas range is a much nicer look.

We tested the Miele at their design center yesterday and heard the buzzing with stainless steel pans but not with the cast iron pot. Of course the thicker pots take longer to boil a pot of pasta water.

Smm5525,

Interesting that you noticed the same thing. Another plus of the cast iron is they are so heavy, I can stir things around as aggressively as I want and never have to worry about the pan sliding and causing scratches. Of course, the negative is they are so heavy :)

There's a certain kind of buzzing that comes only from multi-ply pots, which (very inexpertly explained) have steel, copper and aluminium all heating/expanding/vibrating at different frequencies or something like that.